The reality star, 38, is friends with Ben Robinson (a.k.a. Chef Ben). In fact, the pair are in close quarters. “I just moved to Fort Lauderdale, [Florida], and there’s a lot of familiar faces from Below Deck around here,” she exclusively told Us Weekly on Thursday, May 20. “I hung out with Bobby [Giancola] — he’s from my hometown — and Colin [Macy-O’Toole] and Kelley [Johnson] last weekend. I live upstairs from Chef Ben. Actually, I just bought a condo. I just bought a condo upstairs from Ben.”

Kate and Ben hooked up in the past, and she even joked about their fling on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen in July 2019. When asked if she would sleep with Ben, she replied, “Not again.” She then elaborated on the After Show that he is her all-time favorite crew member, adding: “That might be because we had sex.”

Kate has relied on Ben, 40, during her adjustment period, and she quite enjoys having him as a neighbor. “Everybody thinks it’s weird, but it’s actually — we’re like family,” she revealed to Us. “Let me tell you, I’ve only gone grocery shopping twice in a month. He even made food for my dog once, and he’s cleaned my AC filter.”

The former Bravo’s Chat Room cohost insisted that while “it’s good to have a guy who could do all that handy stuff,” their interactions are strictly platonic. Ben is also spoken for: He confirmed his relationship with girlfriend Kiara Cabral in May 2020.

Kate attributed her solid friendship with Ben to his romance with Kiara. “The reason it works is because I love his girlfriend. Not in that way,” she quipped. “They came to visit me last summer when I rented a house [in Florida] during the pandemic, and she lives down there and our dogs get along. It’s great.”

She then explained why she relocated to her home state. “I am so thankful that I had a great year in New York, right before 2020,” she said. “[I] got the experience, and then I went back ‘cause I still had my apartment, which was inconvenient, but I went back and I loved the experience and I’m so glad I did it. I’m a Florida girl. I like driving my car. I like warm weather. I like palm trees. I’m just really happy with the way it all turned out.”

Although fans may hold out hope for Kate and Ben to take their relationship to the next level, she has her eye on another Below Deck star. “I think we can all agree that the engineer Colin [MacRae] is the hottest guy ever, and I just mean on the planet,” she gushed about the Below Deck Sailing Yacht crew member. “If y’all haven’t checked out his videos about his sail yacht — I mean, if you’ve got a few minutes — I highly recommend it.”

Kate previously divulged which Southern Charm star she would marry if she had to choose between Austen Kroll, Craig Conover or Shep Rose. “Marry Craig because I love throw pillows. I’ve never met a throw pillow that I did not have to buy,” she exclusively told Us in October 2020. “Obviously, we’re soulmates. Date Austen. Ditch Shep.”

With reporting by Diana Cooper

This story originally appeared on: US Magazine - Author:Erin Crabtree