Below Deck Mediterranean Recap: What Are We?

by

With just one charter remaining, you might expect our team to be showing real growth from the challenges they’ve faced. In some ways, that’s happening: V, who started as a stewardess, is now a valuable member of the deck crew, Cathy has really improved the interior team, and Josh consistently delivers excellent service. However, Aesha and Nathan’s new roles supervising Kizzi and Joe – who are constantly distracting each other and talking over everyone – and Max, who throws tantrums daily – have created a chaotic environment. Nathan hasn’t realized that the children copy his reactions, meaning his frustration actually makes their behavior worse.

Even Joe, who usually doesn’t care about others’ feelings, understands that Max gets angry easily and needs to be handled gently. This week’s episode starts with Nathan harshly instructing Max on how to connect the Jet Ski to the crane. The details of their argument aren’t important; what matters is that their shouting is disturbing everyone on the boat. Sandy, hearing the commotion from the bridge, tells Nathan to ask Joe to handle the task next time instead of yelling. When Max returns, he’s upset by what he perceives as Nathan’s insults, and the Jet Ski remains in the water. Frustrated with Max, Nathan asks Joe to send him down and ends up connecting the Jet Ski himself. He demonstrates the correct method to V and Joe, but it’s baffling why he doesn’t make Max, who initially made the error, watch too. Although Nathan has improved as a leader since the beginning of the charters, he still struggles with conflict. He tends to lose his temper and then avoids addressing the issues directly, hoping his crew will figure out what he wants without clear guidance.

After a kitchen mishap, Josh struggled with self-doubt, a voice in his head (which he imagined as a moody character named Dominick) telling him he wasn’t good enough. However, he quickly proved himself by creating an impressive plated dinner that Aesha and Sandy, and all the guests, loved. Meanwhile, Kizzi and Joe practiced a dance on the deck, performing right in front of V. Nathan suspected they were using the rehearsal as an excuse to flirt and share a laugh. While both were talented dancers, their performance felt a little out of place in their uniforms, like a spontaneous addition to the evening. It seemed to remind the parent guests of watching their own children practice dances for the family.

This week’s episode really focused on how Joe and Kizzi’s confession actually brought them closer. It’s almost like they’re thriving on being the bad guys, and the disapproval of everyone around them is just an excuse to spend even more time together. Kizzi even joked about marrying Joe someday, after they’ve lived life to the fullest! Meanwhile, the fallout from their actions is spreading. We see Nathan texting Gael about their behavior, and Max dramatically telling Cathy about his fight with Nathan – seriously, the guy said he had to “swim into the infinite darkness of the sea”! Look, Max can be incredibly irritating, but I have to admit, his over-the-top language always gets a chuckle out of me. Cathy seems genuinely concerned for him, and wants to be a supportive friend, but you can tell she’s aware he’s… a lot to handle.

Kizzi and Joe seemed to have completely forgotten what they did wrong, maybe even hitting their heads or experiencing something strange overnight. When V expressed her anger, Aesha had to explain to Kizzi that V was upset because neither of them apologized. Kizzi, annoyed at being called out, didn’t want to take responsibility. Aesha suggested showing some regret, but Kizzi, like Joe, was more interested in having fun and avoiding any feelings of guilt.

Kizzi is relieved to finally leave the boat and guide the guests to the medieval town of Tossa de Mar, even if she’s dreading having to work with V. Despite their personal tension, they both remain professional in front of the group. But as soon as they have a moment alone, they’re forced to confront the awkwardness. Even gelato can’t help their difficult conversation. Kizzi refuses to acknowledge her role in the situation, clinging to the fact that Joe and V weren’t officially a couple, and she dismisses V’s hurt feelings, expecting more consideration from a friend. Kizzi then justifies wanting to pursue a connection with Joe, seemingly forgetting she’s on a TV show. (Honestly, she’d be amazing on Love Island – can we make it happen?)

Back on the boat, Joe, acting incredibly naive, asks Nathan what’s bothering Victoria. Nathan quickly tells him to stop flirting with Kizzi and causing problems for everyone. Joe simply says he’s being himself, which says it all. Aesha and Nathan then talk about the kids they’re looking after, and they’re both surprised to see Nathan acting as the voice of reason with Joe. Honestly, I started to lose interest in all the drama. Even though Kizzi and Joe were behaving badly, it was at least more interesting to watch than listening to the same issues get repeated over and over. Aesha does acknowledge Kizzi’s apology to Victoria, but doubts it will matter if Kizzi still intends to keep flirting with Joe.

