Feb 8
Talking with the 'Zaddy of the Sea' – 'Below Deck Down Under's' Captain Jason Chambers
Steve Duffy READ TIME: 10 MIN.
There's little wonder as to why Captain Jason Chambers became a sexy fan favorite after he joined Bravo's "Below Deck Down Under." But that both women and men were seeking out information about his marital status surprised the bearded, muscular, and green-eyed hunk. He's single and hasn't been dating, choosing to spend his free time with his young daughter. "I have put a pause on dating for quite some time because I haven't had the time to bring someone else into my daughter's [life]," he told The Daily Dish.
He was also surprised by the show's success – why were people so interested in a show about yachting? One reason for his naiveté was that the Aussie native was living in the Philippines and wasn't aware of the appeal of the franchise in the United States. For those equally naive, "Below Deck" first appeared on Bravo in 2013, where it chronicled the day-to-day activities of those who work or travel on a super-yacht. The first season followed a super-yacht charter for five weeks in Saint Maarten under the leadership of captain Lee Rosbach. He became an overnight celebrity, as did numerous staff who worked beneath him, and the show became such a hit that it spawned numerous spinoffs. Audiences, it seemed, can't get enough of the crew "boatmances" that occurred, or the horrible charter guests, or just the day-to-day operations of the vessels.
Chambers joined the "Down Under" crew as captain of a super-yacht that went on six-week cruises off Australia for its first two seasons. But things are getting bigger and more intense for Season Three, which premiered last week on Bravo after its first two seasons on Peacock. To begin with, Chambers helms the biggest super-yacht yet in the franchise – the Motor Yacht Katina; and this season they move halfway across the world to the Seychelles off the coast of Africa. Returning with him are Chef Tzarina Mace-Ralph and Deckhand Harry Van Vliet, and he'll have plenty to deal with as a number of new faces – Bosun Wihan Du Toit, Chief Stew Lara Rigby, Deckhands Johnny Arvanitis and Adair Werley, Stews Brianna Duffield and Marina Marcondes de Barros, and Sous-Chef Anthony Bird – join him for the six-week voyage.
Bravo is even marketing Chambers' hot looks in their promotions, which led him to tell TV Insider recently that he found it "a bit of a cringe, but let's just go with it. I try not to watch it. I am flattered." His modesty becomes him – he is so strikingly photogenic it would be easy to imagine him parlaying a career as an actor.
The 52-year-old Chambers, with some 24 years in the yachting industry, made headlines in December when he announced on Instagram that he was diagnosed with melanoma. "For someone that spent their life in the sun, as a child playing sport to working on the ocean, I thought I was resistant to the damaging effects of the sun," Chambers, 52, captioned the video. He added that he was anxiously waiting for the result of the biopsy taken right before Christmas.
Just this week he updated his health status on an episode "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen." "It was an anxious wait for about four weeks. I got the biopsy done in Bali, but really couldn't get seen until Australia," he recalled. But Jason said that the doctor had "good news" in response to the diagnosis. "On Christmas Eve, the doctor rang me up and said, 'Listen, we've just got to do one more cut out, but it should be [a] five percent chance of it not returning.' But it really, well, gee, it shocked the hell out of me," Jason admitted.
When asked how he would sum up the new season, he used three words: "Dramatic, wet, emotional."
EDGE spoke to Jason about how he became part of the franchise, his most memorable charter experience, and how he likes being called "Zaddy of the Sea."