Below Deck season 9 fans are bashing Chief Stew Heather Chase for forgetting a charter guest’s dairy allergy. In episode 11, Heather talks back to charter guest Melissa Dancy after she informs the chief stew about her husband Pete’s lactose intolerance.
Who Are Charter Guests Melissa and Pete Dancy
For more background, Pete is a retired Army Medical Service Officer and his wife Melissa is a Registered Nurse. She also runs her own employment agency company called AtWork Personnel. Pete and Melissa live in Houston, Texas. They’re friends with retired Naval Officer and Primary Charter Guest Tony Thornton and his wife Porscha.
Despite Tony and Porscha living in Potomac, Maryland, Pete and Melissa have traveled around the world with their friends living in a different state.
How Chief Stew Heather Chase & Chef Rachel Forgot Charter Guests’ Allergies
Below Deck fans are bashing Heather’s response to charter guests telling her they need food changes due to allergies.
It all started when Tony’s buddy Darrion told Heather his wife Claudia can’t have shrimp due to a shellfish allergy. A big mistake like that on a superyacht is bad enough. Yet, somehow Chef Rachel Hargrove and Heather both missed charter guest Pete’s lactose intolerance.
During dinner, Pete’s wife Melissa asked Heather if any of the lamb served isn’t garnished with feta cheese.
“He’ll just like die if he tastes even a little bit,” said Melissa.
“The preference sheet didn’t say dairy intolerant,” Heather responds defensively.
As Pete waits for a new rack of lamb to be cooked, which takes the better part of an hour, Melissa loses her patience.
“In the future we’d like to eat together. Just so you know, I’m disappointed.”
Melissa then explained that they made it very clear Pete has a dairy allergy.
“I’ll be sure that this never happens again. I’m so sorry,” Heather answered, while giving a major stink face and then proceeding to trash the charter guest or “minimal dairy’s wife” to Rachel down in the galley.
“I’m done for the night,” says Melissa in a cut to a clip of other charter guests asking is she wants anymore food.
Meanwhile, in the galley, Rachel and Heather realize they’re big mistake. On Pete’s preference sheet in big red letters it reads: “Dietary Restrictions: Lactose Intolerant.”
Below Deck Fans Are Mad At Heather Forgetting Allergies of Charter Guests
“Oh my gosh, I realize what the misunderstanding was. Jermon’s preference sheet said minimum dairy, yours says lactose intolerant,” Heather tells Melissa.
Heather’s explanation for the screwup likely only made matters worse because it revealed both My Seanna‘s chef and chief stew missed her husband’s dairy allergy clearly written on his preference sheet. Furthermore, Heather first tried to blame it on Melissa instead of apologizing from the very beginning!
Below Deck fans were quick to pounce on Heather’s mishandling of the situation.
“Heather sort of aggressively questioned the guest that asked for food changes… I think that was unprofessional and it set up a bad feeling in the guest,” said one Reddit user on the Below Deck subreddit.
“You never bring attention to a guest who’s made a complaint in front of the group. Really unprofessional,” said another Reddit user.
“You never throw it in their face that they are ‘wrong.’ Especially when they aren’t!” said another Below Deck fan.
Some fans pointed out that it was just as much Rachel’s fault as Heather’s. Rachel told Heather it was minimal dairy when she first went back after talking to Melissa about Pete being lactose intolerance. Fans also thought it wasn’t professional of Rachel to joke about charter guests getting “cranky” after the screwup.
Often times the fans come to the defense of the crew from ridiculous demands like jaw-wired-shut charter guest Chelsea. However, this time most fans are putting the blame on Heather, as well as Rachel, too.
Below Deck’s Captain Lee Has A Crew to Set Straight
Captain Lee already has his hands full trying to get the deckhands whipped into shape. On top of that, his First Officer Eddie Lucas failed to inform him why Rayna Lindsey is rolling her eyes and being insubordinate.
Now, he will also have to address how his chief stew volunteered him to be the wedding officiant for the charter guests to renew their vows and dealt with the food allergy situation. Captain Lee had a front row seat at the dinner where the brouhaha went down. Knowing Rosbach, the issues will be addressed.
The crew certainly shouldn’t expect another $25,000 tip this charter like they earned earlier this season.
Heather could further annoy Below Deck fans yet when her good friend and new stew Kaylee Milligan joins the crew. Based on the two blondes’ Instagram accounts, it looks like Heather and Kaylee want to be famous.
However, fans may be a bit too hard on Heather for the mix-up with the charter guests’ allergies. Heather is missing a third stew for almost two charters now, which is spreading her thin.
“I just had cereal with real milk and feeling the re-precussions [sic] of that one real fast,” said Heather to Rachel, who corrects her by saying repercussions correctly.
“F*** me and my lingo these days. That’s how exhausted I am.”
Hopefully Andy Cohen asked Heather about this whole debacle on the Below Deck season 9 reunion filmed on Sunday, January 16.
Make sure to watch the next episode of Below Deck season 9 on Bravo at 8 p.m. EST. Also, fans can follow all the season 9 cast members’ Instagram and Twitter accounts here.
