"It's her own fault": Below Deck Down Under fans slam Tzarina when João kisses Margot

Below Deck Down Under wrapped up its most scandalous installment to date on September 18, 2023. While the season brought several noteworthy moments, including the firing of three crew members and two pairs finding themselves in the limelight, one couple in particular caused the most chatter online.

'Cheffy' Tzarina and João's unlikely relationship turned heads for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to the audience's previous perception of João, Tzarina's freshly finished romance with Culver, their very confrontational date, João's finale kiss with Margot, and the Chef's odd reaction to it.

While João was never a fan favorite, they've seen considerable growth in him and, against all expectations, are rallying behind him after he kissed Margot. Their date was a turning point for the public's opinion about Tzarina. Fans have taken to the internet to slam her for not recognizing João's feelings and calling him hurtful things.

A X (formerly Twitter) user, @chasingtheSAM, wrote:

"Tzarina pushed João away, it's her own fault."

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Below Deck Down Under: Fans unhappy with Tzarina, defend the changed man João

Chef Tzarina and João end things on a sour note. (Images via Instagram/@cheftzarina and @joaograntfranco)

In the final episode of Below Deck Down Under, Tzarina and João's partnership was left behind at the dock. They'd had several conversations in the span of those two days, with João being vulnerable, responsible, and apologizing for anything he may have done to cause Cheffy stress. Meanwhile, she was only focused on his hair and finding other creative ways to tear him down.

"I feel disheartened because I felt that we were in a good place and I was wrong." - João said.

It escalated to the point where João had a breakdown. During their last night out, Tzarina put him in a very uncomfortable spot by announcing to an entire car that she wouldn't want a relationship with him and that they were just casual. This was the nail in the coffin for João, who then went and kissed Margot on the final night out with the Below Deck Down Under crew. Margot also apologized to her.

While he was remorseful the next day, he told the Chef that he couldn't continue seeing somebody who made him feel like he had not changed, even though she could see that he had. She accused him of going back to his drunken ways, and he broke it off in their last conversation.

João exited the show, saying he was not ready for relationships, but went on to post a picture with his new girlfriend on Instagram.

Below Deck Down Under fans took to the internet, exclaiming their shock at the empathy they felt for João and how they had grown to really respect him, while slamming Tzarina for treating him unfairly.

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Below Deck Down Under: Looking back at João and Tzarina's boatmance

Below Deck Down Under's Northern Sun was met with fewer rocky tides than Tzarina and João's relationship. Season 2 marked the return of João after Luke's contract was terminated. During this time, Chef Tzarina had something brewing with Culver, but the firing of Laura brought in Jaimee, who stole Culver's heart from the get-go.

Initially, fans were thrown off when João was called in, owing to his chauvinistic behavior in an earlier season.

Since both João and Jaimee were onboarded around the same time, Tzarina was not only heartbroken by Culver's swift pursuit of the new Stew but also disappointed by João's arrival since she knew him. João had a one-time thing with Tzarina's BFF, and according to girl code, she was to stay far away from him. She even texted her friend to break the news of his arrival.

This version of Below Deck Down Under's João was on a mission to redeem himself, consciously show improvement, and build something genuine, if anything romantic were to come from his time on the boat.

Tzarina was furious about Jaimee breaking her trust in her first two days of knowing her, but she went ahead and did just that with her long-term best friend. The Below Deck Down Under Chef initiated some flirting to kick-start a boatmance with João. Under the impression that they felt mutual infatuation for each other, João reciprocated, leading to weeks of pillow talk and cuddles.

Up until this point, while fans were encouraging Tzarina to run, she seemed to have an unexplainable fondness for him and even confessed to the cameras that she saw João as a changed man. He was investing in them wholeheartedly and had started to develop real feelings for her, which she reciprocated.

"João has come into the season as the most perfect man, you'd run out to the mountains and get married with." - Tzarina said.

The couple then went on their first official date, and what was meant to be a dream turned into an absolute nightmare, permanently fracturing their bond. João asked Tzarina the first word that comes to mind when she thinks of him. In the midst of romance, Cheffy thought it wise to call her date "fake," deeply hurting him and making him question her motive for being with him if that was the opinion she held.

From here on, they went downhill fast. Every conversation became painfully awkward, and the audience pledged their allegiance to Team João. His disappointment echoed through the screen as Tzarina kept pushing him away before proceeding to engage in intense flirting with him. This confused the Below Deck Down Under Bosun and fans alike.

The couple ended their journey by calling things off, which the audience believed was much needed.

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All episodes of Below Deck Down Under season 2 are available to watch on the Bravo App. Below Deck Mediterranean will return with season 8 on Bravo on September 25 at 9 pm ET.