Summary
WithBelow Deck Mediterraneanseason 9 finally inviting a fourth stew to the Mustique, plenty of franchise alums could have returned instead of a new addition. Theninth installment welcomed Aesha Scott to the showas Captain Sandy Yawn’s Chief Stew. She made her debut within theBelow Deckfranchise duringBelow Deck Medseason 4 as a stew underneath Hannah Ferrier. After two successful seasons, she became a fan-favorite crew member andjoinedBelow Deck Down Underas Chief Stew, working alongside Captain Jason Chambers.
Aesha’s presence on the Mediterranean-based spin-off was much needed afterBelow Deck Medseason 8 was a letdown. The crew didn’t mesh well together, there was more fighting than entertainment, and the season felt lackluster overall. Luckily, season 9 is a vast improvement from season 8, and the show has a new crew to thank for its success.Bri Muller and Elena “Ellie” Dubaich’s feudhas been tedious yet entertaining, a departure from season 8’s conflict.Carrie O’Neill joined the crewas a new stew, thoughproduction could have tapped an alum to step in for the last half of the charter season.
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8Xandi Olivier
Below Deck Season 11
On the heels of her stellar showing inBelow Deckseason 11, Xandi Olivier certainly could have joined the crew ofBelow Deck Medas a stew. During her first season in the franchise,she proved to be a reliable stew. Xandi hit it off with Chief Stew Fraser Olender at the beginning of the season. She was Fraser’s right-hand woman, always available to help him with any tasks. While other crew members stirred up drama with boatmances and argued with their department heads, Xandi steered clear of almost all drama.
She hadn’t been featured on the show before season 11, but she cemented herself as a great stew during her time on the show. Xandi voiced her frustrations with the crew in her confessional interviews instead of creating conflict on the St. David. She did as she was told and did a great job at her tasks.Xandi excelled at laundry, a skill Bri lackedduringBelow Deck Medseason 9. If the Mediterranean-based show was interested in hiring a trustworthy stew from the franchise, Xandi would’ve been a great choice, especially considering she just starred inBelow Deckseason 11.
7Kyle Viljoen
Below Deck Med Seasons 7 & 8
Kyle Viljoen is a controversial crew memberwho could likely return to theBelow Deckfranchise. During season 7, he left the charter season after suffering an injury. Despite a rocky first season, Kyle was invited back for season 8, where he was the catalyst of conflict.He ignited Tumi Mhlongo and Natalya Scudder’s feudby gossiping with each of them about one another. Before meeting Natalya, Kyle warned Tumi about his friend’s attitude, which left a bad taste in the Chief Stew’s mouth. If he had stayed out of their professional relationship, they could have gotten along.
If Tumi and Natalya had been on good terms during season 8, the season would have been more entertaining to watch. Instead, Kyle had to cause drama among the crew.Below Deck Medseason 8 was not great, and none of the cast was asked to return for season 9. Despite his tendency to ignite drama, Kyle was asked back after season 7 andwas featured onGalley Talk, hinting that he’s in good graces with production.It’s only a matter of time until they bring Kyle back and redeem him with the audience.
6Elizabeth Frankini
Below Deck Season 8
Elizabeth Frankini deserves a second chance onBelow Deck. She joined season 8 as one of Francesca Rubi’s stews. While hopes were high that Elizabeth would be a positive new addition to the franchise, she quickly proved otherwise. She didn’t listen to Chief Stew Francesca’s orders and broke many rules on board. Elizabeth knew she wasn’t acting the best but didn’t pay any mind to her superiors. She was eventually fired, though she blamed her termination of employment on everyone else. Elizabeth still seemingly works in the yachting industry andhas had years to grow from her time on season 8.
5Mads Herrera
Below Deck Sailing Yacht Season 4
Mads Herrera was the breakout starofBelow Deck Sailing Yachtseason 4, and it would have been an incredible decision to invite her toBelow Deck Med. She joined the Parsifal III as one of Daisy Kelliher’s stews andquickly won over the audience for her lively, adventurous personality. Mads learned a lot during her time on the show but also got sucked into drama due to her boatmance with Gary King. She made it clear that she didn’t want to date the First Officer, though he thought he could coerce her into a relationship.
