Jill Zarin and Fraser Olender Had a Short-Lived Friendship

Everyone loves a crossover, especially a Bravo crossover, and that is something Below Deck fans got to experience on the April Fool's Day episode in Season 11. Former Real Housewives of New York City star Jill Zarin made an appearance on the series during an episode aptly titled "The Real Housewives of Grenada." Before the episode premiered, Jill formed a bond with Chief Stew Fraser Olender after her experience. However, their friendship changed quickly after the episode aired.

"The Real Housewives of Grenada" episode of Below Deck featured an unsurprisingly demanding Jill, who had very particular requests that needed to be met. The episode showed the crew becoming increasingly frustrated by Jill's stipulations for the charter. Based on what was said during the confessionals, Jill was the guest from hell. Jill didn't know this and was most upset by Fraser when he said things that surprised her. Jill and Fraser were friends until the episode aired.

After filming wrapped for Jill's charter, she claimed that she and Fraser became friendly acquaintances. In an Us Weekly exclusive, she said, "After I got off the boat, I DM'd Fraser. I said, 'Thank you so much for the most amazing time. We had the best time ever. Love to stay in touch.'" Jill also mentioned a few issues she had on the yacht, saying, "I want to give you a list of things that were wrong, but I didn't want to say it and make you guys look bad."

With an itemized list of requirements, Jill and her party boarded the yacht and she had many notes for the crew. She had some specific requests regarding Diet Coke and a particular penchant for a certain kind of ice cube from a specific refrigerator. From the viewers' perspective, she was a bit of a nightmare guest, but Jill says there was a lot left out of the episode. For example, she said that Captain Kerry was impressed enough by her yacht knowledge to give her a three-star lapel pin.

Cast member Barbie Pascual hinted that Jill was demanding all of these things while not paying for them on the yacht. Jill disputed this in the exclusive, saying, "I wasn’t a freeloader because I contributed to the tip. I paid for my airfare and I paid for my hotel. So I spent $6,000 to fly to Grenada for two nights. That’s a lot of work for me to go somewhere for two nights and a lot of money. I could do a lot of things for $6,000." Barbie apologized for what she said shortly after it aired.

Jill kept in friendly contact with Fraser for a year after she left the yacht, so she was incredibly shocked to see what he said about her in the episode. After seeing the flack she received after the episode aired, she asked Fraser to speak up for her publicly. She says his response was, "I feel bad about the bad pressure you’re getting. You don’t deserve it. You’re a nice lady. You didn’t do anything wrong." However, when he didn't say anything publicly, she said their friendship was over.