I’m Convinced Lara Rigby Is The Bad Guy In Her Feud With Chef Tzarina On Below Deck Down Under Season 3 (She’s A Mean Girl)
Chief Stew Lara Rigby and Chef Tzarina Mace-Ralph are engaged in a burgeoning feud on Below Deck Down Under season 3, but I’m convinced that Lara’s the real bad guy in their relationship. Lara and Chef Tzarina worked together on a previous charter, and Chef Tzarina noted that she was the cool girl that everyone wanted to be around. It appears that Lara might be bullying other crew members into the same mentality, and Chef Tzarina is poised to be the victim on Below Deck Down Under season 3. Frankly, it seems pretty obvious.
Chef Tzarina and Lara have been at the center of the drama all season on Below Deck Down Under season 3. Sous Chef Anthony Bird didn’t like Chef Tzarina’s relationship style and got a job on another yacht mid-season, leading to his impromptu firing by Captain Jason. After Chef Tzarina and Bosun Wihan Du Toit shared a drunken kiss, she got jealous when he pursued Stew Marina Marcondes de Barros and later wrote a love letter to Adair Werley. This temporarily bonded the Chef and Chief Stew. However, now that Wihan’s gone, they’re turning their anger towards each other.
It’s pretty obvious to me that Lara is being set up to be the villain, but it’s undeniable that she has a mean girl mentality. While Lara came aboard with polished service skills and an eye for five-star experiences, it’s her stereotypical popular girl behavior that could be her comeuppance. Even Chef Tzarina knows that she’s the weird one and Lara’s the “cool” one in their tumultuous relationship.
From the beginning, Lara aligned herself closely with Stew Brianna Duffield, creating an obvious inner circle that excluded Marina, who was eager but less experienced. While she insisted the division of duties, like keeping Marina confined to housekeeping despite her obvious desire to learn more about moving up through the ranks in yachting, was based on performance, favoritism seemed to play a role. Marina herself noted the imbalance, even calling Lara cold and unfair in confessionals.
Lara’s attitude is most obvious when it comes to Chef Tzarina, however. Despite Lara’s attempts to smooth things over between Chef Tzarina and Alesia Harris, she orchestrated a meeting about Chef Tzarina’s behavior without inviting the Chef. She also tore through the galley earlier in the day talking about how Chef Tzarina was the weird Brady Bunch sister, a callback to her Weird Barbie comment.
Lara’s bullying of Chef Tzarina is totally uncalled-for and unnecessary.
Earlier in the season, Lara purposefully blindsided Chef Tzarina by adding a surprise wine tasting for guests during a pre-planned Texas Barbecue. Rather than collaborating with the Chef, Lara forced a last-minute pivot that derailed service and stoked even more tension. Her habit of forging ahead without team input reflects her lack of respect for Chef Tzarina and insistence on juvenile social hierarchies.
To be fair, Lara is good at her job. Her tablescapes are elegant, and she rarely falters under pressure with guests. But her inability to work with Chef Tzarina is now a glaring liability. Instead of rallying her stews, she’s turning the crew dynamic into a high school cafeteria, and it’s beginning to backfire. Lara’s queen bee energy is a major turn-off.
Lara Needs To Control Everything
It Makes Her Come Across As Rude
I think Lara arrived onboard the Katina with the intention of running a tight ship, but her control issues make her a villain. As Chief Stew, Lara took charge of the interior with an iron grip, but instead of earning respect, she’s alienating everyone from her Stews to Captain Jason and Chef Tzarina. What began as an attempt to enforce high standards turned into a power struggle, and she’s coming out as the bad guy.
Below Deck Down Under
Lara Rigby
Astrological Sign
Virgo
Job
Chief Stew
Hometown
Cornwall, UK
One of the most glaring examples of Lara’s need for control came in the galley. Lara keeps stepping in during dinner service to tell Chef Tzarina what to do. Chef Tzarina was visibly frustrated, and the tension between the two has only blown up since. Lara’s unwillingness to stay in her lane has been a problem throughout the season because she truly believes that only she knows what she’s doing.
That same controlling behavior extended to her team, especially Marina. Even after Captain Jason suggested giving Marina more guest-facing responsibilities to build her confidence, Lara doubled down on keeping her in a back-of-house housekeeping role. Captain Jason clearly wasn’t impressed with her subordination and may have (rightfully) soured on her. However, Captain Jason probably isn’t eager to fire another cast member after having to let Wihan and Johnny go in one fell swoop.
Lara Is Turning Alesia Against Tzarina
She’s Caught In The Middle Of Their Feud
Lara is even involving other crew members in her feud with Chef Tzarina, going right for the jugular. Instead of allowing Chef Tzarina to delegate tasks to her sous-chef, Lara insisted that Chef Tzarina personally come along on the recent excursion. Alesia, who had been eager to prove herself, was left to feel like an afterthought. When Chef Tzarina later expressed frustration, Alesia took it personally, and Lara seized the moment.
