New franchise, who dis? Daisy Kelliher is jumping ship from Below Deck Sailing Yacht to join Captain Jason Chambers aboard the M/Y Katina for Below Deck Down Under Season 4. Though Kelliher was initially anxious about the “newness” of the change, she was more than ready for the challenge, especially working for a new captain. “Jason and I were very much on the same page. We’re there to achieve the same thing.” said Kelliher. “He was really helpful when we were down a stew, which helped build our relationship.”

Kelliher also got to work with two seasoned and very familiar veterans of the franchise as her co-heads of department: Chef Ben Robinson and Second Officer João Franco. “I was so nervous,” remembered Kelliher. “I knew their reputations. I knew that they have very strong personalities.” Despite her initial hesitation, Kelliher was ready to “show everyone who’s boss.”

Kelliher knew that Robinson was a bit prickly in the galley. “With Ben, there’s some flaws there, but not with his cooking skills,” said Kelliher candidly. “He’s just a bit discombobulated, a little more disorganized than your typical yacht chef.” Kelliher didn’t have the same issues with Franco, and their working relationship slowly turned into a boatmance. “This year, I really wanted to have a strong relationship with the second officer,” said Kelliher” Maybe I took that a bit too far.” Fans will have to keep watching to see how their dynamic develops over the season.

Kelliher visited the Decider studio to dish on the charter so far, share her take on Robinson’s new galley hand, and talk about her new podcast, Yacht Mess.

DECIDER: You are among the elite few who have jumped Below Deck franchises. What was the most difficult part of the transition from Sailing Yacht to Down Under?

DAISY KELLIHER: Sailing Yacht was my comfort zone; I worked with Glenn for several years. I knew the Parsifal very well. So, the newness of Down Under threw me a bit. It was a new Captain, new crew, new boat. Our charter season was in the Caribbean. That was a lot of changes.

Captain Glenn Shephard is so beloved by Below Deck fans. Were you able to give him a head ups before going to work for Captain Jason?

Everything happens very quickly when you find out that you’re joining a boat. You have to pack and shift into organization mode. So, there wasn’t a real conversation, but he did text me when I arrived on the boat and congratulated me. He also offered me his support. I know him and Jason spoke about it as well. I love Glenn. So, I hope he’s doing well. I loved working for him.

How did you build a working relationship with Captain Jason?

I usually develop pretty good working relationships with my captains. I think they like to work with me, I like to work with them, and we’re a team. Jason and I were very much on the same page. We’re there to achieve the same thing. He was really helpful when we were down a stew, which helped build our relationship. He gained my respect early on because of that. He could have let me sink a bit, but he didn’t. He helped at laundry, and he was very understanding. Also, we’ve hung out at Bravo Con and things like that. We get on well.

I am VERY interested to see what will happen with Captain Jason’s charter guests feedback cards this season. What did you think of this development?

I thought it was great. I was nervous because I don’t like being held accountable [laughs]. Though, I felt confident this year in my skills. I was like, “yeah, maybe it is time to see if I’m the problem or if other people are the problem.”

If there was any negative feedback—which I can’t image there was—which yachtie took it the most to heart?

You’re going to see that Ben has a challenging season this year. In many of the feedback forms, his name was mentioned. I don’t necessarily think he took it personally, but he was probably right to get a little upset about it. It’s not easy to be called out like that. We all know that Ben’s a great chef, but this season was tough for him. You’re going to see that in the feedback forms.

Seeing you, Chef Ben, and João Franco as heads of department feels like a historic moment in the Below Deck franchise. What were your initial feelings when you learned who’d you be leading with?

I was so nervous. I wanted to come in this season feeling really strong. I had a difficult time on my last season of Sailing Yacht, so I wanted to come in and show that I could do my job and show everyone who’s boss. When I saw Ben and Joäo and I was like, “oh, this is definitely a challenge.” I knew their reputations. I knew that they have very strong personalities. So, I definitely walked away from that roundtable situation feeling quite anxious.

Despite it all, Chef Ben is absolutely phenomenal in the galley. What makes him stand out from other yacht chefs you’ve worked with in the past?

