Below Deck Down Under season 3 episode 14 recap: Tzarina and Lara get into a brutal argument
Below Deck Down Under season 3 returned with a new segment on May 5, 2025. Titled The Circus, it saw the crewmates contemplate interpersonal relationships while managing various tasks. However, with conflicting ideologies, tensions escalated between two members on deck, leading to a heated confrontation.
Lara and Tzarina got into an argument after the latter refused to let her sous chef, Alesia, clean the crew mess, as previously instructed by Lara. While Lara expected help from the kitchen department, Tzarina refused to let her teammate lose her breaks over something she thought Lara's team could cover.
One thing led to another, and the two had another disagreement over the food being served to the charter guests. It led to Tzarina complaining about Lara to Captain Jason, hoping he would intervene and take strict measures. Meanwhile, it created a tense atmosphere on deck, especially between Lara avoideded contact with Tzarina.
What happened in episode 14 of Below Deck Down Under season 3?
The Below Deck Down Under episode started with the whole crew helping Lara move the circus decorations downstairs. Despite everything, the crew managed to get everything set for the guests just in time. Captain Jason then appeared dressed as the ringmaster to entertain the charter guests.
While the crew laughed and enjoyed performing their parts in the circus, Tzarina felt left out in the galley. Moreover, when Lara left her radio behind, Tzarina felt cut out of the direct line of communication and felt out of touch with the others.
However, above everything else, it bothered her because she could not understand when she needed to send out the food or how much time she had to prepare.
The Below Deck Down Under star later admitted feeling "forgotten" by the Chief Stew Lara, and stated, "It's not the Lara show."
After the party ended, the crew mess needed cleaning. Alesia, who was in charge of cleaning the area, refused to commit, saying she did not have the time to take on another task when she had a pile of dishes to wash. She then went to the Below Deck Down Under Chief Stew to inform her of her work status. Before Lara could convince her, Alesia clarified:
"I can't do it."
Later that night, Bri confided in Tzarina about the hectic pace of the night, noting how Lara asked her to flip cabins between courses, making her overwhelmed.
The following morning, Lara questioned Alesia about not cleaning the crew mess. While Alesia defended herself, Tzarina spoke on her behalf and told Lara that Alesia would have to compromise on her breaks to take on the crew mess. While Lara suggested that it would take 15 minutes, Tzarina retorted:
"If it's 15 minutes, then someone in your department can do it."
The tension between the two department heads escalated when they disagreed over hot bowls of food being served to the guests. Lara complained about the bowls, saying they could not be served because the guests might burn their hands holding them. The suggestion offended Tzarina, who said she had been serving the same for 16 years.
One thing led to another, and the pair started calling each other names. In the end, Tzarina accused Lara of arriving late for service and causing the mess. However, in the next scene, the Below Deck Down Under star told Alesia that she knew Lara was not late, but she only said that to irk her.
Later, Tzarina visited Captain Jason and informed him about her and Lara's situation, hoping for some intervention. However, the Captain failed to reach a middle ground. After the tip meeting, Captain Jason asked Lara and Tzarina to stay back, but Lara stormed off, saying she did not want to clear the air.
The Captain followed the Chief Stew into her cabin and learned that Lara was upset about Tzarina's accusation about her being late. She confessed that she took her work seriously and paid as much attention as needed.
Later, in the Below Deck Down Under episode, the crew arrived at a restaurant to enjoy their free time. However, Tzarina's attempts to have small talk with Lara were not appreciated by the latter. After a while, Bri pulled Lara aside for a conversation and told her that Tzarina had lied about the lateness accusation.
After learning that Tzarina said that only to rile her up, Lara began questioning her intentions and wondering if she ever was her friend. In the meantime, an emotional Tzarina confided in Harry that she used to get picked on by "bullies" at school and drew similarities with her situation with Lara.
"She won't talk to me, she won't look at me. I f**king want my friend... She f**king hates me," Tzarina added.
Below Deck Down Under season 3 episodes can be streamed on Peacock.
