Ben Robinson and Kate Chastain have maintained a close friendship for more than a decade, even as their careers and personal lives have evolved outside of Bravo. The longtime “Below Deck” personalities are now appearing together on the “Below Deck Down Under” season 4 After Show, reaffirming that their dynamic remains intact.
Chastain recently spoke about her bond with Robinson at BravoCon 2025. “I definitely talk to Ben all the time,” she told The Daily Dish.
She explained how they have kept their friendship healthy over the years. “I would say that I’ve learned over the years, the secret to Ben and I’s friendship is distance,” Chastain said. “We just both have big personalities, and we do better when there’s enough space that both of our personalities have enough room. But I always love seeing him and we actually talk quite often…from a distance.”
Ben Robinson & Kate Chastain’s ‘Below Deck’ History
Robinson and Chastain first met during “Below Deck” season 2, which premiered in August 2014. Robinson had already appeared as the chef in season 1, while Chastain joined the franchise as Captain Lee Rosbach’s new chief stew.
During season 2, the pair shared a cabin and developed a playful, sometimes flirtatious rapport. In one confessional, Robinson described Chastain as “very pretty.”
Over the years, both have addressed speculation that their relationship extended beyond friendship. After tension during “Below Deck” season 3, Chastain appeared on “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen” in 2019 and suggested they may have hooked up.
Despite that history, Chastain said in a 2016 interview with The Daily Dish that she did not see a serious romance in their future. “No, I don’t think Ben and I will ever have anything serious besides a really amazing friendship because we rile each other up, which can be fun in small doses,” she said.
At BravoCon 2025, the pair addressed the topic again during the Unexpected Duos panel.
“Would you like to answer that?” Chastain asked Robinson when questioned about whether they ever got together. “Not really. Thank you,” Robinson replied. Chastain added, “Ben and I worked together. I think we work well together. And we’re great friends. Sometimes we’re not…friends.”
Robinson joked, “We do disgraceful things with each other.”
Chastain previously shut down dating rumors at Bravo Fan Fest in Miami in 2024. “I mean, I wish,” she said. “It would be convenient, but we’re just friends.”
Chef Ben Returns for BDDU Season 4
Robinson has returned to the franchise as chef on “Below Deck Down Under” season 4, which premiered February 2, 2026, on Bravo and streams next day on Peacock. He previously appeared on “Below Deck” through season 4 and on “Below Deck Mediterranean” seasons 1 and 4.
“It’s been 11 years since I’ve done a whole season,” Robinson told BravoTV.com. “I just wanted to push myself and challenge myself. It was a bit interesting to do it.”
Robinson joined the crew after what he described as major personal changes. “It’s odd when your future’s been solidified, for it all to vanish into thin air. [But] yachting was a big part of my formative life. It’s actually nice to come back to it,” he said.
In the season premiere, Robinson explained that he ran into Captain Jason Chambers one week before charter season began. “He needed a chef, and I needed an escape, and I thought, ‘Why not?’ In essence, we saved each other.”
New episodes of “Below Deck Down Under” air Monday nights on Bravo.
