‘Below Deck Down Under’ Star Adair Werley Kinda Knew Boss Wihan Du Toit Had A Crush On Her: “I’ve Been Around The Block A Time Or Two”

Fresh from Buford, Georgia, Adair Werley didn’t quite know what she was getting into when she signed up for Below Deck Down Under Season 3 as a Deck/Stew. “At the time, Katina was the biggest boat I had worked on. It was also the first international charter yacht that I had worked on,” explained Werley. “I knew it was going to be a challenge for me.” Luckily, she had Captain Jason Chambers and her two department heads, Wihan Du Toit and Lara Rigby, to guide her.

Captain Jason “taught me how important communication is,” said Werley. That is a lesson that Du Toit and Rigby might need a refresher on, given how they have clashed over the split of Werley’s duties so far this season. “It was whoever got dibs on me first,” said Werley. “Watching it all back now, they did a good job not letting their dynamic trickle down into the rest of the crew.” However, with her overall good nature, stellar work ethic, and biting humor, Werley took all the back and forth in stride. “I don’t want to be in any drama,” laughed Werley.

However, Werley did find herself in a bit of a love quadrangle this season, unbeknownst to her! After Du Toit made out with both Chef Tzarina Mace-Ralph and Stew Marina Marcondes de Barros, he began to realize that he had feelings for Werley. When asked if she knew Du Toit was crushing on her, Werley admitted the two “had a good connection.” “I’m a girl, I’ve been around the block a time or two,” said Werley knowingly. However, she had no idea that Mace-Ralph and Marcondes de Barros were fighting over Du Tout despite the rumblings in the crew mess. “Those girls are crazy,” marveled Werley.

Werley stopped by the DECIDER studio to chat about the new season, the jet ski overturning with a guest driving, juicy crew dynamics, and more.

DECIDER: What first got you interested in yachting?

ADAIR WERLEY: When I was young, my dad liked to fish, so when I was going into college, I I realized that I wanted a career that let me “leave the house and go wherever I wanted to go.” I knew wanted to be on the ocean, so working on a boat or at a local Marina seemed like the best options. I didn’t know yachting was a thing. That came many years after just doing regular old boat work in school.

How has your experience on Below Deck Down Under impacted your career?

It gave me the confidence to take the next step professionally. At the time, the Katina was the biggest boat I had worked on. It was also the first international charter yacht that I had worked on. Going into it, I was very nervous. I knew it was going to be a challenge for me, especially on deck. Once the season was over, I was like: “Wow, I just did that. I just crushed that.” That realization made me want take my career to the next level.

What impressed you most about the Katina?

Just the level of operations, particularly the day to day stuff and all the moving parts that people are unaware of. You’re constantly keeping things clean, keeping things prepped. It’s a hotel on water. There are so many inner workings on a boat that size that requires constant maintainence.

Deck/Stew is a sneakily difficult position on any yacht. How did you fall into this role?

You’re right, I agree [laughs]. I was attracted to the position because I like working outside and getting dirty. I also love the girly girl stuff and wanted to be with the girls on the interior. As Deck/Stew I could do both. I enjoy bouncing back and forth between the departments.

We spoke to Jason Chambers earlier in the season and he said that he had to “manage everybody across the board this season.” How did he help you grow as a Deck/Stew?

He taught me how important communication is, especially between myself and the heads of my department. Constant radio contact is necessary on a yacht like the Katina with so many people working to keep things running. I never encountered that kind of complexity before since I worked on smaller vessels with much smaller crews. I learned I had to be constantly talking to Wihan and Lara to figure out when and where I was needed.

I did like that he has your back in this week’s episode. He understood that you’re being pulled in two different directions and that it’s up to your managers to balance your duties. How did that feel?

Good. Jason always had my back on that. Wihan and Lara knew I was all over the place all the time.It was whoever got dibs on me first who got my attention. We just worked it out between us.

Whose management style did you prefer: Wihan’s or Lara’s?

Wihan’s because the deck team is my team. Wihan, Johnny, Harry and I worked together really well. Wihan became my go-to so it was up to him and Lara to figure things out regarding my duties.

Did you have any idea of the conflict between the two?

No, because I’m not the head of the department. I just did the work I was given. Watching it all back now, they did a good job not letting their dynamic trickle down into the rest of the crew.

You did tend to stay out of the drama this season. Is that something you do on all your vessels?

I don’t want to be in any drama [laughs]. I always want to keep it energetic and just keep it fun for everyone. Things can get stressful because there’s so much going on. Everyone is trying to please the guests and have everything be perfect all the time. That alone is really, really hard. No need to add anything else to that.

Let’s talk about the jet ski. You and Johnny were not sure if it should go into water while it was leaking. Did you think Wihan made the right call to put it out for the guest to use anyway?

In hindsight, clearly not. However, when a guest asks for something, you deliver. Do we risk putting the jet ski out and making them happy or do we just say no and have them potentially upset? What is the lesser of two evils? At the time, I thought he made the right call. We knew there was something going on—clearly water shouldn’t have been leaking in there—but we drained it out and plopped it down in the ocean. If we had more time, then obviously we could have seen that we would have an issue down the road. But hey, the guest got the jet ski ride and nobody got hurt [laughs].

Rank these three deck incidents in order of impact on the season: Johnny’s floating out to sea, Harry’s injury, and the jet ski overturning?

The least impactful was Johnny floating away. That was just honestly hilarious. That makes me smile. Next would be Harry’s injury just because no guest was involved. I know it really sucked for Harry. No one wants to see any of us get hurt. The most impactful would be the jet ski overturning because a guest is involved. Thankfully, she was not injured. She just had a couple of scrapes. Jet skis are dangerous and there could have been a much greater injury than there was. It’s a situation you want to avoid at all costs.

I have to ask: did you have any idea Wihan had a crush on you?

I’m a girl, and I’ve been around the block a time or two [laughs]. We had a very good connection. We worked well together and had a nice time. I didn’t know that he was asking the boys about me. He’s a great guy and very handsome. There was a bit of a vibe.

Did you know Tzarina and Marina were fighting over him?

No, dude. I didn’t know, but those girls are crazy [laughs]. I think I knew that they had eyes for him because you hear things in the crew mess, but not to the extent that we know now.

In the trailer for next week’s episode, we see Wihan slip a love note under your door. What can you tell us about that?

It’s a love letter, for sure. I don’t want to spoil too much, but I was not expecting it. It was a surprise for me, and I don’t do too well with surprises.

Alesia Harris joins the Katina as the new sous chef this week. What can you tell us about her?

Alesia is a great fit for the team. We definitely were struggling to keep up without a sous chef. Tzarina was doing so much in that galley, cooking all day long. Alesia hits the ground running. Her presence makes us a complete crew once again.

You’re now a part of the Below Deck franchise. Have any of the alumni reached out to you as the episodes have started airing?

Yes, some have. I really wasn’t too familiar with the franchise going into the show, though everyone is familiar with Below Deck . For years and years, people always told me, “you’re going to be on that TV show one day.” I was like, “no, I’m not.” And now here I am [laughs]. I’m still the newbie. I’m definitely learning faces and names and catching up with everyone. It’s always great making new friends. I’m excited to be part of the family.

What can you tease about the rest of the season?

Nothing much! I just had the best time. We are silly and goofy. We’re doing things a little out of our comfort zone. I’m so excited to watch the rest of it and get to relive all the moments.

New episodes of Below Deck Down Under air Monday nights at 8/7c on Bravo

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