Actress Pamela Jean Noble is all for Kate Chastain leaving Below Deck, if that’s what the longtime cast member wants. Pamela, who starred in two episodes of the hit Bravo show, loved the time she spent with the Chief Stewardess, she tells HollywoodLife, and she’s firmly “Team Kate” no matter what! “Kate was on the season that I was on,” Pamela said during our February 20 interview at REGARD Magazine‘s 10-year anniversary event. “She was so sweet, and kind, and polite. And I feel like she just has this bad reputation because she’s a strong woman who’s also superior, who has to keep her crew in line.”
Kate, 36, announced on February 17 that she would be leaving Below Deck after six seasons on the show, with a tongue-in-cheek statement playing off of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s own announcement about stepping back from royal duties. “After many months of reflection and internal discussions, I have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new land-based role.” Kate wrote on Instagram. “I intend to step back as a senior member of the Below Deck family and work to become financially independent while continuing to fully support His Majesty Andy Cohen.” Kate’s announcement came right after the season 7 reunion aired on Bravo.
The season had been rough for Kate, who clashed with a number of crew members, especially with bosun Ashton Pienaar. Kate stormed off the yacht during a memorable December 2019 episode after getting in a heated altercation with Ashton that almost turned physical. Kate came back, but was chastised during a tense conversation with Captain Lee Rosbach. Pamela said she believes that the other cast members give Kate a hard time because of her authority. “Work still has to be done; it can’t be all fun and games,” the Resurrection Mary star explained. ” I just think that she stands up for herself and people don’t like that. So I’m sorry, I’m Team Kate.”
While Pamela doesn’t know why Kate left the show, she has her theories. “I feel like she was probably getting over it,” she said. “I mean, especially this last season was awful for her. Like I watched it and I felt like there was so much disrespect going on. And at the end of the day, you have to respect your superiors. It doesn’t matter if it’s a TV show or not. I just think there comes a point where it’s like, do you really want to keep dealing with that, or do you want to move on?”