Below Deck Mediterranean Recap: Start Over

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The deck team is really struggling, and it’s becoming a test of who can handle the pressure the longest. Will Nathan be the first to crack, desperately hoping Christian and Tessa will finally hear him out? Or will it be Tessa, seemingly lost and confused like in that famous John Travolta meme? Maybe Christian, who insists everything is okay and it’s just a matter of how you look at it? What about Max, trying to reason with Tessa and Christian? And will even Captain Sandy, normally so composed, be left speechless by all the disarray?

This week, Christian is stranded on a Jet Ski with an empty fuel tank. Tessa completely forgot to fill it up, even though Nathan specifically said it was the most crucial task on their to-do list – a list that, frankly, doesn’t seem to be helping much at all. They clearly need a better way to organize things. Using a checklist – a method people have relied on for efficiency forever, like cavemen dividing tasks – isn’t working for them. Perhaps Nathan could start surprising them with check-ins to motivate them?

Max playfully circles Christian on a Jet Ski before pulling him back to the boat. Tessa apologizes to Nathan for the confusion, then surprisingly tells him the team seems to be struggling. She continues to complain throughout the episode about Nathan’s leadership and how the deck team is performing, but doesn’t try to improve her own work. Nathan realizes Tessa’s biggest problem isn’t her skill, but her lack of speed and initiative – he compares her to the famously slow sloth from the movie Zootopia. By the end of the trip, Nathan doubts Tessa has any previous experience working on charter boats.

V, who previously worked as a boat hand on day charters – meaning she’s skilled at handling ropes while docking and undocking – is surprisingly excelling as an interior crew member. Sandy first notices this while reviewing resumes and watching Tessa and Christian struggle with their tasks. In a private interview, V explains she chose interior work because being on deck reminded her of her late boyfriend, Beau, who died at sea. Even Aesha, impressed with her own team’s performance, jokingly suggests V would be better suited working on deck, where her skills are clearly needed.

The next day, V’s performance on deck comes up again when she’s talking with Aesha and Sandy, and Sandy seems quite impressed. It’s possible they’re planning to move V to the deck crew and bring in another, possibly less skilled, stewardess to help with the interior. Or, the show might be highlighting how much better V is doing than Tessa and Christian, given she’s also new to the job. Kizzi’s obvious competitiveness reinforces this idea. Aesha clearly likes how quickly V is learning, which bothers Kizzi, who wants to be the best. However, I don’t think Kizzi is truly as tough as she pretends to be in her interviews – she seems genuinely kind underneath it all.

Kizzi’s biggest challenge isn’t conflict with her crewmates, but rather navigating romantic connections on the boat. After staying loyal to Tommy during their time off, she’s back to flirting with everyone, admitting she’s afraid of being alone. While video chatting with Tommy, she’s starting to question their two-month relationship, feeling conflicted while being aboard the Bravado. Kizzi tends to be complicated when it comes to romance, but she consistently delivers when it comes to her work, even when dealing with demanding Jack.

I previously described Jack as demanding but polite, and I was wrong. He’s just awful. While ordering expensive items like caviar is one thing, and even a midday milkshake is understandable, his behavior is completely unacceptable. After poor Josh spent hours preparing eight courses, Jack again ordered the Szechuan chicken! To make matters worse, he requested the elaborate Spanish-themed menu begin at 9:30 p.m. Josh tried to stay positive, comparing the meal to a concert, but it was hard to appreciate. Ironically, the food became less and less Spanish as the courses went on, starting with ajo blanco and ending with creme brulee. Despite all that effort, Jack—who had clearly had a lot to drink—didn’t seem to notice or care.

Jack didn’t even finish his dessert before ordering more chicken, which his friends found really embarrassing. They’d already told the staff they were full, and they tried to talk him out of it. It was all so awkward – Jack was clearly just trying to get attention on TV, believing any publicity was good publicity. Aesha stepped in, noticing Josh was exhausted after being awake for 20 hours and was getting close to his limit. She suggested Jack could order something quick – something that would take 10 minutes or less. They decided on truffle Parmesan fries. Predictably, Jack lost his appetite by the time they arrived and left them to get cold and soggy by the hot tub.

