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Kizzi Kitchener is making waves this season on Below Deck Mediterranean! Hailing from Ipswich, England, Kitchener was originally studying to be a song and dance woman before entering the yachting world. Since the 4’11” beauty is a born romantic, it’s no surprise that she got into the industry because of an old boyfriend. After he told her of his nautical career ambitions, Kitchener left school at 20 to join him on his journey. “He was like, ‘I really want to get into yachting.’ I was like, ‘oh, but I love you. I need to come with you wherever you go,'” remembered Kitchener. “Four years later, I’m still doing it.” Kitchener’s time aboard the motor yacht Bravado marks the first time she has ever worked for a female captain, in this case, Captain Sandy Yawn. “It’s a very male dominated field [and] to have a female captain was such a nice change,” said Kitchener. “Captain Sandy is such an inspirational person.” She also got to work with Chief Stew Aesha Scott, beloved by Bravo fans for her cheery demeanor and incredible work ethic. “We just had fun through everything,” said Kitchener, adding that Scott taught her “not to take life too seriously.” “You can either get really stressed or you can be like, ‘oh, well’ and then laugh later because nothing is worth getting yourself worked up over,” said Kitchener wisely. In addition to showing off her skills in the interior, Kitchener has proved herself to be well versed in the art of flirting. The men of the Bravado’s hearts were broken when they learned that she has a “gentleman” named Tommy Whiteley back home. “I feel like I would have chatted about him because we were texting all the time,” said Kitchener. “I would have thought they would have been more clued in on my situation, but they chose to ignore what I was putting out there.” While Kitchener and Whiteley weren’t officially an item during the charter season, the two are in a “really, really, really good place” today. “We’ve built this relationship through complete honesty and truth,” explained Kitchener. Kitchener spoke to DECIDER over Zoom about the season so far, dealing with drunken charter guests, and why she was trying to get her fellow stew Victoria SanJaun experience with the deck team. DECIDER: Kizzi, you are a breath of fresh air on this crew! Can you tell me a bit about how you started your career in yachting? KIZZI KITCHENER: When I was at musical theater school, singing and dancing every day, I had a boyfriend who told me, “I really want to get into yachting.” I didn’t know anything about the industry, but I was like, “oh, but I love you. I need to come with you wherever you go.” As you do when you’re 20 [laughs]. So, I followed him to the south of France to get into yachting. Four years later, I’m still doing it. Theme nights and performances are a big part of yachting. Have you been able to utilize those musical theater skills? All the time. I think there’s a bit of acting in any service role, especially if you’re a waitress at a bar or in a restaurant. If people are being rude, you still must be courteous, even if you are screaming on the inside. Were you familiar with the Below Deck franchise before getting on the Below Deck Med crew? I was actually a massive fan when I was in school. I used to watch all of the old seasons with Captain Lee and Kate Chastain. Did you get any advice before stepping on board the Bravado? Nothing can prepare you for this version of yachting with the cameras and the intensity of it. Any advice that anyone gave me went out the window the second I stepped on board, because it’s just like a whole new ball game. It was really good fun and a welcome change, I think. What were your first impressions of Captain Sandy? Had you worked for a female captain before? I’ve never worked for a female captain. I have worked for two male captains and didn’t really like either of them. Yachting is a very male dominated field. To have a female captain was such a nice change in pace. Captain Sandy is such an inspirational person. We need more female captains. We need more women in STEM. You got to work with Aesha too! What’s the biggest lesson you learned from her? There are so many! The most important thing I have learned is not to take life too seriously. Like, nothing is that deep. You can either get really stressed or you can be like, “oh, well” and then laugh about it later because nothing is worth getting yourself worked up over. We just had fun through everything. I like the vibes between you and Vi! Even though there seems to be a little competition from your end, you always have her back. What was your favorite part about working with her? Vi was so willing to learn. I was confused watching the first episode because it looks like there is this competition