‘Below Deck’s Kate Chastain on What to Expect From ‘Bravo’s Chat Room’

Former Below Deck chief stew Kate Chastain is sailing into a new Bravo show: Bravo’s Chat Room!

The late-night show premieres Sunday, September 27, and will air both Sundays and Mondays until October 12. Executive produced by Andy Cohen, Chat Room features a panel of female Bravolebrities discussing all things pop culture. Real Housewives of Atlanta fan favorite Porsha Williams joins Chastain, Real Housewives of Potomac star Gizelle Bryant, and Summer House alum Hannah Berner as hosts to open up about current events, their personal lives, and iconic Bravo moments.

(Bravo/Getty Images/NBCUniversal)

Ahead of the premiere, Chastain dishes on what to expect from Chat Room, bonding with her co-panelists, and the current Housewives reunion drama!

What drew you to Chat Room in 2020?

Kate Chastain: I have always loved Bravo TV shows long before I ever worked on yachts. It’s just always been my favorite programming, and so to have the opportunity to actually just come together with other ladies who not only love Bravo but have been on Bravo is so exciting. I’ve always dreamed of having a panel talk show on Bravo to discuss all things Bravo, but never in my wildest dreams did I imagine it would be with Porsha and Gizelle Bryant and the hilarious Hannah Berner. I just feel so lucky to be able to talk to these ladies and to let the world watch us together.

What is it like filming a TV show via Zoom?

What is interesting is when I was imagining a panel talk show, probably at least two years ago, I had kind of a “wouldn’t it be so fun to have different, iconic, amazing, dynamic cast members from different shows?” But the thing was, all the people I loved from different shows were from different cities, just like all the Housewives franchises. Somebody very clever said, “Well, what if they all called in? It would be like CNN correspondents.” And that person was way ahead of their time because here we are. Sometimes out of this whole crazy year, there have been positives of isolation and quarantine. We are appreciating things more, and I think the fact that we’re doing this show in this format is actually quite positive because it allows us free reign. Location did not limit us.

Does that mean that we might get some surprise guest stars, since location is unlimited here?

There are no limits, except for WiFi signal! I would love to see many other amazing Bravo talent pop in. I really hope that’s a possibility.

What’s the dynamic between Porsha, Gizelle, Hannah, and you?

I would definitely say that Hannah is the comedian of the group. She’s kind of like the funny little sister. She’s the youngest, very millennial. You would think she would be the one teaching us all TikTok dances, but Porsha is pretty up on her trends. I think Gizelle is probably the most serious, and I love that about her. I love her grace and strength and confidence. I really was so pleased to see how lovely Porsha is. She’s inspiring; she’s able to talk about really important matters, but keep it so light and cheerful to say her message in a really wonderful way.

There seems to be a good mix of personalities and that the show will be covering topics from different angles. How do you think you fit into the mix? If I asked one of the other women where you fell into place, what would you label yourself as amongst the four?

I was living in New York and I came to Florida for quarantine, and it was pretty apparent to me that when I came back, I was like, “Oh, now I see why everybody talks about Florida.” So I feel like being the Florida girl makes me stick out for that reason alone. Also I’m probably the most sarcastic one. Hannah is hilarious, I would say I’m the more dry humor one.

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Can you tease a little about some of the subjects the show will be covering?

I feel like there’s no topic off-limits in this group. I’m both excited and nervous about that. Gizelle has children that are older than Porsha’s children, and then Hannah and I have no children. So we can kind of see every situation or subject from such different viewpoints and just teach each other and help each other understand — whether it’s the food we’re eating and the clothes we’re wearing, what we’re watching, and just opinions on not only Bravo but everyday life.

(Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)

Your love for Bravo shows and fandom has been very apparent on Twitter and at BravoCon. There’s a lot of topics being covered between the RHOBH and Real Housewives of New York reunion episodes airing. What are your thoughts on the drama?

I just love Sonja Morgan so much. I just love Sonja because I really think she’s the Lucille Ball of our generation. I think she’s a comedic genius, and I love how she’s always able to be funny. I really do not think in her entire time on Bravo that she has done a single thing malicious, which is really quite impressive. People have certainly not always been nice to Sonja, but she lets it roll off and she just handles it with humor. I just love her. I also really love Tinsley Mortimer. I met her and her mom [Dale] at BravoCon. She was like the It girl in New York for quite a while there, but she was so down to earth and friendly and lovely.

For Beverly Hills, I love Garcelle [Beauvais] and Sutton [Stracke] as the new cast members. I think they’re so amazing. I guess I learned this from yachting but if you change one crew member, you really change the dynamic of the entire boat, and I think that Garcelle and Sutton rocked the boat in a fantastic way. They were truly a breath of fresh air.

Speaking of yachting, how does it feel being on land? Do you miss being on a boat right now, amongst your crew members?

I love land so much. I love driving on land, I love walking my dog on land, I love shopping on land, I love decorating on land. I want to go hug a tree right now. I love land.

Bravo’s Chat Room, Season Premiere, Sunday, September 27, Bravo