Heavy/Getty/Bravo/YouTube Jill Zarin, Below Deck season 11 cast
Former “The Real Housewives of New York City” star Jill Zarin is naming names. The Zarin Fabrics boss appeared as a charter guest in episodes 9 and 10 of “Below Deck” season 11, which features Captain Kerry Titheradge and an almost entirely new crew aboard the St. David. During part one of her Grenada trip, which aired on Monday, April 1, Zarin rubbed a few of the crew members the wrong way with her high standards and suggestions throughout the trip.
Now that the second part of her trip has aired on April 8, Zarin is opening up about the experience and sharing her reaction to the “total disaster” of a trip in the April 9 episode of Heather McDonald’s “Juicy Scoop” podcast.
Jill Zarin Thinks Chief Stew Fraser Olender is to Blame
“Of course I went into it with the attitude that I want to make a good show. I was me, I literally was me. I was me the way I am in my real life,” Zarin shared on the “Juicy Scoop” podcast. “If I like my Diet Coke then I want another. If I don’t like it then I will send it back. If I don’t like my food then I send it back. Most people do. And this is definitely a service industry.”
“It was $45,000 for two nights. You get on the boat at 12 and right away you get lunch. You get an explanation — which I actually taped on my phone that I am going to post — of [chief steward] Fraser [Olender] explaining the layout of the next two days. In fact one of the things he emphasized, which is ironic, is that there would be snacks and food all the time, everywhere. He actually emphasized that and completely didn’t deliver,” Zarin added.
As chief steward, Olender’s job is to “run things in the interior,” according to Bravo’s Daily Dish. This also makes Oldender the point of contact for guests such as Zarin, while they’re on board the ship. Ultimately, Zarin didn’t feel that Olender lived up to this, telling McDonald on air, “It was the [chief] stew’s job to make things run seamlessly, and I kind of blame him for the trip being a total disaster for my friends, who I felt terrible for. They spent an enormous amount of money, they hadn’t been on a ship like this before.”
Olender had his own words about the former RHONY star while on board, saying in a confessional during episode 9 of the season, “Jill is crawling into my brain and eating away at my soul.”
Zarin went on to admit that she only went on the “Below Deck” at the request of her friends, who were the primary charter guests on the St. David. “You ask me why did I do the show? I did it because my friends wanted to go on television — I don’t blame them, a lot of people do — and I didn’t mind doing it with them because as long as I’m me, I’m good.”
Jill Zarin Invited One of the ‘Below Deck’ Crew Members to Her House
In an April 8 TikTok video, Zarin surprised fans by having “Below Deck” star and St. David stewardess Barbie Pascual over to her home. The two filmed a funny video in which Pascual entered Zarin’s house and started asking for a Diet Coke in a glass with “nugget ice”, a specification Zarin had while on board the St. David.
Zarin was behind the bar and told Pascual, “Coming right up, Fraser’s driving me insane!” yet Pascual jokingly returned the Diet Coke, saying it was too warm. The video ended with a cameo by McDonald and a “To Be Continued…” title card.
“Look who showed up with a big SUPRISE! Barbie from below deck had a few tips for me. Did I pass the stew test? Lets find out. 🫢,” Zarin wrote in her post’s caption.
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