Aesha Scott Knows Her Hair Looks Terrible on This Season of Below Deck Med

by

Many women gained fame on Bravo by behaving badly – being mean, out of touch with reality, or both, sometimes with a drinking problem. But those traits don’t describe Aesha Scott, the Below Deck star who quickly became a fan favorite because she’s consistently positive, incredibly kind, and charmingly quirky. During a video call from Paris, a city she’s visiting for the first time, she shared, “I love history, so I want to go see where Marie Antoinette got beheaded.” That’s just Aesha – always a little bit blunt and delightfully unconventional.

This spirited New Zealander began her journey as a regular stew during seasons four and five of Below Deck Mediterranean. She then earned a promotion to chief stew for the first two seasons of Below Deck Down Under, and later returned to Below Deck Med, starting with its ninth season last year. She’s continuing in that role for the show’s tenth season, which premieres tonight on Bravo and tomorrow on Peacock. She took time out of her vacation to discuss the crew members she struggled to connect with, who she’d trust with her hypothetical yacht – Captain Jason or Captain Sandy – and a hair-related mishap she wants to publicly address.

I ranked everyone who’s appeared on Below Deck and you came in second place. What did you do to earn such a high spot?
Let me know! That was genuinely the kindest thing anyone’s ever said, so thank you. If I’m right, and you can correct me if I’m not, I think I’ve been one of the cast members who has remained true to themselves throughout this whole journey. I believe I have a positive attitude that I share with others, and that’s really helped me.

Are you aiming for the top spot? Are you challenging Kate Chastain?
I’d definitely love to be number one, but let’s face it, Kate is unmatched. I recall doing a follow-up show with her a few years back, and afterward, I called a producer and told them, “That was the first time I’ve ever felt so uninteresting and not funny at all.”

Getting asked back for another season of Below Deck is tough. What does it take to become a regular cast member?
Honestly, I’m not sure! It’s tricky for me because I’m in a relationship, and the show often prefers crew members who aren’t. I believe being authentic is key to success on reality TV – that’s my approach. And, of course, I’m confident in my skills and abilities at work.

The interesting thing about Below Deck is that it’s essentially two roles in one: doing your job on the boat and being a reality TV personality. How do you manage to balance both of those aspects?
I feel lucky, particularly now that the show is so popular, to see new crew members get overwhelmed and try to control their own narrative. Ellie Dubaich, a stew from last season, was a good example of this. Whenever she was asked a question, you could tell she was thinking, What will the audience want to hear? How can I make a good impression? But for me, since I started on the show, it’s been easy to just act naturally and forget the cameras are even there. I just continue doing my job as if no one is watching.

We welcome new crew members with each change of season. What guidance do you offer them on how to be a valuable part of the team?
I tell them not to be lazy or complain, particularly in the Mediterranean, because we consistently operate with just three people. It’s incredibly demanding running these boats with such a small crew, and we’re all facing the same challenges together, so I prefer to avoid negativity. Complaining spreads quickly; if one person starts, it can make the whole crew unhappy.

What guidance do you offer those involved in creating reality television?
I strongly advise them to be genuine and true to themselves. Audiences are perceptive; they can detect insincerity through the television screen. They’ll quickly realize if someone isn’t being authentic, and they won’t connect with that person. They’ll think, Who even is this person?

I noticed you were recently on The Amazing Race Australia. What was that experience like? And how did you get your fiancé, Scott Dobson, to join you on the show?
I’ve been a fan of that show since I was a teenager, so I’d always dreamed of being a contestant. Luckily, Scott didn’t need much persuading – he’s a real adventure enthusiast. He loves exploring new places, making him the ideal teammate. The only thing he struggled with, much like on Below Deck, was the confessionals after each stage of the race; he found them quite uncomfortable. I found them challenging too, as I’m used to doing those interviews alone. I usually just answered all the questions myself.

And they’d tell me, “Be quiet. Let Scott speak.”
That’s right. I remember that I wanted to answer about every third question, but I’d just hold back and watch him. Then he complained, saying that when I just stared at him, it made him lose his train of thought and he couldn’t respond. So I asked him, “Well, what do you want me to do?”

You’ve worked with both Captain Jason and Captain Sandy, which is unusual for someone on the show. How are your working relationships with each of them different?
That’s a great question! With Jason, it felt like we were siblings – we constantly teased and joked with each other. But with Sandy, it’s more like we’ve been best friends forever. I’m very playful, and people don’t often realize Sandy is too. Whenever I have a few free minutes, I head up to the bridge to hang out with Sandy. We’ll just look at memes, show each other silly things, and end up laughing so hard we cry.

