Marina Marcondes De Barros proved herself to be one of the MVPs this season on Below Deck Down Under. Hailing from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Marcondes De Barros is just four years into what’s sure to be a long career in the yachting industry. However, she would not be where she is today without the beloved Bravo franchise. “Below Deck was the first thing I watched before joining the yachting industry,” revealed Marcondes De Barros. “There’s not a lot of information in Brazil about yachting.” By studying the series, Marcondes De Barros learned “what to do and what not to do” as a stew on the interior team.
Marcondes De Barros’ amazing skills in the cabins and laundry quickly endeared her to chief stew Lara Rigby, but by performing housekeeping tasks so well, she unwittingly pigeonholed herself. “I’m great at cabins. I know that. Just give me a chance to do something else,” laughed Marcondes De Barros. Luckily, Captain Jason Chambers saw Marcondes De Barros’ potential and encouraged Rigby to assign Marcondes De Barros to service as well to help her become a well-rounded stew. “I’m very happy that Captain Jason saw that I had space to grow,” said Marcondes De Barros, though she also understood that Rigby was tasked with creating the best experience possible for the guests. “She’s the head of her department, so I just need to do whatever she needs.”
Marcondes De Barros is also no stranger to a boatmance. This seasonshe fought it out with Chef Tzarina Mace-Ralph for the attention of the Katina’s former Bosun, Wihan du Toit. “If you have true feelings for somebody, you need to be honest about it. You need to pursue it. That’s exactly what I did,” explained Marcondes De Barros. Though she doesn’t “regret going after Wihan,” she wasn’t heartbroken when du Toit left the boat because that allowed Bosun Nate Salmon and Deck Hand Nicolas Cattelan to join the crew.
After her brief boatmance with du Toit ended, Marcondes De Barros was ready to put her head down and focus on work the rest of the season. However, she couldn’t deny that Cattelan caught her eye. “When I saw his CV, I thought that he was cute and interesting,” admitted Marcondes De Barros. However, she was surprised when he suddenly kissed her on their first crew night out together. “I had no idea he fancied me at all,” giggled Marcondes De Barros. “I’m a human, I am a woman, so let’s see where this goes.”
Marcondes De Barros spoke to DECIDER over Zoom to talk about the season so far, working with Chambers, and the growing drama between Rigby and Mace-Ralph.
DECIDER: You are one of my MVPs so far this season! Were you at all nervous about signing up for Below Deck Down Under?
MARINA MARCONDES DE BARROS: I was because many in the industry believe that the show is edited to focus on drama, giving a bad image of yachting. That’s not true. Yachting is this messy, chaotic environment [laughs]. I’ve had way more chaotic boats off camera than I’ve had on camera. I also was a little afraid of how the public would see me. I’m a simple girl, I come from a small home, and I’m just here to work. I’m not a TV personality. I didn’t know how people would react to my humor. Throughout this whole season, I was true to myself, so I am really happy with how things turned out. Let’s just see how my grandma reacts when they translate the crew’s interactions into Portuguese [laughs].
I know the franchise has a reputation in the yachting world, but had you watched any previous seasons?
Below Deck was the first thing I watched before joining the yachting industry. There’s not a lot of information in Brazil about yachting. We don’t have many big yachts. So, I didn’t understand what yachting was. I googled “yachting” and the first thing that came up was Below Deck. I started watching and got a better understanding of what yachting entails and what to do and especially what not to do. I went to my first job a little more confident that I was up to the task. Funny enough, a few years later in my career, here I am.
It was fate! What were your first impressions of the Katina?
My first impression of the Katina was, “wow, she’s just a chunky mama.” Like, she is wide! As an interior crew member, I was like, “oh my god, there are so many spaces to clean in the interior.” The deck team had it easy this season [laughs]. The Katina is a very nice boat. It’s beautiful. It has a piano and not every boat does. However, it doesn’t have a food lift, so you have to go up the stairs several times per day. That was a challenge. When I looked at the ship, I was like, “can I give up, go back?” But the Brazilian inside of me was like, “hell, no girl, you signed up for this, you’re going to the end.” And that’s what I did.
Captain Jason is such a tremendous leader. What was your favorite thing about working with him?
Captain Jason not only pays attention to each crew member individually, but also as a group. He saw my potential, he saw how hard I worked, and he made sure that I felt recognized and appreciated. As much as he lifted me up, he also pointed out what I could improve on. That’s all you want from a mentor. You want somebody who actually cares about you and your career, not somebody who is just there to do a job, grab the paycheck and leave. He’s an amazing captain and friend. I’m so blessed to have him.
