From her controversial margarita recipe to clashing with Chief Stew Fraser Olender, Barbara “Barbie” Pascual is bringing the drama to this season of Below Deck. After one of the finest rookie appearances in recent memory on Watch What Happens Live, Pascual is gaining fans for her quick humor, easy charm, and spunky personality. As a life-long Bravo fan, the Stew had watched host Andy Cohen for years. Her guest spot on the show “felt absolutely natural” to her. “It was just like talking to a friend,” gushed Pascual.

Hailing from Buenos Aires, Argentina, by way of Atlanta and Miami, this seasoned yachtie and strong-willed Virgo has the skills to be one of Olender’s most valuable yachties, if only she could cool it on the attitude. “Now that I’m watching it back, some of my reactions and responses to things are so tough,” observed Pascual. “I now see I could have made the same point with sugar instead of all the salt I was throwing,” she admitted, adding, “I would have gone way, way further.” After a tumultuous season, Pascual revealed that she and Olender have since repaired their relationship. “A year’s gone by, and we’re a lot closer now,” said Pascual. “We found a beautiful friendship.”

Pascual also emphasized that she had no idea what was going on with her fellow Stew Cat Baugh during the charter season. “I was completely unaware,” said Pascual. “[Fraser] understood that she was struggling with insecurities and that specific situations were triggering,” explained Pascual. “If I knew then what I know now, I would have for sure pulled back.” Luckily for Pascual, she was able to bond with the deck team, a group that she called her “saving grace of the season,” especially Bosun Jared Woodin and Deckhand Kyle Stillie.

DECIDER spoke to Pascual over Zoom to talk about working with Captain Kerry Titheradge, respecting yachting hierarchy going forward, and what Real Housewives Of New York alum Jill Zarin is like as a charter guest.

DECIDER: You delivered one of the best rookie appearances of all-time on Watch What Happens Live? Were you at all nervous?

BARBIE PASCUAL: I blacked out as soon as I walked out [laughs]. When I first saw Andy, it was a complete black out on my end. Luckily, when I got out there, it felt absolutely natural. It was just like talking to a friend. I felt like I knew Andy. I’ve seen him for so many years on TV.

You mentioned that you love the Real Housewives. What was your gateway Bravo show?

It was definitely the Housewives. I lived in Atlanta for so many years, so RHOA started it all for me.

Despite your issues at this point of the season of Below Deck, you were very complimentary of Fraser on Watch What Happens. Can you tease the trajectory of your relationship?

It’s definitely a bumpy ride. We clash a lot. A year’s gone by, and we’re a lot closer now. We found a beautiful friendship, but throughout the show and the season, we struggled a lot.

You have a fascinating, international background. What led you to a career in yachting?

I have a background in sales. I was a crazy sales girl. That changed when I moved to Miami. Everybody works on yachts there, everybody. I started dating a guy whose friend owned a yacht company. One day, he randomly needed a stew, and he asked me to jump in. So, I did and it was just the most natural thing. After that, he’s like, “you’re hired.”

We’re only a few episodes into this season of Below Deck, but how have you felt watching it back? Has it caused you to self-reflect at all?

It really has. Watching the show back, I hear it. My friends tell me all the time, “You’re so rough the way you come off.” I hear that feedback from people, but I’m just like: “Oh, I’m just being honest. And how can being honest hurt?” Now that I’m watching it back, some of my reactions and responses to things are so tough. I see what everybody else sees when I watch myself. My attitude at times is just unnecessary. I now see I could have made the same point with sugar instead of all the salt I was throwing. I would have gone way, way further.

What makes Captain Kerry different from other captains you’ve worked with in the past?

He actually listens. He actually takes the time to sit, listen, and try to understand. He doesn’t just take the word of others–like maybe Fraser or maybe a few other people–as the whole truth when there is an issue or complaint. He always wants to hear both sides of the story, which I really, really appreciate.

Fraser is obviously a very seasoned chief stew. If you had to write him a comment card with criticism on how he led the interior this season, what would be on it?

Treat everybody the same. This past episode, you see him hugging and cuddling Cat and being like “Oh, we’re gonna make it through season, girl!” Then with me, he’s like, “bring it or die!” [Laughs] The attitude that he was with me, and then with Cat is totally different. I wonder if it’s because my personality is so strong that maybe people don’t feel like they have to coddle me. Maybe because she was more sensitive, he felt like different personalities take a different kind of leadership. If he would have been nicer to me, our relationship would have been way, way easier.

