Ashton Pienaar Previews the Demise of His Relationship with Kate Chastain This Season of Below Deck

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Although you may have spotted the two stealing a kiss earlier this season on Below Deck, when Ashton Pienaar stopped by The Daily Dish podcast, he revealed that his relationship with Kate Chastain will take a turn for the worst — and that the two are no longer friends today.

"She’s making it pretty clear that she’s going after me already on social media. She’s already name calling and getting the misogynistic male stripper name tag thrown my way already. There hasn’t been any drama on camera with her and I yet. So, it’s a clear strategy of her to build up or to put me down already with the fans," Ashton said. "She knows what’s coming and she’s obviously trying to build something against me already. So, we’ll see how it all pans out."

So, to be clear, they're not friends: "No. Not at all," he said.

As to how this shift happened, Ashton said, "The whole thing with me and Kate throughout the whole season, it’s a tight program in terms of everything that happens within those six or seven weeks. It was towards the end of the season where emotions are high. You know, it’s been a long season. Everybody’s tired."

And with some hindsight, Ashton reflected, "I could have definitely handled things differently from
my end, which I fully agree on. But things could have been handled differently from both sides, and I’m the type of guy that can take myself out of a situation and be like, cool, this is where I went wrong, what I could have done differently, and I think I would just appeal to the audience to understand that there’s always two sides and just see two perspectives. And it’s not only on the show; it’s in life, you know. You might feel so strongly towards one opinion, but it’s not the only opinion. Whether you like it or not there is another side, whether you like the way somebody behaved or what they’re saying to you, it’s coming from somewhere, and it’s not just that those people are crazy."

With those cryptic hints as to what's to come this season, make sure you don't miss Below Deck every Monday at 9/8c. Preview, below.

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