After the boat trip, Max continued to act recklessly, speeding while towing guests on the tube. Several people, including V and Sandy over the radio, asked him to slow down, but he seemed determined to go fast. Joe calmly explained to Max that his speed was unsafe, but Max blamed any bumpy ride on the choppy water. Joe thanked Max for seeming to understand, something Nathan clearly wasn’t willing to do. Later, Joe tried to explain to Nathan that it was difficult for Max to follow instructions while dealing with waves and the Jet Ski, and Sandy agreed. However, Nathan insisted Max was simply making excuses. Ultimately, Nathan believed he shouldn’t have raised his voice, and Max should have made more effort to listen. Despite this, Nathan was confused why Joe was defending Max, who could be unpredictable.

Josh’s second dinner service is a success, starting with a beautifully presented agnolotti with langoustine bisque. The evening’s theme is Ibiza, which took a moment for everyone to grasp. Guests rave about Josh’s cooking, saying it’s better than any Michelin-starred restaurant they’ve tried in Europe. This leads to Dominick being sent away, the plates being cleared, and Joe taking over as DJ in a shiny top. Kizzi playfully acts like a huge fan, while V watches with disbelief. Nathan kindly offers Kizzi support if she needs to talk, and later privately warns Joe to behave himself during their night out. Ironically, the more people ask Kizzi and Joe to calm down, the more energetic they become.

Okay, so Joe seriously bugs me. He’s acting like everyone’s unfairly criticizing him, but honestly, he didn’t even do that much wrong – he pretty much admits he messed up, but downplays it. As the boat pulls into port, he starts telling V that their time together was special and their breakup wasn’t about anything major, just that they wanted different things. Basically, he thought it was a casual fling, while she clearly felt a real connection. Honestly, I wanted to yell at the screen! He’s the one who ditched his ‘no strings attached’ rule and started talking about introducing her to his mother, telling her she’d changed him! V is just stunned by his nerve. And then he has the audacity to say he didn’t intend to hurt her as they’re about to dock. Seriously?!

The guests were thrilled with their time and left a generous $27,000 in tips, averaging $2,454 per person. Sandy publicly complimented Josh’s work, making up for previously embarrassing him. As the crew finished preparing the cabins, Cathy confessed to Kizzi that she was anxious about Max wanting to define their relationship that night – a conversation she’d already put off. Max is eager to become exclusive with Cathy, having previously told Aesha he wants her to be his girlfriend, despite the challenges of dating while working on yachts. Aesha encouraged him, pointing to her own successful relationship with Scott and Nathan’s hope to prove his commitment to Gael – he’d called her earlier to invite her to his sister’s wedding, but she said she’d consider it.

Cathy really dislikes showing her feelings and is mortified by Max’s plan to have a serious conversation at dinner, with everyone present. She begs him to wait until they’re alone on the boat. Meanwhile, Kizzi and Joe are openly flirting, and V is visibly struggling to stay calm. Cathy steps outside for a cigarette, and Nathan follows her. Kizzi, confused, mentions to Aesha that V has been unusually friendly all day. However, Kizzi and Joe then inexplicably decide to perform their dance routine in the restaurant, seemingly just to be close to each other, as Aesha observes. During the performance, Kizzi repeatedly has a wardrobe malfunction. V remains withdrawn for the rest of the evening and goes straight to bed when they return to the boat.

Aesha ordered McDonald’s for herself and Kizzi, and they were waiting in bed for it to be delivered. Unfortunately, two intoxicated men, Nathan and Joe, received the order and started eating it without any regard for anyone else. They were so careless that they began throwing chicken nuggets onto the sundeck, right as Max was finally getting Cathy to open up to him. Cathy had just started to explain that she wanted to take things slowly and didn’t want Max to rush into a relationship when she realized the nuggets falling around them were hers. Furious, she went to confront Nathan and Joe. Max, predictably, became very angry. In a private interview, he complained that he was sharing his feelings, and they were more interested in chicken nuggets. While he’s right that it was inconsiderate of her to walk away mid-conversation, knowing Max, he’s unlikely to ever get over it. He dramatically announced, “The end,” and returned to his cabin as Cathy scolded Nathan and Joe. But it probably isn’t the end!

Read More

2026-01-13 05:56