When Mads reminded Gary they were merely hooking up, he grew angry. He acted out toward and treated her terribly. Thanks to her unfortunate boatmance,Mads became a fan-favorite for sticking to her boundariesand not submitting to Gary’s demands. Hopefully, she’ll return toBelow Deck Sailing Yachtseason 5, but the franchise needs to maximize her full potential and should have had her transition to the Mediterranean-based show.
4Alissa Humber
Below Deck Season 10
Alissa Humber’s time onBelow Deckseason 10 was tainted by her feud with Camille Lamb. Her season was a hectic time on the show, and the stew found herself wrapped in conflict with the stew/deckhand. Alissa and Camille fought throughout the charter season, which negatively impacted the comradery of the interior department and crew at large. When Camille was fired, this relieved Alissa, though she was also later asked to leave when Captain Sandy Yawn thought she was disrespectful. With Camille likely never returning to the franchise, the stew could thrive andmend her relationship with Captain SandyonBelow Deck Med.
3Josiah Carter
Below Deck Season 6
Josiah Carter was a beloved stewduring his time onBelow Deck. He formed a close relationship with Kate Chastain and became a fan favorite partly because of his hilarious confessional interviews. After season 6, hewas suppose to step in for Elizabeth after she was fired in season 8. However, the charter season came to an early end when the final two charter guests canceled their trips due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Josiah was looking forward to returning to the franchisein season 8, and he should’ve made his comeback withBelow Deck Medseason 9.
2Barbie Pascual
Barbie Pascual had a mixed showing during her time onBelow Deckseason 11.She butted heads with Chief Stew Fraserquite a bit throughout the season. They had similar personalities that didn’t mesh. Barbie admitted she hadn’t reported to a Chief Stew before season 11, which showed in her hesitancy to take orders from Fraser. Their conflict reached its peak during a crew day off when they drunkenly fought with one another. The Chief Stew went to Captain Kerry Titheradge and asked if she could be fired, but she ultimately stuck around until the end of the season.
Captain Kerryencouraged Fraser to mend his beef with Barbie because she was a good stew. After their conversation, they had a heart-to-heart and treated each other with far more respect. Outside of her endeavors, Barbie had drama in her boatmance with Kyle Stillie. She was scared of embarrassing her father by hooking up with the deckhand while filming, but did so anyway. Barbie dramatically left the superyacht during the crew’s final night, and she could have had her shot at redemption within the franchise inBelow Deck Medseason 9.
1Natalya Scudder
Natalya Scudder likely wasn’t invited back toBelow Deck Medseason 9 due to herfeud with Tumi Mhlongo in season 8. Though she made her franchise debut in season 7, thestew will be remembered for the drama that erupted in season 8. At the top of the charter season, Tumi was absent, and Natalya stepped into her role as Chief Stew. Before they met, Kyle infiltrated their relationship and warned them about each other. When Tumi finally made it to the superyacht, she had a tainted view of Natalya, and they began fighting immediately.
After their initial meeting, they were at odds with each other. Kyle stirred up drama by gossiping with them about each other. Natalya voiced her frustrations about Tumi’s leadership tactics to the other crew members, and she always found out what her stew was saying about her. They couldn’t get on the same page at all and fought constantly. Instead of putting their drama aside, Tumi and Natalya’s conflict made season 8 a hard watch. She could haveredeemed herself by coming in later in the season 9 charter seasonand not getting involved in drama.
Below Deckcould have hired an alum from the franchise to round out Aesha’s team of stews inBelow Deck Medseason 9. New yachties such as Mads or Xandi could have energized the series, while seasoned alums like Kyle or Natlaya would have been shocking casting decisions. All in all, they decided to welcome a new stew Carrie, who will likely do well on the show.
Below Deck Mediterraneanairs Mondays at 9 p.m. EDT on Bravo and is available to stream the following day on Peacock.
Below Deck Mediterranean
Cast
Below Deck Mediterranean is a Bravo reality television series that follows a crew that works aboard a gigantic superyacht during the busy season. The show highlights the challenges of the crew as they serve their high-end clientele. Each season tackles new locations, such as Greece, Croatia, Italy, and France, with some repeating.