thing I have with her, but I never felt that. I always wanted to help Vi learn, and she was so willing. I could always tell—because she said it a lot—that she has more of a passion for the outside than the inside. Initially, I thought it was going to be a problem and maybe she would not want to make beds or whatever, but I was wrong. She was always ready and willing to go. I really respect that in a person. Some people have misconstrued your telling Nathan about Vi’s deck experience as your trying to get her off interior, which I don’t believe to be true. Is there anything you would like to clear up? Like I said, Vi spoke a lot about her love for being on deck, so that’s why I mentioned that to Nathan when the exterior team was struggling. I just thought she could lend a helping hand from time to time. It wasn’t that I wanted to get rid of her. We had a great interior team, and I wouldn’t do anything to mess that up. Also, it would just be creating more work for myself if she was gone, you know? Absolutely. I was very impressed that you managed to lay down the law with those drunk charter guests and kept them from going into the water. Did you know they were putting the squeeze on Christian at the same time? No, I didn’t. They should have listened when a member of the crew said “no” the first time. It’s not because we wanted to spoil their fun. It was a safety issue. I know being on a boat is fun, but the ocean is scary. I’m terrified of the ocean, and I’ve worked on it for years. It can change so quickly, especially at night and in the dark. There were only two of us up at that point. I’m not jumping into the sea to come and save them [laugh]. I didn’t know that one of the guests was still pushing and pushing after I told him he couldn’t get in the water. Christian probably was the one person who might have said “yes,” which is why he kept pushing. I know you and Tommy weren’t officially an item during the charter season. Is he watching the season with you? What are his thoughts? He’s watching some of it, not all of it. I tend to watch the episode first and then tell him if he should or should not watch it later. Throughout filming the season and for the year after, I have not hidden anything from him because we can’t build a relationship based on of lies. Also, it’s recorded.He’s going to find out everything that happened [laughs]. He’s actually been a massive support for me through Below Deck Med so far. More than anything, he’s proud that I did something that I wanted to do and threw myself into it. Like you say, we weren’t officially an item, so I was allowed to do whatever I wanted. After the charter season, we’ built this relationship from complete honesty. We’re in a really, really, good place. The boys were SHOCKED when you causally mentioned you were dating Tommy during one night. Was that really the first time they were hearing about it? No, I don’t think so… I feel like I would have chatted about him because we were texting all the time. Maybe I had not said I had a “gentleman” or whatever, but I wasn’t keeping him a secret. Maybe it seemed more serious when I talked about him at dinner than it was at the time. I thought they would have been more clued into my situation, but they chose to ignore what I was putting out there. On WWHL, you revealed that you are 4’11”! What are the advantages and disadvantages of being short in the yachting world? The biggest advantage is that boats typically have really small living quarters. However, a double bed is like a king size bed to me [laughs]. Sometimes, the cupboards on a yacht can be really high up, so that’s a disadvantage. Often, people will be like, “oh, you can’t do that. You’re too small or you’re not strong enough.” You might be surprised that short, but mighty, is a real thing. I’ve been short my whole life [laughs]. I’ve learned how to overcome the difficulties that come with that. If you were a charter guest, what would go on your personal preference sheet? A little bit of everything. I do love good entertainment. For food, I would have to have a tiramisu. Have to have that. Maybe a late-night snack party? I love a little cheeseboard or toasted marshmallows vibes. No Szechuan chicken? [laughs] I’m never, ever, ever touching Szechuan chicken after this charter. I never want to hear the name of that dish again! Lastly, what can you tease about your journey this season? Oh, it’s a roller coaster. There are ups and downs. There are things that people will agree with, things that people definitely won’t agree with. All I think I can say is that I learned a lot from this experience, and I’ve come out the other side as a better person, as someone who is way more aware of myself. And I’ve learned what it is that I really want. Below Deck Mediterranean airs Monday nights at 8PM on Bravo
