Chef Ben Can't Return To 'Below Deck' Soon Enough

The chef is a key part of the life at sea, just ask any pirate or member of Bravo's reality show about working on a charter yacht, Below Deck. The fan favorite chef from Seasons 1 and 2, Ben Robinson, will join Below Deck Season 3 partway through the season, as seen in the trailer. Since the yacht kitchen is pretty small, something tells me it isn't going to be because they need a second chef to handle the charter guests. No, it looks like Leon is going to get the boot sometime soon, because he can't manage to make it work alongside Kate, the chief stew and one of Captain Lee's trusted coworkers. Pro tip: if you're on Below Deck, I wouldn't come out of the gate rearing to get on Kate, Eddie, or Captain Lee's bad sides.

But so far, some of this season's new hires don't seem to be able to get along with the veterans, and it would be wonderful to see Ben and/or Kat again. Ben was featured in the Season 3 preview, so he's definitely coming back. And out of the remainder of the season's episodes, I'd guess that Ben will be the chef for the majority of them. He's going to get that call from the captain soon, and if I had to predict exactly when, I'd say between the second and third charter. That means it will be a few episodes until Ben appears, I think. The show started filming in January, according to Yacht Charter World, but Ben appeared on former Below Deck cast member Adrienne's Instagram in January after having a grill night. After that, though, he went on an Instagram blackout — so maybe he joined up with the rest of the crew after missing just three or four episodes.

But Leon will be sticking around until then. At least judging from other seasons of Below Deck, there's not much that a captain can do while the charter is still in progress. That's why Captain Lee always waits until the charter is over before sending someone on their way with a plane ticket. With the exception of drugs being on board, once a charter heads out, no mishap is enough to send them back to shore.

So the Leon/Kate feud will have to wait. Who knows, maybe Leon will be buying the ticket himself, if he prefers working on land so much.

So there will probably be a few more episodes before Ben darkens the ship kitchen's door once again, but it will be worth the wait. This Below Deck star has earned the title, making for some of the best early season moments, like his late-night baking or his many clashes with the chief stews.

This season, he's going to roll in with established relationships with most of the cast, so he can relax and focus on doing what Ben does best: mixing good-looking food with his sense of sardonic British humor. The only problem? Those weeks left before Chef Leon heads home.

Image: Bravo