Below Deck Mediterranean Recap: Lovers to Enemies

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The other night, I bumped my toe on a door – a clear accident, as most of us would agree. I didn’t intentionally hurt myself, and it certainly wasn’t a planned event. But what really struck me was when Joe told V he’d kissed Kizzi and claimed it was just an accident. He quickly told V what happened, insisting Kizzi meant nothing to him and that he’d even cried from the guilt. V immediately asked if he’d kiss Kizzi while sober, and he said no. Then, after hearing he was so upset about it that he cried, she kissed him.

I keep questioning if the seawater is messing with V’s head, making her see things. Seeing how she reacted when Kizzi came over really made me think so. Kizzi was watching the whole thing on the monitors back in the crew mess while Joe and V talked. Later, on the way to our usual hangout, Space Cowboy, Kizzi confessed she hadn’t known Joe was going to talk to V at that moment – which was a total lie, they’d actually planned it. She apologized for being a bad friend and admitted she’d broken her promise not to get involved with Joe. Honestly, V was tougher on Kizzi than she was on Joe, basically saying it was too late for apologies. Poor Cathy just didn’t want to be stuck in the van listening to the whole drama unfold.

By the time they arrive at the club, V is much more forgiving of Kizzi. Joe and Kizzi are thrilled with how well V handled the news, and they can barely contain their relief. V seems to have forgiven both of them, and she even dances and kisses Joe at the club. She tells Cathy that Kizzi deserves to be confronted about her actions, which she feels is fair, and she appreciates Joe being honest. However, moments later, she sees Joe and Kizzi dancing and talking intimately. V playfully touches Joe’s rear as they discuss how much they value their friendship and don’t want this situation to ruin it. Joe tells Kizzi she reminds him of himself, and Kizzi replies that she believes she was brought into his life to teach him a lesson.

Throughout the night, V seems oblivious to the fact that neither Kizzi nor Joe appears truly sorry for their actions. Looking back, she realizes Joe didn’t react with the concern she expected after messing up. As the alcohol wears off, she starts to understand what happened. Despite sharing a cabin, V asks Joe to sleep on the top bunk, claiming it’s too warm to share a bed. The next morning, she tells Joe she forgave Kizzi too quickly, then presses him again about whether their kiss was intentional. Kizzi, meanwhile, tells Aesha that V handled the situation remarkably well. V then asks to talk to Kizzi, who admits she’s sorry for upsetting V, but doesn’t regret kissing Joe—they clearly had a connection.

Although Kizzi behaved badly by prioritizing attention from men over her friend’s feelings, she’s right to point out that V’s connection with Joe wasn’t much different. V describes her and Joe’s relationship as a casual fling, but Kizzi reminds her that Joe himself said his time with V was limited. He even told Kizzi, when admitting he kissed her, that his relationship with V would end within a few weeks. While Kizzi’s motives are self-centered, she successfully makes V realize that Joe has been manipulating them both all along.

Kizzi and Joe share the blame for what happened with V; both were aware of V’s feelings and didn’t respect them. While Kizzi is straightforward about her actions, Joe tries to downplay things with flimsy excuses, claiming it was just a random accident. Kizzi readily admits her mistake, even if it seems a bit self-centered, and V needed to hear the truth. The show’s editors support Kizzi’s account by showing footage of her and Joe flirting throughout the night, even when V was still around. It’s an uncomfortable discussion, but ultimately it’s productive. V then asks Aesha to verify Joe’s claim that he doesn’t remember anything and that it was an accident. Aesha confirms that the kiss wasn’t accidental; Joe and Kizzi had been flirting all evening.

This was the turning point V needed to start valuing herself. She reflects that Bon always defended her, and now she’s learning to do the same. She confidently tells Aesha she won’t let anyone take advantage of her. It’s a breakthrough! V confronts Joe, telling him he doesn’t deserve her. She wants to live up to the standard Bon set. She’s feeling empowered and clear-headed! Joe casually shrugs, admitting he wasn’t ready for a relationship. Honestly, it’s not surprising. He doesn’t even seem bothered by the split. Despite claiming he’d never hurt Victoria, he made no effort to fix things, simply accepting the outcome and moving on, likely relieved to avoid commitment. Kizzi, overhearing V talk to Cathy about it, just finds the whole situation ridiculous.