If you suddenly had a billion dollars and a yacht, who would you choose to be its captain?
Definitely Sandy. Seeing how skillfully she maneuvers a boat into even the tightest spaces, she’s truly the most impressive captain I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with.

Yeah. Why couldn’t you just teach Jason to put his own contacts in his eyes?
I really tried to show him many times, but honestly, I don’t understand what happens with his brain, fingers, and eyes. I spent a long time trying to teach him, but he just can’t do it. It feels like that’s his biggest weakness.

Seriously, thinking about people who struggle with tasks, why couldn’t Bri Muller figure out how to do laundry last season?
I mean, come on! We found out she’d asked for clothes sorted by color instead of initials because everyone processes information differently… but it’s baffling. There’s a tag on the shirt that clearly says A.S., and the only person on the entire boat with those initials is Aesha Scott. Who else could it possibly be? I guess that’s just part of learning how to be a good instructor.

I watched the first episode of the new season – 
Just letting you know, I’ve also seen it, and I really need to point out: this season is honestly the worst I’ve ever filmed because my hair was a complete mess. So, when I watch it, that’s all I notice – how bad my hair looks. I wanted to apologize for that.

I noticed her hair color changed in the flashbacks. I was wondering what happened.
About a month before filming started, I had a bit of a panic. I thought to myself, Oh my God, I’ve been on TV for so long with just long brown hair. That’s so predictable. So I decided I was going to cut it and dye it blonde. I actually bleached and cut it before coming to set, but then two days before we started filming, I panicked again. I thought I look really unwell, like I have kidney problems. It just didn’t suit me. I tried to dye it, but because it was bleached, the color wouldn’t stay. That’s why you see a mix of browns, reds, and blonde patches in my hair.

When you arrived on set, did anyone from the production team comment on your appearance?
It was clear they weren’t impressed with how I looked.

I wanted to mention that the deck crew seems really disorganized. How does that impact your work?
It definitely makes things harder. This job is incredibly demanding, and we often need to work together as a team to get through it. The deck crew has four members, and I only have three, so we usually depend on them to help out when they have time – things like taking out our trash and running dishes. If they’re struggling and taking a long time with even simple tasks, it means I don’t get the support I need. But honestly, a small part of me is relieved it’s not my team that’s facing these problems this time.

If it weren’t for the show, do you think you’d still be working on yachts?
Probably not. Working on yachts has been the best experience of my life, but it’s also incredibly demanding. When you’re fully immersed in yachting, you end up missing important events like birthdays and weddings. That’s why I’m so thankful for the show – it allows me to enjoy the yachting lifestyle without being committed to it year-round.

What’s Aesha’s off-season look like?
My off-season is usually spent moving around a lot – I’m in a different place every couple of weeks. The show is huge, and things are constantly happening, so I’ll travel for a week for an event, then another week for publicity, and then I’m working on a brand partnership somewhere else. I’m always traveling, which I really appreciate because I thrive on change. If I stay in one place for a month, I immediately think, Oh, get me out of here! A stable, settled life just isn’t for me.

I’ve always admired how kind and easygoing you are. It makes me wonder, has there ever been a co-worker you just couldn’t click with?
Oh, definitely. It was Ryan McKeown, the chef from Below Deck Down Under season one. I really did try to get along with him, but honestly, I just really, really struggled to connect with Ryan.

He was really unpleasant.
That’s just how it was. He treated me badly, and I don’t understand why, as I hadn’t done anything to offend him. Tom Checketts, the chef from Below Deck Mediterranean, was also unkind to me. And then there was Jamie Sayed, the bosun from the first season of Down Under? I had trouble getting along with him. João Franco, the bosun on Below Deck Mediterranean? I consistently struggled to connect with him. He’s very skilled at his job, but it was difficult outside of work hours. That’s just part of being a professional, isn’t it? We all have to work with people we don’t particularly like sometimes.

If you ever retire from working on yachts, what aspect of it would you miss the most?
Definitely the close friendships. You really get to be yourself – your true, quirky self – around these people, and you form strong connections because you share intense experiences together. It’s a bond that people outside the yachting world just wouldn’t understand.

Read More

2025-09-30 01:56