Below Deck Season 9 star Heather Chase was caught in a storm of drama in her debut charter season on Bravo TV. Here’s everything you need to know about her run as chief stew and what happened after that.
Below Deck’s US show has had some iconic chief stewardesses over the years, namely Kate Chastain who became a fan favorite. Kate featured in Bravo‘s show from Season 1 which lasted for six charter seasons, retiring to pursue other things in her career.
However, not everybody gets to lead the interior team for that long.
In the case of Heather Chase, she enjoyed just one season working for Captain Lee. Here’s everything you need to know about her spell in the series and what she does now…
What happened to Heather in Below Deck Season 9?
Heather joined the Below Deck US cast in Season 9 and left after a single charter season. During the show, she clashed with fellow crew member Rayna. In May 2023, she confirmed on Instagram that she was retiring from yachting.
Chase joined the crew to replace chief stew, Francesca Rubi, working with Fraser Olender, Jessica Albert, and later Kaylee Milligan in the interior team.
Below Deck’s Heather and Rayna drama explained
Heather divided opinion after footage showed her singing a song that featured a racial slur in the lyrics. Fellow crew member Ranya Lindsey condemned it and called her out on the show, continuing to bother her after the night.
“As an African American woman, there’s always the stereotype of us being aggressive, or too loud, or angry aggressive black woman,” noting she was mindful of how it looked on camera. “That was running through my head for every second of the show. I am genuinely hurt and want my voice to be heard, but not over the top.”
Watch a recap from Below Deck’s reunion below from WWHL, with Rayna responding to Heather’s “cringy” singing of lyrics.
Heather Chase apologizes for racial slur
Later, Heather apologized for using the word and it was branded as insincere by Ranya.
Heather posted the following on Instagram: “I am sorry for the hurt my ignorance caused Ranya in tonight’s episode. While I apologized to Ranya throughout the season, I cannot express enough how truly remorseful I am.
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“Over the past nine months since this episode was filmed, I have learned how my words and actions can affect others and how I vow to do better in the future.”
For Season 10, Heather was replaced but the reason for the decision has not surfaced.
What does Heather from Below Deck do now?
Heather Chase took to Instagram on May 7, 2023, to confirm that she was retiring from yachting. She said “it’s so perfect that my last charter before I officially retire these stripes is with YOU..🤍One last hoorah!”
It’s unclear, as of right now, what is next for Chase.
Which charter guest was Heather dating?
Heather met one of her previous partners as a charter guest, an unnamed character appearing in episode two of Season 9, called “Boat Daddy”.
“I am in a relationship,” Heather said in an on-screen confessional. “He was a charter guest. It’s kind of taboo, but it’s also one of the hottest relationships that I’ve ever had.”
The identity of her current boyfriend is not something that has been announced publicly, though the pair are actively posting together on her Instagram.
Is Heather Chase coming back to Below Deck?
Heather Chase is always being asked by Below Deck fans if she is returning to Bravo’s hit show but was left out of the Season 10 cast – replaced by Fraser Olender.
At the time of writing, there is no confirmation that she will be returning to the US version of the show. Characters have been known to appear in other spinoffs, from Below Deck Med to Below Deck Sailing Yacht, so don’t rule anything out in the future.
For more information about Below Deck, check out our news page here.