Daisy Kelliher joined Below Deck Down Under Season 4 after being introduced to Bravo viewers on Below Deck Sailing Yacht as chief stewardess.
Her first season on the show, starring Captain Jason Chambers, came amid turbulence after the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City stars guest-starred in the premiere episodes.
“I was nervous with them coming on,” Kelliher told Deadline. “But I had a lot on my plate. It was a brand new boat, brand new captain, so my head was really in the game, and not trying to think about the Salt Lake City girls.”
She continued, “They were definitely… I wouldn’t use the word demanding. It was more like kind of a bit chaotic. It was just asking for a lot of stuff at the same time.”
Kelliher said that she expected the charter to be “intense” whoever was on, “but the Housewives definitely kind of turned it up a notch,” adding, “It was an awesome experience. They were so funny, and the ladies are all genuinely so nice, but they did have us running around.”
Real Housewives of Salt Lake City fans already saw the episodes from their perspective, and there was a lot of yelling among them. Watching the first episodes of Below Deck Down Under, gives viewers the other perspective on how the crew endured the constant bickering and feuds.
“I’m not gonna lie… a little bit off a headache and kind of giving me a taste of what it’s like to have a few children,” Kelliher said of tending to the RHOSLC stars. “They were halfway through filming their season. So they were in the depths of their drama. We could feel that in the boat, they’ve got some lungs on them, for sure.”
Kelliher said the RHOSLC ladies were all so nice but she “really liked Angie [Katsanevas], and I really liked Mary [Cosby],” saying, “They were really sweet, really lovely. I felt like I kind of connected with them, but all of them were really great and great energy. I would happily hang out with any of them.”
In moving from Below Deck Sailing Yacht to Below Deck Down Under, Kelliher has now worked with Captains Glenn and Jason and says they are very similar.
“To be honest, they are actually pretty similar, and they let me run my own department,” she said. “They aren’t really micromanaging. I had a great relationship with Glenn and I have a great relationship with Jason, so I was pretty happy with Jason’s management style and Glenn because it’s definitely the management style I respond best to. The transition was really easy, which I was really grateful for.”
Kelliher also discussed the hardest part of being in front of cameras at work, noting that it’s not always easy to defend yourself.
“The show is edited into like 20 hours out of six weeks. So there’s a lot that you don’t see as a viewer, and sometimes things happen that lead to a decision that doesn’t necessarily get aired,” she explained. “That’s difficult, not being able to explain — you don’t have the full picture. I think it’s easy for the viewers and the public to judge you on your management style or decisions you made, and you’re like, ‘Well, you haven’t had the whole story.’ That can be difficult, but it’s part of the job. Overall, it is really positive, and the fans are amazing.”
Below Deck Down Under airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.