‘Below Deck Down Under’ Star Aesha Scott Teases Season 2: “I Was Amazed At How Horny Everyone Was”

New boat, who dis? After making the jump to Bravo from Peacock and enjoying a massively successful inaugural season, the crew of Below Deck Down Under is back with Aesha Scott as the confident Chief Stew. It was fun to watch her grow into her new position in Season 1 as she navigated all the bumps that come with learning a new position, and Season 2 sees Scott much more relaxed and comfortable in her role. With a fabulous mentor in Captain Jason Chambers, Scott isn’t rattled when she finds out she has to do the first charter without Stew Margot Sisson or when Second Stew Laura Bileskalne takes forever to do her hair and makeup while changing her uniform. So far, Scott is handling herself beautifully.

With Bosun Luke Jones and Chef Tzarina Mace-Ralph joining the show this season, Scott already is dealing with far less combative department heads than she had to endure last season. Another positive is this season’s vessel the Northern Star, a smaller, more “manageable” yacht that doesn’t skimp on the luxury. Things might not be as smooth sailing for the interior crew, though. Scott teased a “love pentagon” in the show’s trailer and observed: “This season, I was just amazed at how horny everyone was.”

Decider spoke with Scott over Zoom to talk about reteaming with Captain Jason, her goals as Chief Stew for round two, and her upcoming guest spot on Project Runway.

DECIDER: Let’s talk about the Northern Sun. Initially, you’re charmed by the converted Japanese trawler and excited to work on it.

AESHA SCOTT: When they first said a converted fishing boat, I was like, “What?” I didn’t really know what to expect. When I saw it, I was a little skeptical because it looked like something out of Popeye to me. However, when I stepped onto the boat, I had to admit that it is absolutely beautiful. The salon is gorgeous, and the guest cabins are beautiful. The master is absolutely stunning, and even our crew cabins were luxurious. I had a double bed, a rarity, so I absolutely loved it.

Did your excitement about the Northern Sun last throughout the season? I know Jason and Tzarina have some issues in the first episode…

Mine does [laughs]. I loved the boat for the whole season because it is such a manageable size. Thalassa, the boat last season, was way too big for three girls. I would wake up in the night just dripping with sweat with how stressful it all was. I love the Northern Sun.

For Captain Jason, however, the Northern Sun was like an old single screw prop system which is a very difficult system to drive. No worries though. Jason is so capable that he nailed it. I did really feel for Tzarina because she had to deal with a tiny ass galley without even enough bench space to plate up, not to mention doing all of your cooking. We eventually started putting this little piece of wood over the sink so that she had enough room to lay everything out and plate before we ran the food up to the guests.

Since we’re on the subject of chefs…We know you didn’t have the best of luck with Chef Ryan McKeown last season. What was it like working with Tzarina?

I really love Tzarina, and I don’t want to give away too much about her season. I can tell you that I had a much better time with Tzarina than I had with Ryan. We shared a cabin together, and neither of us burnt the cabin down in anger [laughs].

Is there anything you learned from the first season that you took into the second season?

Rewatching the first season, I felt I was so focused on trying to prove myself as a Chief Stew that I let a lot of bad behavior slide. I looked at how long I let Magda [Ziomek] get away with things, how long I let Ryan just treat me like shit and not do his job, and I just wasn’t happy about it. I was adamant that coming back this season, I wouldn’t let negative things go on for longer than they should. It’s not that I wanted to come back and be a bitch or anything like that. I will always be kind, and I will always be fair. I just wanted to be much more assertive. If I’ve got a Stew who is not performing, I’m going to say something and lay down my expectations .

You were initially concerned that your Second Stew Laura had some Chief Stew experience, but you did a good job establishing a hierarchy with her immediately. She seems like she’ll be a good team mate for you.

It’s difficult when have someone else on board who has been a Chief Stew because they’re used to calling the shots. I wanted to assert my authority from the beginning, so there was no confusion. Though, I do think it’s always important to take ideas and suggestions from your team. Department leaders are not God [laughs]. We can make mistakes too, and we don’t know everything. However, at the end of the day, my call is the final call.

Reteaming with Captain Jason for another season seems like a dream.

Oh, it was wonderful. I just love Jason. We are is very similar. I often say to Jason that he reminds me of my dad because he always looks below the surface to find the root of the problem. Nobody is ever an “arse hole” to him because there is clearly a reason why they are acting badly. Jason asks whether they are having a bad day or whether something has gone on at home. There’s always so much more to the story, and Jason knows that. We use that philosophy with our teams too. We are here to do a good job, but we’re all human. Yes, the crew members must deal with their issues while they are working, but we try to treat everyone with kindness and respect and understanding.

It’s been really fun to watch you and Captain Jason establish yourselves as a team.

I’m so glad [laughs]. Since we got to start Below Deck Down Under, we were able to control how we wanted to run the boat. It’s a brand-new vibe, and people seem to be responding.

But it still has the same drama we love. In the trailer, you describe a “love pentagon” that breaks down: “Harry likes Margot who likes Luke. Laura likes Adam but also wants Luke.” How does that unfold this season?

It happens really quickly. This season, I was just amazed at how horny everyone was [laughs]. It was really fun for me to watch from the sidelines because I am in a relationship. I absolutely love my boyfriend, Scott. It was nice to focus on the job and watch everything unfold. It was so entertaining. I’d wake up in the morning and think, “Wait, and what? And this person and this person now? Oh, okay.” I think the viewers are going to have a really fun time following this whole pentagon playing out.

We see you, Captain Jason and more Below Deck stars in a scene from this season’s Project Runway trailer. What can you tease about your episode?

It was really cool because I used to watch the show all the time in high school. I never in a million years thought when I was this 14-year-old girl watching Project Runway that one day I would be there coming down the catwalk. For me, it was just a surreal experience that I loved sharing with other Below Deck people. It was cool seeing people in my Below Deck family in a totally different environment. I loved it. I had a really good time.

I can’t wait to watch the episode.

It was really funny as well to watch Jason walking down the runway. I was dying laughing on the day [laughs], so look forward to that!

Watch Below Deck Down Under on Bravo Mondays at 8/7c and the next day on Peacock