Rachel is a proud Michelin-starred chef who has 14 years of experience.
Chef Ben Robinson is accomplished on both land and sea. He worked under Italian master chefs in Florence and gained an apprenticeship at three-Michelin Star restaurant The Fat Duck, based in the United Kingdom. Ben was a head chef on yachts for over ten years, including the largest sailing yacht in the world.
Originally from Tampa, Rachel Hargrove is a cosmopolitan yacht chef with an extensive repertoire of culinary skills. Although predominantly self-taught, Rachel attended the Culinary Institute of America and held an apprenticeship at the Michelin-starred restaurant Quatro Passi in Nerano, Italy.
Although her people-skills are one of the traits that makes her a fan-favorite, Chef Rachel Hargrove is undoubtedly no pushover regarding her kitchen skills. Apart from her impressive culinary skills, Rachel has many other qualities that have made her a clear fan-favorite on the Below Deck franchise.
Chef Leon Walker (Below Deck Original)
Chef Leon Walker was the most divisive character on Below Deck season 3 and would rank among the most controversial cast members ever appearing in the franchise.
With Captain Lee Rosbach and Captain Sandy Yawn being the longest-running cast members, fans always assumed they were the richest Below Deck cast members. Well, while Lee's $800,000 net worth and Sandy's $400,000 net worth, it's actually Chef Ben Robinson that takes the take with his $2.5 million net worth!
Captain Lee continued, “Rachel is unequivocally one of the best chefs I've ever worked with, in terms of talent, knowledge, and just if she's there, she's not gonna let you down.”
Despite her erratic behavior in season 8, she returned for the next season. From the start, fans noticed something had changed in Rachel, and she went on to have a drama-free second season. She handled everything thrown at her gracefully and even opted not to take any alcohol.
Chef Rachel found herself in the middle of a Twitter beef with Southern Charm star Austen Kroll, calling them a “narcissistic tw*t”– quitting the show after it.
As for the chef, such as Below Deck alum Chef Ben Robinson, they make about $7,000 to $10,000 a month, depending on experience and training. The Captain of the boat is the highest earner, making between $150,000 to $210,000 a year working on a 185-foot superyacht like Captain Lee's My Seanna.
He was on crutches or a cane during the episodes he appeared on. Lee finally called it quits after not being able to keep a proper eye on his deck and interior teams due to being confined to the St. David's bridge or his cabin. "My injury, it's getting worse.
"We're not together.
She was asked to pick her favorite chef in the series. While Ben Robinson stood out, Sandy ultimately chose chef Dave White. “Forget the personal [issues] aside and then Ben, because I only had Ben for two charters, but [White] is the best chef,” Sandy said.
Reality TV star Capt. Lee Rosbach was relieved of his command for Season 11 of “Below Deck,” but make no mistake — he is not retired and he expects to be back at the helm of a yacht on TV in the future. He's not ruling out a return to “Below Deck.”
Adam Glick
With two seasons of Below Deck Mediterranean and season one of Sailing Yacht under his chef's apron, the New Mexico native set sail for new experiences—notably an adventure-based cooking show on OutsideTV. "Currently, Adam can still be found in front of the camera," his website reads.
It's safe to say that Captain Sandy herself has certainly helped many people change throughout her Below Deck Mediterranean tenure. She opened up about her struggle with alcohol abuse during Season 4 of the show after she became concerned with Travis Michalzik's drinking.
Below Deck Mediterranean star Captain Mark Howard suffered 'chronic alcoholism' before his death from a heart attack at age 65.
Guests Are Not Actors
Considering their characters and behaviour, one might assume they're all actors. However, in truth, they are actually genuine guests! It's important to emphasise however that the production team of Below Deck do vet the charter guests.
But the mega bucks go to the top dogs, Captain Lee and Captain Sandy, who on a 185-foot superyacht make between $150-$210,000 a year.
Best: Captain Glenn Shepard (Below Deck Sailing Yacht)
How Does 'Below Deck' Star Lee Rosbach Make Money? The beloved but sharp tongued captain likely brings in up to $210,000 a year by helming the yachts featured on Below Deck, Worldwide Boat reports, as that's the salary for skippers of boats in the 150 feet to 177 feet range.
Now the money really starts to shoot up, as chefs such as Ben Robinson are paid $7,000 to $10,000 per month. But the mega bucks go to the top dogs, Captain Lee and Captain Sandy, who on a 185-foot superyacht make between $150-$210,000 a year.
As it is a reality TV show, Below Deck reportedly does not entirely accurately represent the industry as it is in real life, despite not being scripted. Cast member Ben Robinson told the Mirror in 2020: “It's a TV show, they like drama and they like relationships.
Below Deck Salary
For simply performing what is required of them, a second and third junior stew who either works on turning over the laundry or table scaping would make $5,000 per month. A chief stew's salary could be as high as $6,000 per month since the face of the interior.