Below Deck: How Chef Rachel Has Redeemed Herself On Season 9

Rachel Hargrove joined Below Deck season 8 and made quite a name for herself with her raunchy personality, but as she returned for season 9, fans started to see a softer side to her. Chefs are known to be temperamental, and Below Deck has featured plenty of them in the galley. Fans witnessed Chefs Ben Robinson, Mathew Shea, and Tom Checketts throw many tantrums under stress. Thankfully, the guests never saw the drama and their food still always came out impeccable.

On Below Deck season 8, Rachel amused fans with her jokes and big personality. However, she went too far when reading the preference sheet of the next group of guests on board. Rachel was offended by their list of demands, and after cursing up a storm in front of Captain Lee Rosbach, she went on to quit. The next day, she came back with a lot of regrets and asked Captain Lee for her job back. He did give her a second chance, and although she nailed the charter, the crew felt offended that she had left them high and dry.

Rachel came back to Below Deck season 9 and fans have noticed that she’s not as unpredictable as last time they saw her. When Captain Lee announced that an upcoming charter guest Chelsea had her jaw wired shut due to an accident and needed all of her foods pureed, Rachel took it with stride. She told cameras that she had dealt with the exact same situation before and knew how to handle it. Although she came across some tense moments where the guests weren’t happy, viewers were impressed with how she stayed calm and handled this situation overall. Along with pureeing the main charter guest’s food, Rachel blew the guests away with her many delicious meals.

Following the stressful charter, the crew was rewarded with a trip to a local island and got to enjoy themselves on the beach for a day. Usually, the crew takes advantage of days off by letting loose and partying. Sometimes, it can get out of hand. Last season, they spent a day off on a beach and Rachel drank a little too much. She acted obnoxiously and embarrassed her crewmates. This time, Rachel went along with her Below Deck castmates but didn’t drink any alcohol. She joked that she was too old to keep up with the younger crew but she seemed to have learned her lesson from last season.

Being on charter is stressful. Thus, viewers can relate when the cast wants to let loose after the charter is over. The chef’s job is exceptionally hard as they have to perform by themselves without any help. Rachel consistently impressed guests with her culinary skills, but she came under fire on Below Deck for her erratic behavior. Rachel blamed it on the stresses of dealing with COVID-19 and wanting to get back home to her then-boyfriend Vicenzo who lived in Italy. On Below Deck season 9, she’s single and seems to be super-focused on doing an outstanding job. So far, that has kept her drama-free.