Captain Sandy Yawn shouldn’t fire anyone from the Below Deck Mediterranean season 9 cast. After Below Deck Med season 8 let down the audience, the show ushered in a revamped crew. Captain Sandy, Aesha Scott, and Elena Dubaich were the only familiar faces to return for the updated cast, with the latter serving as a temporary replacement for a stew in seasons past. With many new personalities joining the franchise, the Below Deck Med season 9 cast is already proving to be entertaining.
Aesha has excelled as Chief Stew, navigating the pressure of working on the Mustique swimmingly. She gets along well with everyone but, notably, has formed an early friendship with new deckhand Gael Cameron. It was smart of the network to tap Aesha to serve as the Chief Stew on Below Deck Med season 9. She may belong on Below Deck Down Under, but there’s no doubt she’s made the spin-off show better only a few episodes in. There are many episodes in the remainder of Below Deck Med season 9, but Captain Sandy shouldn’t let anyone go.
The Below Deck Med Cast Gets Along Well
Aesha Is The Glue Of The Season 9 Cast
The majority of the new cast of Below Deck Med gets along great. Season 8 was tainted by Natalya Scudder and Tumi Mhlongo’s intense feud that lasted throughout the charter season. The network took a big risk of inviting back only two well-known Below Deck yachties. Captain Sandy and Aesha are big names in the franchise, but they can’t make the entire season entertaining. Nonetheless, bringing in new energy with the Below Deck Med season 9 cast has brought a fun vibe to the show. The new cast members are eager to impress Captain Sandy and Aesha.
Even though the first charter was rough, the crew managed to finish strongly. The Mustique was left with little to no provisions, which prohibited their quality of service. Chef Johnathan “Jono” Shillingford prepared dishes with minimal food options, and the guests were thoroughly impressed with his work. The deck team went to great lengths to impress Captain Sandy by acquiring bottles of rose from a neighboring superyacht. The crew wasn’t perfect on their first charter, but that was expected. They work through hiccups as they come up and will get even better as they take on more charters.
There’s Already A Boatmance Brewing
Gael & Cameron Haven’t Stopped Flirting Since They Met
The most intriguing part of Below Deck Med season 9 is the potential boatmance between deckhands Gael and Nathan Gallager. After the deck team held their first meeting, they had instant chemistry. Nathan and Joe Bradley were taken aback by her beauty, as was the rest of the crew. However, Gael revealed she had a long-distance boyfriend who works in the yachting industry. She admitted their relationship was new and found it difficult to sustain. One of the issues in their partnership was a lack of trust, which is common in relationships with two yachties working on different boats.
Gael and Nathan began flirting on day one. During a moment in the freezer, he asked his fellow deckhand for a strawberry, which became one of their inside jokes. After the crew’s first night out, they continued to get close and texted about sneaking off to hang out where there were no cameras. They referenced the infamous strawberries and joked about giving the fruit to one another. It’s unclear where Gael and Nathan’s potential boatmance will lead and if she breaks things off with her boyfriend during the season.
Bri Is Having Issues But She Can Get Better
With Aesha’s Support, Bri Will Improve
Aesha’s third stew, Bri Muller, is struggling the most out of her stews. After being tasked with laundry duties, she revealed she grew up with maids who handled the chores for her. Bri takes a long time ironing and steaming, but she can improve her time management as the season continues. Instead of tearing her new stew down, Aesha encouraged Bri and supported her. She told her it’s normal to run into problems during the first day of a new charter, and she was confident she’d continue improving.
“We will get better each day. You will be amazing today. Thank you for your hard work, I really appreciate it.”
It’s normal for stews to run into issues during the first charter. Bri hasn’t worked on the Mustique, and she’s learning the ins and outs of the superyacht. Thankfully, she has Aesha in her corner to uplift her. Working on superyachts is incredibly stressful, and the cast of Below Deck Med season 9 has an added layer of pressure as they’re also filming a reality TV show. As long as Bri makes improvements during the second charter, she’ll do well.
Chef Jono & Elena Are Feuding But Their Drama Is Fun To Watch
Captain Sandy Defended The Chef
Aside from a budding boatmance, Chef Jono and Elena have been feuding. They ran into conflict during the first charter when the guests requested snacks late at night. The stew was uncertain if she could prepare mac and cheese and grilled cheese sandwiches, so she tried to ask him for help. Chef Jono had been off to bed for a relatively long time when Elena knocked on his cabin door, and he told her he wasn’t getting up. By the next day, Captain Sandy learned that someone had tried to wake the chef, which upset her.
She told the crew she has a strict “don’t wake the chef” rule. However, on the preference sheet, the guests asked for late-night snacks, which Chef Jono did not adhere to. This didn’t faze Captain Sandy, and she told the chef to prepare paninis and place them in the fridge for the next charter. Elena was frustrated by the situation and felt like she was getting in trouble for no reason. While they got off on the wrong foot, Chef Jono and Elena’s feud is minimal, and they should be able to work through it.
The Below Deck Med season 9 has made the series one to watch after only a few episodes. The new class of Below Deck yachties is full of fun, interesting, and entertaining crew members. While it’s still early days into the charter season, Captain Sandy shouldn’t fire anyone from the Below Deck Med season 9 cast.