Some of the best reality shows ever have come out of Bravo, including the behemoth Real Housewives franchise. I'm a super fan personally, and make sure to tune in to all the cities as they air on TV and streaming with a Peacock subscription. My personal favorite is Salt Lake City, which had a trip to Greece as well as a crossover with Below Deck Down Under this past season. The latter show just premiered, showing the crew's perspective off all the drama. And there's one insane plot line that might have hooked me into the full season.
I've never watched an episode of any Below Deck show before, but I tuned in this week to see more of the cast of RHOSLC, especially my fave Angie Katsanevas. While it was fun seeing the upstairs/downstairs drama of their time on the yacht, one story about the crew blew my mind... and might keep me watching though all of Below Deck Down Under's fourth season.
I Can't Get Over Alesia Being A Sous Chef Who Can't Cook At All.
The Housewives were offscreen for the fist half of Below Deck's premiere, allowing us to meet the crew who would be the main stars of the Bravo series. While it was fun to see them narrate the Salt Lake City women's various fights onboard, I was truly baffled by the fact that Sous Chef Alesia Harris fully has no idea how to cook.
While I've never worked in the luxury environment of a yacht, I was in the service industry for a number of years, across three corporate restaurants. I know too well the importance of a strong Sous, who is essentially the right-hand man of the Chef. Even folks who haven't been servers have watched The Bear (streaming with a Hulu subscription) and seen this essential dynamic at play.
When Alesia said that she "wasn't trained" as a chef, it definitely gave me reason to pause, but I initially gave her the benefit of the doubt. After all, I worked with some BOH employees who learned on the job rather than going to Culinary School. But then she started trying to work alongside Head Chef Ben Robinson, and her lack of skills became a glaring (and baffling) storyline that I'm fully invested in.
The level at which Alesia couldn't cook was more than anything I could have guessed. She struggled with basics like cooking an omelette, chopping up greens for a salad, and even choosing a plate for chicken tenders to go on. And her bravery in not only taking the job on The Katina but allowing herself to be filmed as she floundered is a quality I wish I had.
All that being said, I don't love the way that Chef Ben speaks to her. He's constantly calling her pet names, which I found to be lowkey inappropriate. And I don't think that yelling at her is going to make any situation better. But I do share his confused reaction to her having seemingly no skills in the kitchen.
This storyline is by far the one I'm most invested in after one episode of Below Deck Down Under, and they've hooked me enough that I'm gonna keep watching even after the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City crossover ends. And I have to wonder how many Housewives fans might be on the same boat (pun intended).
Below Deck Down Under airs new episodes Mondays on Bravo as part of the 2026 TV schedule. As for RHOSLC, the entire show is streaming no on Peacock. Now let's all say a prayer for Alesia.
