Below Deck has a long history of featuring dynamic personalities on the hit reality show set at sea, and Below Deck Down Under‘s Chef Tzarina Mace-Ralph is no exception, despite her insecurities bleeding into the current season. In fact, part of what makes Chef Tzarina so compelling are her flaws, which feel so obvious to the audience watching at home. Chef Tzarina is an accomplished woman who has five years of yachting experience and has appeared on Below Deck Down Under season 2 and season 3 under Captain Jason Chambers.
Chef Tzarina’s time on Below Deck Down Under season 3 has been marked by drama. She first had to contend with an insolent sous chef, Anthony Bird, who lacked respect for Tzarina and her management style. Anthony quit the show early in the season, upset that he had to take orders from someone who was above them in the ship’s hierarchy. Tzarina struggled to deal with Anthony, but as it turns out, Anthony would be the least of her problems this season.
Tzarina Is Extremely Intimidated By Lara Rigby
Tzarina Has A Love-Hate Relationship With Lara
While it’s Tzarina’s second season on reality TV as part of the Below Deck franchise, it’s only Chief Stew Lara Rigby’s first season on TV. But when Lara boards the motor yacht Katina on episode 1, Tzarina is thrilled. Turns out, Tzarina and Lara had worked together on a previous charter. Tzarina started out as Lara’s biggest cheerleader, telling Captain Jason that she was going to be a fabulous addition to the crew. Lara is a perfectionist, and Tzarina seemed enthusiastic about her prospects.
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When the two first see each other in the ship’s galley, they embrace like old friends. Tzarina even shouted, “I thought I sensed an angel!,” as they hugged. Tzarina is a bit over-the-top in her affection for Lara, and Tzarina immediately suggested that the two board together as she recalled that on their last ship together, Lara was in a party cabin and Tzarina was all alone. It’s a subtle way of Tzarina letting her insecurities show.
“I want to room with Lara because Lara’s the cool girl, you know? I’ve never been cool.”
As Tzarina fawned over Lara, Lara admitted that she loved Tzarina, but then said, “I’m like Barbie, and she’s weird Barbie.” Lara said they’d worked together on a previous boat for six months, but revealed that “not everyone like Tzarina.” Lara said that Tzarina is an “acquired taste,” but she’s game to room with her again because “under all the bravado and all the extra-ness and everything like that, she’s a good person and she has a good heart.” Tzarina elaborated further, saying she and Lara had previously clashed, but she was certain they’d grown and would get along fine.
As the season progressed, Tzarina and Lara butted heads over everything from meal service to management styles.
Clearly, they haven’t matured enough to get along with each other. Deep down though, it feels like Tzarina’s tension with Lara is more personal, more a matter of Lara not liking Tzarina as a friend while Lara bonded with all the other women on board. Tzarina feels rejected by Lara, and this fuels much of their animosity throughout the season.
Tzarina Has FOMO
Tzarina Always Wants To Be Included
Many of Chef Tzarina’s insecurities stem from feeling excluded. She’s open about feeling lonely during her last charter with Lara, as Lara was the popular girl and Tzarina was left all alone. She overcompensated for this feeling when she originally found out Lara was on her charter, claiming that since the two had a history, they would be best friends this season.
It’s clear that Tzarina’s issues with Lara are far deeper than disagreements over dinner service.
When Lara developed a bond with Alesia Harris, the sous chef brought in to replace Anthony, Tzarina was troubled, as she and Alesia had failed to bond while working together. Tzarina sensed that Lara was teaming up with all the crew against Tzarina, and it made her lash out. Again, it all boils down to Tzarina feeling like she isn’t a part of many things.
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Tzarina is insecure about being left out, whether that’s socially or romantically. This feeling has colored her time on the show and informed all of her actions. When Alesia started flirting with Johnny Arvanitis in the galley, Tzarina seemed rattled. She seemed sad that she wasn’t getting attention from the men, even though she had a brief flirtation with Bosun Wihan du Toit.
Tzarina seemed almost jealous of Alesia, which falls in line with Tzarina feeling insecure.
Because of her complicated feelings towards Lara and the way she was being received on the boat, Tzarina takes everything personally. She sees Alesia getting attention from Johnny, and she lashes out at Alesia, saying that she’s too distracted and needs to be focused on work. When Alesia and Lara start bonding, Tzarina attacked both of their work ethics. Everything boils down to feeling rejected for Tzarina.
Tzarina Secretly Wants Lara To Like Her And She Feels Rejected
Tzarina Is Jealous Of Lara
Tzarina had high hopes that working with Lara again would cement their friendship, but it doesn’t appear to be going that way. In a clip that
Tzarina shared to Instagram, Tzarina cried to her mom that Lara was making her life very difficult on the ship. Tzarina described the situation to her mother as being “really triggering” through tears.
“I feel like I’m back in school. I wasn’t invited to eat at certain tables. I wasn’t invited to the parties. I was very, very isolated.”
Tzarina’s insecurities stem from childhood, when she probably really felt like the “weird Barbie” because she’s eccentric and can be very extra. Like Lara mentioned, not everyone understands Tzarina’s personality. Tzarina probably felt that because Lara was her friend and liked her, she’d feel more included on the ship, which is why she was so eager to room with Lara.
It’s heartbreaking to watch Tzarina navigate her role on the ship and her relationships with the others.
It seems as though Tzarina is taking Lara’s rejection personally, even though Lara is probably fed up with having to try and work with Tzarina, who doesn’t always take feedback well. So Lara is rejecting Tzarina based on professional duties, but Tzarina is taking that feeling personally, and it’s almost sabotaging her time on the ship.
Tzarina can’t get out of her own way and make friends easily because she’s so comfortable feeling like an outcast. She’s so dependent on validation from others, like Lara, the “cool girl,” or the other men on the ship, which hinders her ability to bond with others. Tzarina’s probably always felt like an outcast, to some extent, that that feeling has stayed with her into adulthood.
Below Deck Down Under airs Mondays at 8 p.m. EDT on Bravo.
Source: Tzarina Mace Ralph/Instagram
