Below Deck Down Under‘s Daisy Kelliher called Ben Robinson out for living in the guest cabins — but was the chef actually allowed to reside there?
“This season in the galley my big challenges [had to do with Ben],” Daisy exclusively told Us Weekly ahead of the show’s return on Monday, February 2. “Ben is an interesting person to work with. He’s really fun, he’s a great personality and he’s great TV. But he is definitely a challenge.”
Daisy acknowledged similarities between herself and Ben.
“Maybe we’re both as kind of stubborn as each other,” she noted. “[Our issues were] kind of all of those things. It was the guest cabin, it was the way he managed his team and the way he ran his galley. There were difficulties with communication — so timing and not envisioning service the same way. There were honestly a lot of difficulties and challenges.”
Viewers have had a front row seat to some of the biggest reality TV feuds since the Below Deck franchise debuted. The show’s spinoff series Below Deck Mediterranean shocked viewers when Hannah Ferrier and Captain Sandy Yawn‘s inability to see eye to eye turned into the most memorable firing to date. Since the captain joined […]
Despite their issues, Daisy said Ben is “a hard person to stay angry at,” adding, “But neither of us wanted animosity, and I think both of us really wanted to give the best for the guests. With that being our primary focus, we were always able to come back to that and be like, ‘OK, look, we like each other. We have the same goal. How can we make this happen?’”
She continued: “But I think toward the end of the season, I was getting frustrated. We have a few flare-ups, and there’s definitely some arguments there. It’s difficult because I was trying to do a good job — as he was. Everything was honestly a challenge.”
The season 4 trailer surprised viewers because of Daisy accusing Ben of “living in the guest cabins.” While speaking to Us, she clarified the issue, saying, “It was basically every night off. He didn’t move in, but he moves in basically every night off.”
Daisy recalled having to “pick” her battles with Ben.
“I let it go. Even [Captain] Jason [Chambers] is like, ‘Let it go and pick your battles.’ There were so many other things going on. It felt like this was a small thing to kind of argue, but I guess I just wouldn’t let it go and he wouldn’t let it go,” she continued. “He takes a guest robe, but he’s doing it to annoy me and he makes it his own. As you’ll see throughout the season, he wears it all over the boat to wind me up. So, of course, I can’t let it go. I think he was doing stuff to push my buttons throughout the season.”
The Below Deck franchise has had its fair share of chaos over the years, but there were some moments that stood out more. During season 7 of the Bravo show, chief stew Kate Chastain and bosun Ashton Pienaar had a scary confrontation when the latter was drunk after a night out. Ashton ended up punching […]
The chief stew previously teased to Us the outcome of her back-and-forth with Ben.
“I went into the season taking no prisoners. I knew what I wanted. I didn’t want to be taken a fool, so I very much came in with that mindset,” Daisy teased in November 2025. “Ben challenged me and he’s not easy to work with.”
Daisy praised her time with Ben despite the challenges, which she told Us ultimately led to an amicable relationship.
“I think he also respected me. So, I think I really evolved as a chief stew and as a person — and it wasn’t easy. I don’t like confrontation, but I need it. I was so sure about what I wanted to achieve,” she said at the time. “I was like, ‘I am not letting any crew member get in the way of what I’m trying to do this season.’ We clash and it’s work [drama]. Now, I was drinking with him at the bar.”
More recently, Daisy weighed in on possibly working with Ben again.
“That’s always a tough one. If you’d asked me nine months ago, I probably would have said no. But now time has passed,” she added. “I would. Ben is a great chef — whether he’d work with me or not. We got through the season and we made some great tips. It wouldn’t be a show if we weren’t on each other’s throats.”
Below Deck Down Under airs on Bravo Mondays at 8 p.m. ET. New episodes stream the next day on Peacock.
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