With Ben, there are some flaws there, but not with his cooking skills. He is a great chef. He’s just a bit discombobulated, a little more disorganized than your typical yacht chef. Not to take the piss, but his passion—you know how he loves that word—is there. I genuinely believe that he cares about what he puts out on the plate. Overall, it was great working with him. He is an interesting personality, so he was fun to navigate as well.

It’s also clear from the trailer that you find a connection with João. Daisy, why can’t you seem to resist a boatmance?

I know. Boatmances have become my favorite pastime [laughs]. This year, I really wanted to have a strong relationship with the second officer. Maybe I took that a bit too far [laughs]. We had fun. It’s always nice to be able to show your softer side. I love my job, but I have a lot of pressure on me. So, it’s nice to have a bit of fun when you’re stressed.

Like you, I was also initially nervous than Elena “Ellie” Dubaich was returning to the Below Deck franchise. Why were you hesitant about working with her?

I’ve done this show now a few years. I’ve worked on many boats, and a big part of being a good crew member is your personality. In addition to being a hard worker—which Ellie is—you need to be flexible and take direction. What I witnessed with Ellie was that she was difficult to manage. I knew that we were going to have our hands full with her. I was quite relieved when she ended up in the galley.

Clearly, it’s all peaches and cream with Ellie and Chef Ben in the galley now, but things clearly take a turn as the season progresses. Was there a specific moment you can point to when things went bad between them or did little things build up?

When things turn bad between them, they turn really quickly. When she and Ben started working together, the hope was that they would have a great rapport in the galley and that his issues with his previous sous chef were the result of personality clashes. I can’t remember exactly when during the charter season things went bad between them , but it happened fast. I can’t wait to watch it because I don’t really know how things went wrong. Next thing I know, everyone’s just like, “hide the knives!”

It seems like you have a good interior team with Jenna Woudberg, Mike Durrant, and now Alesia Harris. Were you happy with how things were progressing at this point in the season?

At this point in the season, I was super happy. Obviously, Mike was quite green. Alesia was a little bit stronger. Jenna was quite strong and a good choice for second stew. I’m always happy to teach people, but my main thing is that people have to want to be there and want to grow and learn. My challenges definitely come later. I don’t have as many challenges as Ben did in the galley, but it doesn’t remain as peachy as it seems right now. But at this point in the season, I was delighted with my team [laughs].

Have you heard from any of the Salt Lake City women now that their full charter trip has aired on Below Deck Down Under?

They are absolutely great. We saw each other at BravoCon, and they’re so supportive online. They are massive hype girls. They were not upset with anything that got aired. They are professionals. They know how it works. They know we had a great time. We know that they treated us really well, even though members of the public are mad at them. But yeah, we got on great. I was hoping I would make it to Salt Lake City this winter, but I don’t think I’m going to. Maybe next winter I’ll come up and say hi to them.

I’ve been watching the Below Deck franchise for a long time, and their antics were child’s play in comparison to some of the things I’ve seen on the show.

Yes, I agree! They were lovely to us, just not nice to each other [laughs].

I do want to ask about your podcast quickly. You recently started Yacht Mess with Marc McNamara. How did that all come to pass?

Marc was a guest on Below Deck Sailing Yacht, and we kept in touch. He’s a presenter/comic, and he reached out to me with this idea for a podcast. I have been looking for other ways for the audience to get to know me because there’s more to my personality than just being a chief stew. I am very much in work mode on Below Deck, so I can’t easily be as lighthearted as I am in real life. I loved the idea of the podcast, and I was really excited to work with Marc.

We’re in our fourth month now, and it’s just really nice to have another project that I’ve helped build from the ground up. I love it because we make people laugh. I’ve learned that—more than anything—I want to entertain people. To have another space to do that is really special. My family and friends think that the podcast is great for me as well. My mom said to me the other day, “I was feeling really down and I listened to your podcast and it made me really happy.” I was like, “oh, I love that.” So, if you’re having a down day, definitely listen to Yacht Mess [laughs].