Below Deck Mediterranean season 9’s biggest rivalry thus far changed for the worse in the most recent episode, when Bri Muller hooked up with Joe Bradley, who was Elena Dubaich’s yachtie crush. While the issues between Bri and Ellie have been clear throughout the charter, things have heated up in the last few episodes of the season. During the first charter, it was difficult for Bri to get a handle on the tasks she needed to complete in order to be a successful Stew aboard Mustique. Ellie, who was named second Stew early on by Aesha Scott, wanted to help.
Though Bri and Elena were doing well during the first couple of days aboard Mustique, things began to get more difficult when both Bri and Ellie started getting to know the exterior team. Lead Deckhand Joe was interested in both women, but after they spoke about not crossing boundaries with each other, Bri decided to hook up with Joe rather than respecting his obvious flirtation with Ellie. While Aesha has returned to Below Deck Mediterranean after working as a Chief Stew on Below Deck Down Under, she didn’t anticipate that she’d be dealing with so much drama between her Stews.
Ellie Was Hurt By Bri & Joe’s Hook Up
She Had Been Flirting With Joe
While Bri and Ellie have been getting along throughout the charter season, during one of the most recent crew nights out on Below Deck Mediterranean, things took a turn for the worst. While the Stews had been quick to say that neither of them were overly interested in Joe, it was clear that they both liked him romantically. Ellie was flirty with Joe during the crew night out, talking close and dancing with him when while Bri watched on in irritation. After complaining to Deckhand Gael Cameron, Bri decided she wanted to make a move of her own on Joe.
Bri flirted with Joe when Ellie wasn’t looking during the crew night out, and when they got back to Mustique, things got even more serious. After most of the rest of the crew had gone to bed, Bri and Joe were in the hot tub alone. After drinking all night, the pair were even more flirtatious and touchy than he’d been with Ellie at the bar. Bri chose to get into Joe’s lap, and the pair hooked up in the hot tub while Gael and her own potential boatmance Deckhand Nathan Gallagher, watched on from the steps of the deck.
Ellie Is Getting Annoyed By Bri For No Reason
She’s Calling Bri Out For Every Little Annoyance
After Ellie heard about Joe and Bri’s hookup, she was openly annoyed about the incident. Though they’d talked about who they were interested in on board, both women seemed to be leaning toward prioritizing their friendship over hooking up with a guy on the crew. While Ellie seemed like she was interested in putting her feelings for Joe aside because of Bri’s interest, she didn’t appreciate that Bri wasn’t willing to do the same. She explained to Bri that she would be as professional as she’d been before, but their personal relationship was hurt due to Bri’s ill advised hookup.
Throughout the charter, Ellie seemed to get irritated at Bri for everything she was doing. When the provisions arrived aboard Mustique, Bri tried to let the rest of the crew where to unload the food and how to sort things out, but Ellie stopped her and let her know that it was disrespectful for her to make decisions without checking with her superior. While Ellie may be her superior, Bri clearly doesn’t consider her in the chain of command aboard Mustique. Ellie may have a point in her argument, but it felt like she was snapping at Bri somewhat unnecessarily.
Bri Thinks Ellie Is Competing With Her Now
She Shared That She Feels Ellie’s Her Competition
After receiving what she felt was harsh treatment from Ellie, Bri began to spiral. While the rest of the crew was doing what they had to in order to get the Mustique ready for its next set of charter guests, Bri was letting others know that she was upset about Ellie’s behavior. Bri explained that though she knew Ellie was her superior, she wasn’t happy about the fact that she was giving the newer stew orders. While Bri had made it clear that she wanted Ellie’s help in the past, she didn’t know how to move forward without a friendship.
Bri shared that she felt like Ellie was in competition with her, now, and she didn’t like the feeling. Though there was no actual level of competition between the Stews, Bri felt like Ellie’s criticism of her had a new air of irritation to it. All Ellie was actually doing was treating Bri professionally without the same level of personal connection they’d had before Bri had crossed her. Rather than understanding that Ellie was hurt by what Bri had done, she chose to make it seem like Ellie was the problem when she was simply trying to do her job.
Ellie Is Talking Poorly About Bri To Other Crew Members
She Spoke To Both Aesha & Jono
While Ellie was simply trying to get her job done, Bri’s behavior made it impossible for her to ignore the entire situation and keep her head down. Ellie felt that Bri should simply let their work be work, leaving their very personal issues at the door, but when Bri couldn’t do that, Ellie couldn’t let her bring her emotions into the job. Continuing to be level-headed, Ellie sought advice and comfort from Chef Johnathan Shillingford and Aesha, trying to emphasize the fact that she just wanted to continue to get her job done as she had been before the drama.
Though Ellie may seem like she’s being a bit harsh about Bri throughout the charter, her behavior has been firmer than what Bri is used to. Closing her emotions off after being hurt, Ellie comes off as harsh in some moments, and Bri takes it too personally. While the issue seems to be on both Ellie and Bri, it will likely impact Ellie worse on Below Deck Mediterranean. Though Bri has less professionalism, as the third Stew, she likely won’t have as much pressure to be professional and managerial as Ellie. Regardless, the issue between the Stews has gotten sticky.