If you’ve been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the newest addition to the Under the bridgefranchise, Under the bridge below, then you’ve certainly seen the trailer – and in particular, the new series captain emerging shirtless from the water like some sort of Aussie god. Captain Jason Chambers knows the scene has caused uproar online – and, as you’ll see in the first episode, among his new crew as well. But the good-humored captain brushes aside all compliments on her beauty.
“The production team behind me is fantastic,” Chambers hesitates jokingly, “as is the makeup team!”
Downstairs is the latest addition to the popular reality hit Bravo, which follows the dramatic events of the crew on luxury mega-yachts as they attempt to meet the demands of their wealthy clientele. Join the original Under the bridge, Under the Mediterranean Bridgeand Sailboat under the bridge, the new series is set in Australia’s Whitsunday Islands with fan-favorite veteran Aesha Scott returning as head hostess along with a cast of new faces. New episodes are released on Thursdays peacock.
How did you get involved in the show?
Jason Chambers: I was in bed at 2am and got an email from a good friend of mine and his wife saying if you really want a really good captain for the show this is the one and I just said, “Go away.” And then they came back the next day. I talked to my crew – because I was driving a boat at the time – and they said, “You should do it.” I’m like, ‘Really? Me? No, come on,’ and they’re like, ‘You’re going to love it.’ The more I immersed myself in it, the more I spoke to the Bravo team and the Under the bridge team and meeting the people behind the scenes, it seemed like an adventure, with the ship heading down to Australia. Wasn’t going to miss trying to showcase Australia.
Especially for the majority of the last two years where Australia has been somewhat cut off from the rest of the world.
Bedrooms: True. The format of the show has changed so much over the years. I watched a bit over the years, however, the more I saw the more the show moved to different areas with different settings and more adventure. The team drama is always there, it’s part of our industry. But the show itself was moving more and more to distant places and it is turning into a travel show.
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What are some of your favorite places you have worked in your career?
Bedrooms : Australia have a bit more to show so hopefully they have another season there. However, one of the highlights of my yachting career was crossing Papua New Guinea on a superyacht, and there was a lot of downtime. We had to go out and explore and find villages that needed medical assistance and more water and solar power. So we, as a crew, started spending the owner’s money to give back to the villages. When the owners arrived and saw what we were doing they were like, “wow this is amazing, keep it up”. I was very lucky for about three or four years to work in a program that I could really explore but also give back to local people. It was the most rewarding part of my career.
What do you think your leadership style looks like?
Bedrooms : A lot of captains actually think they’re surgeons and their lives depend on them, whereas mine is that I’ve been doing it for 20 years. I feel young and vibrant because of my attitude and hands-on approach, and I really focus on the crew having fun and enjoying their surroundings because we have to live together 24/7 . I think that resonates with guests – when guests arrive and they see a happy crew joking among themselves, who love their jobs, and they’re smiling and they want to wake up and do their jobs, that’s the most important thing first of all. Everything else comes [second]. Listen, outside of the vagaries of our industry, every industry has vagaries, I don’t think we’ll [risk] lives doing something wrong, you know? Let’s have fun and be respectful.
Jason Chambers, Under the bridge below
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In the trailer, it looks like you don’t necessarily end the season with all the same people you started with. What can you say about how this drama unfolds?
Bedrooms : The best thing I took away from this show is that it’s actually real. What they do is turn a three or four month charter season into six weeks. So all the drama you see on Under the bridge actually happens in our industry, but just over a broader and longer time frame. It’s just more confined. And the stress is more contained. So there’s nothing different about this show that doesn’t really happen in real life. You’ll see ups and downs and you’ll see pitfalls and people growing up, but the best thing I’ve also taken away from it is seeing the crew grow up not knowing the boat, not knowing each other, not not understanding the environment, and then turning around at the end to be better crew members.
There’s a stereotype we’ve seen play out Under the bridge over the years where the chefs are morons. Is this real, or is it just the people Bravo keeps throwing?
Bedrooms : Of all the positions on board, the leader should be the most difficult position. They have to work tirelessly to deliver for the crew, but then turn around and bring their A-game three or four times a day to guests. And they’re usually solo, and usually we always say rental advice is always about food, and then service and those two have to work together. The communication between the interior and the kitchen must be perfect. If not, we lose our tips. So they have a lot of pressure, the chiefs. They have a lot to deal with. And you know that’s why every chef show – I think Gordon Ramsey made money being an ass.
It was very diplomatic. So I have to ask you about the fact that in the trailer and in the first episode there are a lot of comments about your beauty. Have you seen this? How do you feel about that?
Bedrooms : I will say this, the production team behind me is fantastic, as is the makeup team. They are fantastic.
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What do you think of all the GIFs slowly rising out of the water?
Bedrooms :
It could have been a little slower and you know, maybe they could have told me how they were going to steer this and I probably could have done a little more work. [Laughs]
To like. Is there anyone from the season you would like to work with again or are you still in contact with?
Bedrooms : Yes, we are still in contact. We have experienced something great together, working together. They have grown a lot. I’m proud of them. In fact, they did so well. With a bit of luck [we can all work together again], but I want to come back first. I worry about myself first!
I think Aesha is a fan favorite, so people are excited to see her again too.
Bedrooms : She’s definitely my favorite too. She just has a positive attitude and good positive vibes. You have to enjoy your surroundings, and she loves the environment. She loves her job and when I saw her come in – I had seen her in previous episodes – I was excited. I felt like there was my little safety net. I can just come up and have someone with me, right next to me, trying to accomplish the same thing, and that’s to give the guests the best time they’re paying for.
This is the first time we’ve seen Aesha as Chief Stew, and you also get a Boson for the first time. It seems like you need to guide your department heads in a way that might not always be necessary.
Bedrooms : You will see that in the first episodes I have to be practical. I have to keep checking. I can’t just sit on the deck and drive the boat. My job is to make sure that all services meet the standards we need. So I have to be practical until I feel comfortable enough to walk away. Each captain has their own guidelines that they want to give to a charter guest. I have mine so I have to show them what I’m waiting for. So I’m involved at the start because I have a team taking that first step and moving up the departments a bit like you said a new boson and a new head hostess.
It looks like this season will be very exciting. Plus, there are lots of great Aussie accents.
Bedrooms : I have to train to be really Australian. We call it “ocker”.
Where are you from in Australia?
Bedrooms : I am from an hour north of Sydney but my family is inland and I have lived in Spain for many years. My daughter was born in Spain. And for the past seven years, I’ve lived in the Philippines and opened a small resort there.
New episodes of Under the bridge below airs every Thursday on Peacock.
