Rachel Hargrove left Below Deck on bad terms with Bravo — and has been thriving ever since
Rachel Hargrove is an American yacht chef and reality TV personality, best known for her appearances on Below Deck Seasons 8, 9, and 10. Since leaving the reality show, the former Below Deck head chef has launched a wellness brand and a successful private catering career.
Source: UGC
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- Rachel Hargrove is an American chef who captured widespread attention as a head chef on three seasons of Bravo's Below Deck.
- She trained at the Culinary Institute of America and a three-Michelin-starred restaurant, Quattro Passi.
- Rachel Hargrove was first cast on Below Deck in 2020.
- She left the show and publicly cut ties with Bravo in 2022 following an X (Twitter) feud with Austen Kroll and a dispute with a Bravo publicist.
Rachel Hargrove's profile summary
Full name | Rachel Hargrove |
Common name | Chef Rachel |
Gender | Female |
Date of birth | 17 February 1982 |
Age | 44 years as of 2026 |
Zodiac sign | Aquarius |
Place of birth | Tampa, Florida, United States |
Nationality | American |
Residence | South Florida, United States |
Ethnicity | White |
Height in centimetres | 170 |
Height in feet | 5'7" |
Hair colour | Red |
Relationship status | Single |
Profession | Chef, Ayurvedic practitioner, entrepreneur |
Higher education | Culinary Institute of America |
Social media |
Meet former chef at sea, Rachel Hargrove
Rachel Hargrove was born and raised in Tampa, Florida, in the United States, on 17 February 1982. Hargrove has kept a low profile on her childhood and upbringing.
Source: Original
Rachel Hargrove's age and background
Born on 17 February 1982, Rachel Hargrove is 44 years old as of 2026. Her zodiac sign is Aquarius.
Hargrove built her culinary career through training at the Culinary Institute of America. She later completed an apprenticeship at an Italian three-star-Michelin restaurant.
She has also spent time in Thailand, Japan, India, and Italy, expanding her craft in a wide range of cuisines, from molecular gastronomy to gluten-free pasta.
An inside look at Rachel Hargrove's career
Before becoming a reality name, Hargrove worked in professional kitchens on land and sea. In her Bravo profile, she was introduced to viewers as a chef who can handle almost any charter guest's preference sheet, however demanding.
This reputation was tested and tried on Below Deck, Season 8, Episode 7, when Rachel hit her breaking point after an outrageous food preference sheet left her hurling a barrage of expletives as she walked out. In an interview with Entertainment Online, she gave her reasons for returning for season 9 on My Seanna. She said,
I didn't really want to leave Captain Lee hanging. I just needed a breather and needed to walk off and take a second. Especially for everything that was happening to process it. That was one of the craziest sheets I've seen in my life. And then, I'm running as a sole chef? But it really was; I didn’t want to disappoint him.
Source: Getty Images
In 2021, Hargrove returned for season 9, a more composed version of herself. She went on to complete the season and returned for the tenth season between 2022 and 2023.
She returned for season 9, where fans noticed a slightly more composed version of Rachel. She cut back on drinking, kept her cool with even the most demanding guests, and impressed viewers with her culinary consistency. She went on to film Season 10 as well, wrapping up three seasons in the franchise.
In 2021, netizens unearthed clips of Chef Rachel's audition for America's Next Top Model Cycle 4 in 2005 at age 23. In an interview with Entertainment Online, she confirmed the clips,
Oh, yeah! That happened.
She added,
That was so much fun! I was bartending, and the casting director came up to me and (said), you know, um, 'Excuse me, have you ever thought about being a model?'... They just kind of brought me through; I think it had to do with my personality being just off the wall, so… I don’t know! It was a lot of fun; it was a lot of fun.
Here is a summary of the yacht chef who built a reputation as someone unfazed by picky guests as per her IMDb profile:
TV series | Number of episodes | Year |
Below Deck | 17 | 2022-2023 |
Below Deck | 15 | 2021-2022 |
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen (TV series) | 4 | 2021-2022 |
Below Deck After Show | 1 | 2021 |
Below Deck | 17 | 2020-2021 |
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen (Podcast series) | 3 | 2020-2022 |
America's Next Top Model | 1 | 2005 |
Why did Rachel Hargrove leave Bravo?
Rachel Hargrove severed ties with Bravo in July 2022 following a high-profile online dispute with Southern Charm star Austen Kroll and the network's publicity team. Here is everything you need to know about the fallout.
July 2022: The fallout with Austen Kroll
In July 2022, Rachel took to X (Twitter) to call out Southern Charm star Austen Kroll, branding him 'narcissistic.' The comment stemmed from a soured interaction with Kroll during a promotional stop for his beer company, Trop Hop, in her hometown. In an X thread capturing a conversation she had with a Bravo PR representative, she gave reasons for her clash with Kroll,
He (Kroll) was in Tampa and Fort Lauderdale, where I live. We met up… but what was actually good was I met his brewing team. We were all hanging out. He didn’t like the fact that I don’t party and wasn’t doing his whole thing… being an idiot.
She also spoke about another incident involving Kroll and Shep Rose.
The guy's an idiot… even when he and chep (Shep Rose) through (threw) my bag on the floor at up fronts while waiting to go do dress rehearsal.
Source: Instagram
Ending things with Bravo
On 28 July 2022, Rachel Hargrove announced that she was cutting ties with the network entirely in an X (Twitter) post.
I will no longer be accociated (associated) with organisations I don't believe in...
Three months later, she updated fans with an update regarding the Below Deck Season 10 Reunion in another post on X (Twitter).
Not only did she not attend the reunion, but Hargrove also skipped BravoCon 2023. She has kept her distance from the network and most of her former Below Deck castmates since then.
Where is Chef Rachel Hargrove now?
Chef Rachel Hargrove is currently based in South Florida, working internationally as a culinarian while expanding her wellness company, Shaucha by Chef Rachel Hargrove.
Through Shaucha Life, she offers chef-prepared, nutrient-dense meals, Ayurvedic treatments, massage therapy, skincare, yoga, IV therapy, and personalised coaching.
Since leaving Below Deck, Rachel Hargrove has also stayed visible through social media, where she maintains a significant following across Instagram and Facebook.
FAQs
- Where was Rachel Hargrove born? Rachel Hargrove was born and raised in Tampa, Florida, United States.
- What nationality is Rachel from Below Deck? She is an American.
- What is Rachel Hargrove's background? She was trained at the Culinary Institute of America and is a certified Ayurvedic practitioner.
- What show was Rachel Hargrove on? Rachel Hargrove was the head chef on Below Deck for seasons 8, 9, and 10 and appeared on one episode of America's Next Top Model.
- Are Chef Rachel and Vincenzo still together? Rachel and Vincenzo split up after filming Below Deck Season 8, as they were unable to maintain their long-distance relationship.
- Is Rachel Hargrove married? Rachel Hargrove is not married and is currently single.
- Why did Rachel Hargrove leave Bravo? She left after a public X (Twitter) feud with Southern Charm star Austen Kroll and a subsequent dispute with a Bravo publicist.
- Is Rachel Hargrove still a chef? She continues to work as a private chef and has expanded into wellness services.
Since leaving the reality TV spotlight, Rachel Hargrove has successfully rebranded herself as a holistic wellness entrepreneur while remaining a sought-after private yacht chef. She founded her Ayurvedic wellness brand, Shaucha by Chef Rachel Hargrove, and is building an independent career on her own terms.
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Proofreading by Kola Muhammed, copy editor at Legit.ng.
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