So, that’s the end of Nathan and Gael’s story. Before moving on, let’s quickly recap the other couples. Nathan is very emotional on Gael’s last night, telling her at Space Cowboy how much he loves her and promising things will be different if she gives him another chance. Gael isn’t sure if she can believe him, though, because he’s made similar promises before and then changed his mind. In a private moment, Nathan explains that his difficult family history has made him afraid of being abandoned. Gael points out that his actions will be more important than his words if he wants to win her back. They spend the night together, and Nathan pleads with her to stay in Europe with him after the season ends. She doesn’t give him a definite answer, but doesn’t reject the idea either. When she leaves, she doesn’t kiss him goodbye, but assures him they’ll see each other again. Afterward, Nathan texts her, asking her to leave with him when the season is over, and she says she’ll consider it. He later tells the other guys that he plans to invite her to his sister’s wedding.

Cathy and Max generally have a healthy and affectionate relationship. However, Max becomes easily frustrated and childish, particularly when plans change or he feels controlled. This is especially apparent when preparing to leave the dock, where he argues with Nathan and V over the mooring lines. He struggles to manage his emotions, reacting with a tantrum when he accidentally hits V with a line and blames her for it. V attempts to joke about their disagreements, but Max shuts her down. V later confides in Aesha and Cathy that Max’s mood swings feel like he’s experiencing PMS. Meanwhile, Cathy vents to Kizzi that she doesn’t want to be a sounding board for complaints about her partner.

By now, V is completely fed up with Max. When the main group – Michael, Valerie, and their friends – arrived, they immediately started having fun, eating lunch, drinking strong margaritas, and playing in the water. They seemed like a lively group, but V worried they shouldn’t be operating a Jet Ski after having several drinks. When she saw a tipsy guest get on one, she alerted Nathan, who then contacted V and Max, asking someone to supervise. V relayed the message to Max from the pool, but he either didn’t hear or ignored her, allowing the guest to go alone. Nathan was frustrated with Max’s carelessness regarding guest safety, reminding everyone that Christian had been fired for similar behavior, though he also wasn’t performing well in other areas of his job.

Things get a little chaotic with the deck crew during the charter. Max initially claims V didn’t mention a guest was drinking, then says the guest didn’t seem very intoxicated, before finally agreeing to help them. Nathan swaps V and Joe’s positions on the swim platform so Joe can monitor Max. Later, after Nathan shows Joe how to use the Jet Ski crane, he gets accidentally hit in the face with the hook – just as Max realizes another Jet Ski is drifting away and rushes to retrieve it. The guests watch and laugh as the deck team rushes around, and while Nathan jokes about his own lapse in concentration leading to the crane incident, he’s starting to worry that the crew’s coordination is falling apart again.

The personal drama isn’t helping the situation, and things are made worse by Kizzi and Joe flirting again now that they’ve dealt with their guilt. They’re busy preparing a Spanish dance for the evening’s entertainment, which the guests requested to go with their Spanish dinner – including a fancy Jamón Ibérico ham. This is particularly stressing Josh out. It’s an unusual request, and I was surprised to see him so flustered. He could have hired someone who knew how to properly carve the ham instead of struggling with it himself. The chef is trying to plan a smooth, plated dinner to keep Aesha and Sandy happy, but the ham is what’s really causing him anxiety. While he’s carving, Michael criticizes it, and Valerie offers unwanted advice, making Josh feel even more inadequate. Luckily, everyone is generally kind – Josh admits he’s inexperienced, and the guests are understanding. The episode ends before dinner is served, but I’m confident Josh will impress everyone with the rest of the meal service.

Joe and Kizzi practiced their dance, and afterward, Kizzi admitted they have a strong connection but a relationship would likely cause drama with the rest of the yacht crew. Shortly after, the usual rough seas arrived. As expected, the waves picked up. Sandy instructed the deck crew to secure all the water toys. Meanwhile, Max was still struggling with a runaway Jet Ski that needed to be connected to the crane. Nathan told Max to get in the water to fix the ropes and hooks, but Max stayed on top of the Jet Ski, frustrating Nathan. Their argument escalated, with both of them yelling obscenities loudly enough to disturb the guests relaxing on the sundeck.

The conflict will continue next week, and it’s still unclear if anyone else on the crew will get injured. Also, Aesha apparently once drank milk directly from a friend who was breastfeeding – she told me that herself, and I wasn’t sure how to bring it up.

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2026-01-06 05:56