By that point, Jack was starting to cause trouble for other teams. The deck crew was already stressed, especially after the complicated process of lowering the tender with the crane during dinner service. Max was in the tender while Christian and Tessa handled the ropes, following Nathan’s precise directions. When they had to redo a step, Max quickly became frustrated and started swearing. Nathan’s suggestion that he take a few minutes to calm down only made things worse, as Nathan emphasized the need for everyone to stay focused and careful when operating the dangerous crane. I thought Nathan handled the situation well – acknowledging Max’s feelings while also reminding everyone that they needed to support each other as a team.

In the end, things get resolved. Nathan speaks with Max privately, acknowledging it’s not right that Max has to cover for Christian and Tessa, but emphasizing how much he needs Max’s help to successfully complete the charter. Max doesn’t quite recognize this as a positive acknowledgment, and Nathan assures him he’ll address the situation if things don’t improve. Shortly after, Christian volunteers to work the rest of the night. Before leaving for the night, Nathan specifically warns him not to let any of the heavily intoxicated guests go swimming in the ocean.

Once most of the crew were asleep, Jack immediately asked Kizzi if they could go swimming. She said no, but double-checked with Nathan just to be sure, and confirmed they couldn’t. Jack then tried with Christian, sensing he’d be more easily persuaded. Christian initially refused, but Jack kept pushing until Christian offered a compromise: they could just dip their toes in the water. Jack agreed, but his expression revealed he was up to no good – he was deliberately causing trouble to get a reaction. This happened so soon after the incident with the chicken that it really showed how different Christian was from the rest of the crew. Aesha, Josh, and Kizzi had all managed to say no to Jack while still making him feel like he was getting his way. Christian tried for that same approach with the toe-dipping, but it completely failed.

Nathan rushed to the crew mess and saw on the monitor that Jack had fallen into the water. (It’s hard to believe Christian thought someone as intoxicated as Jack could stay on a floating platform!) Nathan ran to the back of the boat to pull Jack to safety and firmly told Christian that drunk guests are not allowed in the ocean. In a private interview, Christian couldn’t see what the big deal was, since no one was actually hurt. Nathan, however, was frustrated that things had escalated from simply being poorly managed to actually dangerous. Jack’s friends looked deeply embarrassed, and in the morning, they worried that Christian would get in trouble for letting it happen.

Yes, that’s definitely true of him. Up front, Nathan explains the situation to Max, which I believe was a mistake – talking to Max about Christian only increases the conflict between them. Afterwards, after having to wake Tessa so they wouldn’t be late for docking, he talks to Sandy about the previous night. She advises him to prioritize getting the boat docked first, and they can deal with everything else later. At the same time, V spends two hours packing Jack’s bags.

Nathan reviewed the docking procedure with his crew. Knowing Tessa had trouble with the mooring lines previously, he provided lighter, easier-to-throw heaving lines, hoping to help her succeed, though she didn’t seem to appreciate the gesture. Unfortunately, Tessa didn’t secure the heaving lines tightly enough to the main lines, and the knot slipped while in the water. Meanwhile, Max and Christian had an argument, complete with strong language, on the front of the boat before they even began docking.

Once the guests departed, Sandy held a meeting with the crew. She praised the interior team and subtly suggested the deck team needed to improve. Jack and his friends left a generous $20,000 in tips – around $1,818 per person, though they always seem to spend a lot! (Before the meeting, Kizzi was playfully flirting with both Nathan and Max.) Afterwards, Sandy spoke privately with Nathan and told him he needed to choose between Tessa and Christian to let go. I suspect Christian will be fired; while Tessa can be slow, Christian has a personality conflict with another crew member, which is affecting the team’s spirit. However, Tessa seems completely unaware of her mistakes, which is also a problem. Ultimately, it looks like we’re going to have at least one new deckhand, and possibly a new stew.

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2025-10-21 04:56