Captain Jason Chambers Says He Almost Turned Down ‘Below Deck’—Here’s Why He Changed His Mind

Erin and Abe Lichy’s chat with Below Deck’s Captain Jason Chambers starts out like a classic Bravo catch-up, but it quietly turns into something deeper: a guy who’s built an entire life around being away from home explaining how he’s trying to be more present—for his daughter, for himself, and even for the version of his career he actually wants next. 

He’s candid about why he moved to Bali, how COVID reshaped his priorities, what filming really feels like (and why it’s so combustible), and the surprisingly emotional stuff he’s navigating off-camera—from anxiety and impostor syndrome to his dad’s Alzheimer’s. 

Below are highlights from the conversation, adapted from the Come Together episode.

How did you end up living in Bali?

“I was working on a big boat, a 300 ft boat for many years over in the Mediterranean, and I met a lady and we had a beautiful child. And my dream was to actually do what I do on a boat, but on land. So I thought, maybe I’d do hospitality or a retreat. And the lady I met was a chef as well…So we bought some land in the Philippines and we built a 5-bedroom boutique retreat…

…But then COVID happened…and my daughter and her mother just could not live in that remote location, and we had to think about education, so they relocated to Bali, Indonesia…And then I didn’t see my daughter for two years because of COVID… so I said, ‘I’m gonna give up work for two years. I don’t care what it costs, and I’m gonna get those two years back’…And out of nowhere, a phone call came about Below Deck.”

Why did you say yes to ‘Below Deck’ if you didn’t want to do reality TV?

“My crew convinced me to do it. I wasn’t going to do it, and I probably wouldn’t have done it for my career, but then I thought, I’m giving up anyway for a while, and I did it. And I did a whole, I did the season and then went away for a year. Then they asked me to do another season, but the first season had to come out on air and I thought, why not? I’ll do it again. And I did it again. And that’s kind of every season now. It is just a year for me to be with my daughter. So that’s the bonus of it.”

What’s the real filming schedule like?

“It’s six weeks, but it’s two days off in that six weeks. [On my days off, I] rest, do nothing…Like, we don’t stop. It’s 18-hour days, nonstop. Legit…And then after each charter, the crew go out and, you know, obviously, they wake up the next day, they get ready for a turnaround for the next one. And it just keeps rolling into it…

…So, a typical season…a really good charter business would probably maybe do about eight charters. That’s it…We do nine in six weeks. Ours are only three days, not usually a week, but three days, so you have to turn over every day…You’ve gotta come up with new ideas…you’re trying to learn from the last one, you’re trying to improve. Obviously things go wrong, so there’s emotions, there’s egos, there’s conflict, and you’ve gotta get on with it and keep the makings of a great reality show.”

How much of the drama do you actually see while you’re captaining?

“I only see probably 30 percent of everything. I wake up in the morning, I do my little rounds, I pick up on mannerisms, I kind of eavesdrop a little bit and I kind of understand what may have [gone] on…but I’m on my bridge doing my job. And then when I watch it with the audience as well, a year later after it’s edited, you see all this other [stuff], you’re like, what the hell is going on there?”

When the crew hooks up, is it real—or produced?

“You can’t avoid it, it’s going to happen. Look, I’ve had crew members…you know, girlfriends, like, over the time. I’ve been doing it for 30 years. You’re on a boat for so long. I always say this, this show’s a great example. A lot of people in the industry don’t say, ‘Oh, that doesn’t really happen.’ Well, everything that’s on Below Deck, I’ve seen [happen] in my 30 years.”

How does it work financially—do guests really pay to be on the show?

“Yes, so they’re chartering the boat…It’s a company that brokers basically a deal between the owner of the boat and you guys. A lot of boats charter. There’s private or there’s charters, and every season, you know, Below Deck, we’ll try and find a boat that’s available to charter in that region, and they’ll charter it, but then they charge the charter, the guests that come on, even if they’re filming…they have to pay to come on for three days, yeah…It’s actually like a paid TV opportunity.”

Why are you single—and do you actually want a relationship?

“I haven’t really wanted anyone. When I look at the spaces in my life, I’d have to remove time with my daughter…she FaceTimes me in the morning and every morning and evening. She’s with me whenever I’m in Bali. Do I want to give any of that time up to empty promises to someone else? No. The purpose was to take two years off and be with her, and then Below Deck came and as you know, TV doesn’t pay very well at the start…If I wanted to make money out of it, I could be in America doing appearances and stuff, but that defeats the purpose of being with my daughter…

…I just went on dating apps this year…The last six months I’ve rebooted the app, knocked it off, rebooted the app, knocked it off, rebooted it.”

What’s your relationship with fame now—especially anxiety and drinking at events?

“Anxiety’s a big thing for me…I didn’t drink at BravoCon at all because I realized that these events, whether it be Watch What Happens Live or anything, I’ve been grabbing a little spicy marg or two before I go on, and the last three I’ve been to, you know, you’ve got these events and next minute, you’re at, you know, 10 spicy margs by the end of the night…I get lit…

…So this one, I just realized that I was drinking to try and get over the anxiety, not just for fun…It was actually more for a purpose to try and get over something. So this BravoCon, I said, I’m not going to drink and see how I come out…And then the last night I was on the stage…The stage fright just got me… I was fully stage fright. [Normally] I wouldn’t have been stage fright because I would’ve had a couple of drinks by then. So I actually have another thing I gotta get over now…but it was something I learned, and it was good. I’m glad I didn’t do it.”

What’s your co-parenting situation?

“We got together very quickly and we had a child very quickly, and then we realized very quickly that things weren’t right. We still stayed with the dream. And the dream was, well, let’s build this. Let’s build this and let’s have our daughter raised in the most unique way we can. Like, let’s give her something…nothing’s ever smooth sailing, but at the end of the day, we are doing the right thing for our daughter…

…Her mother’s very creative. Her mother teaches her a hell of a lot too…we’ve got a great system for her. Even though we’re not together, we co-parent.”

To hear the full conversation with Captain Jason Chambers, tune into Come Together wherever you get your podcasts.

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