Getty Captain Lee & Kate Chastain.
Former Chief Stew Kate Chastain is addressing the rumors that Captain Lee Rosbach could be leaving “Below Deck.”
During a Nov. 4 appearance on former “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Brandi Glanville’s podcast, Brandi Glanville Unfiltered, Chastain opened up about her longtime boss.
“I heard a rumor that he wasn’t coming back to the show, and now he is?” Glanville asked Chastain during the podcast.
“He’s always coming back. Captain Lee will probably be on ‘Below Deck’ for as long as the show is on,” Chastain said. “Coming up with this new season of ‘Below Deck’ airing this fall on Bravo, there is a change that happens that has never happened before on any prior seasons, and Captain Lee may or may not be a Captain some of the time.”
In the trailer for this upcoming season of “Below Deck,” a possible change in Lee’s role is teased. Toward the end of the trailer, Lee says, “My mind’s there, my heart’s there, my body doesn’t cooperate.” It then cuts to Lee sitting down with his tearful-looking crew telling them, “So, I’ve made a decision.”
Chastain was a Chief Stew on “Below Deck” during seasons 2 through 7.
Kate Chastain Still Remains Extremely Close to Lee & His Family
During her time on “Below Deck,” Chastain became very close to Captain Lee, and she became his right-hand man. Even though she is no longer on the show, Chastain still maintains a great relationship with him and revealed during Glanville’s podcast that she views Lee and his wife as a second set of parents, since they live close by to her in Florida.
“They live in Fort Lauderdale and they’re amazing,” Chastain said. “His wife will have me over for dinner. It’s like having an extra set of parents down there. He calls me probably once a week, twice a week, and it’s just so much like your parents. Your Dad calls, you have a missed call, and you feel, like guilt, like, ‘Oh god, I gotta call my dad back’ or whatever, so yeah, I talk to him all the time.”
Captain Lee Described Chastain’s Departure From the Show as ‘Bittersweet’
After Chastain decided to exit “Below Deck” following season 7, Rosbach opened up to HollywoodLife about how he felt about her decision.
“That was out of left field. I did not see that coming at all. I was totally blown away,” Rosbach said during an April 2020 episode of HollywoodLife’s TV Talk social media show. “Kate called me and it was a bittersweet thing. She let me know that she wasn’t going to come back, but she thought it was time to move on.”
Rosbach continued about his former Chief Stew, “She’s got bigger and better things to do and I was happy for her. But, I was sad in the same breath because she’s a valued member of my team and she’s a valued member of ‘Below Deck’ and the show, so, big shoes to fill for somebody, or try to do it, yeah. I miss Kate.”
Viewers can catch the season 10 premiere of “Below Deck” on Monday, Nov. 21 at 8 p.m. Eastern time on Bravo.
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