Below Deck Down Underseason 3 is poised to return, but the new location indicates trouble ahead for the upcoming cast and crew. Chief Stew Aesha Scott isn’t returning to the Bravo spin-off, preferring to remain onboard the Mustique as part of theBelow Deck Mediterraneancast. While casting changes could hurtBelow Deck Down Underseason 3, so could the switch to the Seychelles.
TheBelow Deck Down Underseason 3 castincludes mostly new faces, with Captain Jason, Deckhand Harry Van Vilet, and Chef Tzarina Mace-Ralph as the only returners. Drama plagued last season’s cast, and it’s unclear whether the franchise can erase its bad reputation. Former Bosun Luke Jones attempted to assault Stew Margot Sisson and was promptly fired. After Laura Bileskalne defended him and engaged in her own sexual misconduct, she was also let go.
8Seychelles Isn’t Technically “Down Under”
It’s Nowhere Near Australia
Seychelles is off the northeastern coast of Madagascar. While this is below the equator, “down under” usually refers to Australia or greater Oceania. The Seychelles are technically a group of over 100 islands, all brought together under the same umbrella. The islands aren’t highly populated, especially the 40 or so islands that lack fresh water and the beauty of the rockier islands. Due to its beauty, it’s unsurprising that tourism makes up the bulk of its industry.
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While the Seychelles are undoubtedly beautiful,it’s not the right place forBelow Deck Down Under. The spin-off leads fans to believe the season will take place in Oceania, and the Seychelles is a completely different location. It begs the question of whether the producers wanted to shake things up for the fun of it or couldn’t make a charter season in Australia work. Either way, it seems to be a negative development.
7Fans Need More Consistency
There Have Been Too Many Changes
Fans need more consistency onBelow Deck Down Under, otherwise, it will start to feel like a completely different show.Below Deck Down Underseasons 1 and 2 took place in Queensland, with season 1 centering on the Whitsunday Islands and season 2 in Cairns. Going all the way to the Seychelles is a bizarre twist and might feel like too much for fans.
Producers should have kept Below Deck Down Under in Australia.
If the location was the only inconsistency going intoBelow Deck Down Underseason 3, the choice would feel more understandable. However, multiple things are changing.Chief Stew Aesha has officially departedBelow Deck Down Underin favor ofBelow Deck Mediterranean. Furthermore, there’s a new bosun, Wihan Du Toit, who replacedBosun Luke after his sexual assault incident. He leads a new deck crew aside from Harry, and the entire interior crew is new. While Chef Tzarina now has an assistant, she seems poised to butt heads with newChief Stew Lara Rigby.
6Below Deck Down Under Needs To Set Itself Apart
It’s Meant To Film In Oceania
There’s no point in having multiple spin-offs ofBelow Deckif the locations and crews are shifting.Below Deck Down Undershould take place in Australia or New Zealandand cast most of the crew members from the area.Below Deckhas filmed all over the place, including the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Bahamas, and Tahiti. Unsurprisingly,Below Deck Mediterraneanhas stuck to locales in that area. While there’s been overlap withBelow Deck Sailing Yacht, the show sets itself apart by a completely different type of yacht.
Season 2
Cairns
Below Deck Down Underneeds to take place “down under,“and producers should know that. Seychelles seems like a better location for the originalBelow Deck, which isn’t bound by its location.Below Deck Down Undermight as well roll into the original franchise if they’re not going to stick by their namesake.
5Captain Jason Is Less Familiar With Seychelles
He’s Not As Much Of An Expert
Captain Jason is a seasoned yachtie, but he’s not as familiar with the Seychelles.Before Below Deck Down Under, he had ample experience in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean. He’s the youngest Captain to join theBelow Deckfranchise, and he became more familiar with the Australian coast over the years onBelow Deck Down Under. However, he hasn’t sailed to the Seychelles before.