We just had a big shakeup on the deck team! Wihan and Johnny Arvanitis are out, and Nate and Nicolas are in! Did Captain make the right call to make a change?
Definitely, Captain Jason made the right call. As he said, it was an infection. When you have one bad orange in the batch, the other ones start getting moldy really quickly if nobody notices. That wasn’t what we needed. We work 12 to 16 hours per day. We cannot have somebody complaining about every single task that they need to do. We need upbeat energy, we need jokes, we need laughing, you know? And that’s exactly what Nic and Nate bring to the boat. Honestly, they were a breath of fresh air and exactly what we needed.
You have had your ups and downs with Lara this season. What do you think of her as a manager over all?
I think Lara is a very talented teacher. She had really high standards. Unfortunately, on the Katina, we did not have the means or the woman power to provide the highest possible standards . I did my best, but I was doing two girls’ job, and I was really close to burning out, unfortunately. Still, we delivered great service and the guests were happy. That’s what was important. Lara did what she had to do to achieve that. She made the decisions. I needed to respect what she said and do my job.
It was nice to see Captain Jason encourage Lara to put you on service after you proved yourself as the queen of cabins and laundry. Did you make the most of that opportunity?
I’m really good at all aspects of the interior. I’m not trying to sell my fish here [laughs]. Since day one in my yachting career, I’ve always done whatever I had to for the boat to work. I’m great at cabins. I know that. Just give me a chance to do something else. I’m very happy that Captain Jason saw that as well, that I had space to grow. As you said, he gave Lara that suggestion, so let’s hope she takes it [laughs]. I just need to do whatever she needs. She’s the Gru and we’re just her minions.
Love a Minions analogy! But you do deserve to see the sunlight every now and again.
Amen, girl.
Did you have any idea of the drama going on between Lara and Tzarina?
It was very evident that Lara and Tzarina did not get along. They were bickering all the time, and, after a while, it just got to be normal. They would fight, and you would get caught in the middle and while you were trying to do whatever you could to make the situation lighter. We soon learned it was better to just to be quiet and let the fire extinguish itself.
Looking back, do you regret pursuing Wihan after he connected with Tzarina? Did you even know you were getting yourself into a love triangle/square?
When you get to a new boat and meet a new crew, the first thing they will ask you is who do you fancy [laughs]. That’s exactly what happened the first day we were all in the van. Both Tzarina and I said we liked Wihan. I was planning to ask him out at the very beginning, but I didn’t have the time because I was working. Whatever break I had, I would go to sleep, eat, or talk to my family. So, our date happened a little later than I would have liked.
We’re not teenagers anymore. A kiss in the crew mess is nothing. If you have true feelings for somebody, you need to be honest about it. You need to pursue it. That’s exactly what I did. If Tzarina had told me she was serious about having a relationship with Wihan, I would have respected that, but we were not friends. We didn’t talk about him, and I made clear on several occasions that I fancied him and wanted to pursue something. I don’t know why she was so shocked.
I don’t regret going after Wihan. He’s such an interesting guy. He has traveled all over the world. While we shared many similarities, he was way better as a friend than as a lover. So. I’m good, I don’t want any drama. If she wants him, she can have him. Good luck!
I think that’s the right attitude to have.
Me too. Boatmances are like that, though. You need to accept the end of it as easily as you accept the start of it.
Speaking of boatmances, in this week’s episode, we see you and Nicolas share a kiss! What drew you to him?
Nic is an amazing person. He speaks several languages. He’s well-traveled. He’s a nerd [laughs]. We had a lot of things in common, and I felt very comfortable around him. Let’s be honest, when I saw his CV, I thought that he was cute and interesting. Immediately I thought: “I’m not gonna even give him an opening. I’m not gonna talk to this guy. I’ve had my love on this boat. I’m here to work.”
I think I ignored the fact that we were really good together until he kissed me. I had no idea he fancied me at all. I was going about my day normally without knowing this cute guy was fancying me. I didn’t want to get into anything, but have you seen his smile? I’m a human, I am a woman, so let’s see where this goes.
You two are so cute together! He looks like Prince Eric from The Little Mermaid!
Prince Eric, yes! Oh my God, and I’m a mermaid [laughs]. What a combo!
New episodes of Below Deck Down Under air Monday nights at 8/7c on Bravo
