Entertainment

6 Reasons Why 'Below Deck' Needs Kat Held

by Laura Rosenfeld

I hope you've been practicing your blanket-folding, because Season 3 of Below Deck is just around the corner. The goddess that taught us all how to turn a regular old blanket into a penis, I mean, rocket ship, Kate Chastain, will return for another voyage this season, as well as her crew mates Captain Lee Rosbach, Eddie Lucas, and Amy Johnson. Kat Held, who appeared as one of the stewards on Seasons 1 and 2, will unfortunately not be returning as a full-time cast member in the upcoming season of the show, but will Kat be on Season 3 of Below Deck at all?

Former Below Deck cast members have a habit of popping up on the show even when they're not a part of the main crew, so it's not completely out of the realm of possibility for Kat to still appear on Season 3. Season 1 cast member Adrienne Gang wasn't a part of the Season 2 crew, but she still made an appearance during the season to get in a fight with Kat and act as high and mighty as an actual charter guest. Seasons 1 and 2 chef Ben Robinson will also not be a full-time cast member in the upcoming season, but he will return to the boat at some point and even do some cooking while he's there.

However, Kat tweeted earlier this month that she will not be a part of Season 3 of Below Deck, so it looks like we won't get to see her shenanigans on board the Eros after all. Back in November 2014, many months before the cast for Season 3 of Below Deck was announced, I predicted Kat would return to the show, alas, it appears that it is not meant to be.

That's a real bummer because Kat added a lot to Below Deck. Having been a part of the first two seasons of the show, she really made it what it is today.

Even though Season 3 hasn't even premiered yet, it's never too early to start thinking about casting for Season 4, right? Bravo, as you're wondering about who to bring aboard the yacht for the (hopefully) inevitable next season of Below Deck, here are six reasons why Kat should be at the top of your list once again.

1. She's Unpredictable

There's never a dull moment when Kat's around. Though she changed considerably from Season 1 to Season 2, you still never knew when Kat was going to get naked, get drunk, or get angry. It's very easy for a show that takes place in one cramped location from episode to episode to get very stale, but with Kat around, you never knew what to expect next.

2. She's All Drama

I could still be pretty confident that Kat was going to be confrontational in each episode of Below Deck. Whether she didn't like Adrienne's leadership style or didn't appreciate bosun Eddie Lucas' refusal to help the shorthanded stewards, Kat always let her agitators know how displeased she was with them, and that's putting it mildly. And let's not forget how she was almost fired for appearing drunk on the job in Season 1 and the fact that it was revealed in Season 2 that she went below deck with a guy Amy Johnson had a crush on way back when, which inspired some chilly moments between these co-workers. That's gold, Bravo! Gold!

3. She Has Great One-Liners

I'm not worried for Season 3 in this department, because Kate and Eddie are pretty hilarious too, but I'm definitely going to miss Kat's way with words. She provided us with such gems as, "I'm sweating vodka out of my pores," "He should've been put back in his mother's belly and cooked a little bit longer," when referring to Season 2's spacey deckhand Andrew Sturby, and "OK, already, you don't need mayo. We don't need everyone piling on me." Season 3 is going to be a lot less quotable without you, Kat.

4. She's An Experienced Yachtie

Out of many of the crew members that appeared on Seasons 1 and 2 of Below Deck (I'm looking at you, Sam Orme and Andrew), Kat had some of the most experience working on a yacht. Though she definitely liked to have a good time on the boat, she was also usually with the program, and it was nice to watch someone who actually knew what she was doing. Luckily, it looks like most of the Season 3 crew members know what's up, but if Captain Lee ever feels like firing someone halfway through, let's hope he gives Kat a call.

5. She Had An Adorable Father-Daughter Relationship With Captain Lee

Though she was a competent steward, Kat was not a star yachtie by any means. She screwed up a lot on Below Deck, but that's probably why it always seemed like Captain Lee was particularly protective of her, as if she was his own daughter. It was lovely to see Captain Lee do a complete 180 from his usual no-nonsense way of running the ship and be such a big teddy bear with Kat. He also said that Kat is the one Below Deck crew member he would like to be stuck on an island with in an interview with Bustle last year. "I’d have to find some humor in the situation that we’d found ourselves in, and if anyone could help me find the humor, I think Kat could," he said. Now all we can do is hope that we see this dynamic duo on screen together again soon.

6. Her Accent Is Still A Mystery

On Below Deck, sometimes Kat sounded like she was from Boston, other times British, but mostly, her accent just sounded a little unusual, like it was from no place that exists in the real world at all. I'm not the only one who felt this way either. So many Below Deck fans were curious about what was going on with Kat's accent that Andy Cohen had Kat address it during the show's Season 1 reunion. Kat explained that she's from Rhode Island, and that's just how she speaks. Still, I'm not convinced. I feel like there's some affectation going on there, and I really need Kat to be on Season 4 of Below Deck to get to the bottom of it.

Image: Justin Stephens/Bravo