I think because Fraser knew you could take criticism, he spoke to you maybe a little too bluntly at times.

But I was speaking bluntly to him. The thing that I have to learn with seniority and yachts is that you can’t speak bluntly to your chief, right? But because I think: “Okay, you’re a person. I’m a person. I’m asking for the same respect that you want.” However, I’m not allowed to ask because he’s my superior. I need to learn to just take things from the higher ups without questioning and without attitude.

What’s the best trick or tip you picked up from Fraser this season that you’ll take to your next charter?

Honestly, I started copying every single thing he did, even the way he acts when he walks up to the table with the serving tray. I started mirroring his mannerisms. We would also run up and down the stairs to see who was faster. I learned from him and filed away within myself all the high Chief Stew qualities he exemplifies. He is a quick, witty perfectionist. He really is impeccable. His work is unbelievable.

Being inexperienced, Cat had a rough start to the charter season. From what we’ve seen on the show so far, it seems like you had no idea what she had been through/ was going through at the time.

No, not then. In that moment, I was completely unaware. I didn’t get the chance to have that kind of empathy that Fraser was able to develop by sitting down and talking with her. He understood that she was struggling with insecurities and that specific situations were triggering. Since I had no idea what was going on, I wasn’t able to be like, “Okay, I have to be softer with you.” If I knew then what I know now, I would have for sure pulled back. When I found out, I definitely had a lot of empathy for her and felt terrible about how it all went down.

If Cat had come to you at the beginning and asked you for help or mentorship, would you have given her guidance?

One hundred percent. I definitely have leadership qualities in me. This season, however, I just automatically felt like the bad guy right away, so I sort of shut down. But I do have a softer side, and I do empathize with people. I do have the potential to use those qualities as a Chief Stew someday. I just wasn’t able to show it on this boat because I was in defense mode.

Was it vindicating watching Cat’s disastrous first service in front of Captain Kerry? Or did it make you understand why she was feeling so insecure?

No, it was both. Watching it all back, seeing her struggling, crying every day, and confiding in Fraser…obviously, I empathize with that. On a yacht, I’m working 18 hours a day, maybe a little less. So to watch a job that’s not getting done or not getting done right, that’s beyond frustrating. It affects the whole team. It affects the tip. It was just a really bad service, but it happens to all of us, by the way. Even the best server will have a bad night every once in a while.

Like Jared said, “Everyone wants a piece of Barbie.” Is it flattering to be the number one girl on the superyacht?

Yeah, it is definitely very flattering. I got along so well with the deck team. The deck team was my saving grace this season.

What about Jared first interested you?

When we sat down that first night with the crew, Jared was talking about how much he wants to get closer to his daughter and about his whole situation. That’s a quality in a man that is top-tier. If you want to be a good dad, and you’re trying to get closer to your daughter… what could be better?

Did his sloppy night out kill any lingering attraction?

Unfortunately, I’m really judgmental when it comes to the men I date. I hold them to the same standards I hold myself. I don’t like to be sloppy. I don’t like falling. I like to be in control. Do I sometimes get that way? Very, very rarely. However, when I see that behavior in a guy that I “like,” it’s kind of a massive red flag to me. It’s a no.

Speaking of red flags, Kyle’s massive sunburn was a giant red flag to me. Were interested in his advances or no?

I was. Kyle’s such a sweet guy. At that point during the season, I had no idea what he was saying. His Scottish accent is so thick. When you first meet Kyle, he’s so hard to understand. The first couple of weeks on the yacht, I had to ask him to repeat himself all the time. When I finally understood him, he was just such a sweetheart. He’s a really sweet guy.

I know you’re a Real Housewives fan, so I wanted to ask if you could tease anything about RHONY alum Jill Zarin’s upcoming charter trip?

So, Jill has high standards, but that’s what yachting is all about. I think that any person that lives her kind of lifestyle has high standards. Those standards make sense to me. I don’t think anything she asked for was ridiculous. I’m actually a huge fan of her homegoods line. She also has these fabulous rugs.  I wanna buy one of her rugs. After her charter, I’m still a fan of hers. She’s lovely.

Last question, if you had to give each person on the interior crew a Barbie moniker, what would it be and why?

That’s hard [laughs]! Okay, Xandi [Olivier] would be Vampire Barbie. I was definitely shocked at first by the way she calls herself a vampire. Cat would be Surf Barbie, for obvious reasons. Fraser would be… European Barbie? No, no, Fraser would be Ken, of course!