With so many other factors at play,forcing the Captain to trust new crew members and sail uncharted territories might be too much. He’ll certainly do his best to lead the crew well and navigate a new environment on reality TV, but there are too many uncertainties for one Captain to handle. It will be a challenge for him, and he probably won’t have as much time to goof around with the crew members onscreen. However, he is super experienced, and maybe sailing a new territory won’t bother him.
4Producers Are Doing Too Much
They Seem Frantic
The producers should have stuck with the coast of Australia instead of trying to lure fans in with a new location. However, Bravo producers haven’t just been doing too much withBelow Deck Down Under. It seems to be a pattern for many of the spin-offs. Bri Muller, fromBelow Deck Mediterranean, faced producer plant accusations after she was incapable of doing the laundry or taking feedback without breaking down. She wasn’t the only one; Chef Johnathan “Jono” Shillingford also raised eyebrows regarding his authenticity.
Alleged producer plants have run rampant in recent seasons of Below Deck.
Producers are probably nervous about Aesha’s departure fromBelow Deck Down Underand want to fill the void she’s left in the spin-off. However, consistency is best. Since it’s nearly an entirely new cast, producers should have kept the location the same forBelow Deck Down Under.
3Fans Are Confused By The Location
Seychelles Isn’t Technically Down Under
An eagle-eyed fan on Reddit noticed filming forBelow Deck Down Underhappening over a year ago in the Seychelles, and it greatly confused the viewers. Asu/stingyboynoted, filming was happening in the location without Aesha. Fans guessed it might have beenBelow Deckdue to the filming schedule or evenBelow Deck Mediterraneandue to the locale. Additionally,Below Deck Adventure, which took place in the waters around Norway, hasn’t been filmed for a while.
“It be weird if it would be down under, as down under is (when referenced as such) 99% of the time Australia.”
Fans were dubious about the locale, with one Redditor writing, “It be weird if it would be down under, as down under is (when referenced as such) 99% of the time Australia,” while another said, “seychelles is very much closer to the med (6k km to athens) than australia (10k km to sydney).“Below Deck Down Underwasn’t even on fans' radar for the location, adding to the confusion. It’s not a good start for the rocky spin-off.
2New Zealand Would’ve Been A Better Choice
It Would Have Been The Right Middle Ground
If producers wanted to switch things up, New Zealand would have been a way better choice. New Zealand is still part of Oceania and is considered “down under.” Auckland, the capital, is nicknamed the “City of Sails.” From its gulf,theBelow Deck Down Undercrew could explore the countless beaches and islands in the surrounding area. It’s an incredibly popular locale for yachting.
New Zealand would have made much more sense as a choice forBelow Deck Down Underseason 3’s new locale. The country’s beauty can’t be matched, and it would still provide a change in pace for the Bravo spin-off. Given that the upcoming season is taking place in the Seychelles, it can’t even be calledBelow Deck Down Underanymore. It’s essentiallyBelow Deck Mediterraneanwith a different Captain and crew. Hopefully, production will learn from their mistakes for next season.
1The New Location Could Be Why Aesha Didn’t Return
They Should Have Considered Her Input
The new location could even be the reasonAesha leftBelow Deck Down Underin favor ofBelow Deck Mediterranean. Hailing from the coastal city of Tauranga, New Zealand, Aesha grew up as a proud Kiwi. Seeking adventure, she ventured into the yachting industry, starting as a deckhand on a small boat in Antibes, France. Despite initial challenges, she eventually worked her way up to Chief Stew. She was first seen as a Stew onBelow Deck Mediterranean, but she came into her own as Chief Stew onBelow Deck Down Under.
WithBelow Deck Down Underswitching locale to the Seychelles, Aesha may have decided she might as well sail the Mediterranean rather than still be far from her family and friends in New Zealand. If Bravo producers had decided to film in New Zealand, that might have been compelling enough for her to stay. There’s still hope forBelow Deck Down Underseason 3, but it’s going to be an uphill battle.
Below Deck Down Underseason 3 premieres on Monday, July 08, 2025, at 9 p.m. EST on Bravo and streams the next day on Peacock.
