Below Deck Mediterranean Recap: Switching Sides

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The crew of Bravado is dealing with plenty of personal drama this season, mostly related to competition and relationships. However, they consistently pull together to handle the usual Below Deck challenge: difficult and demanding guests. After a particularly tough charter that required two days of repairs, the team earned an impressive $40,000 in tips – $4,000 each, the highest Aesha has ever received from a single charter. It left me feeling unexpectedly proud, almost like I was part of the team.

Despite working well together, the team’s romantic relationships are crumbling. Kizzi claims she’s unsure about making things work long-distance, but she ultimately breaks up with Tommy, who V often calls “Tommy boy.” The breakup happens during a painfully awkward video call that Tommy didn’t deserve to have broadcast. He’s genuinely shocked and confused, protesting, “We’re in a relationship, Kizzi!” when she admits she wants to kiss someone else.

Kizzi’s main issue is wanting to flirt without feeling guilty, and that’s the key point – she’s always been a flirter. She tells Nathan and Joe that she feels at a disadvantage compared to V, who also likes Joe, because Kizzi knows she shouldn’t be competing for his attention while she’s in a relationship. Joe, meanwhile, is attracted to both V and Kizzi, but he’s hesitant to repeat past mistakes and get involved with them both. It’s unclear why Joe is so appealing, especially considering V notes he enjoys Kizzi’s company but feels a deeper connection with her ‘soul’ after a night of drinking.

All the tension between the crew can only really come out after LaDonna’s charter ends. This week, Josh gets incredibly frustrated with Carlos’s negativity about dinner and briefly leaves the boat, but it turns out he just needed a quick smoke to calm down. Everyone else actually enjoys the meals – Carlos just likes to find things to complain about. When a guest raves about their afternoon activity, he immediately points out that they were taken to a “bad area.” Seriously, Carlos? You’re in a major European city! Why don’t you plan your own activities and get your own food if you’re so unhappy?

The following morning, the wind calmed down, allowing the Bravado to leave the dock and anchor offshore. The deck team knew this was their one opportunity to deliver the experience the guests had paid for, as Sandy explained. It was also V’s first time working on deck, and she felt determined to prove herself during the departure and anchoring process. She quickly impressed everyone, demonstrating more drive and ability in just one hour than Christian and Tessa had shown in days. Aesha even commented to Sandy that V seemed a natural at deck work, more so than at her previous role as a stewardess.

V is proving to be a natural at the demanding deck/stew role. She efficiently takes care of tasks like tidying the master cabin while LaDonna eats, and quickly returns to deck duties when LaDonna wants to go jet skiing. She even shows off a knot that Joe doesn’t recognize, and happily teaches it to him. This isn’t about a potential romance, but a connection to her late boyfriend, Bon, who first taught her the skill. Bon, a veteran of the Afghanistan war, was a tough instructor when he trained her in boat work, and V feels he’d be proud of her performance. I’m really impressed with her and hoping she continues to succeed.

Breakfast passed without any issues, but just as things were starting to calm down, the wind picked up again. It quickly became strong enough that the crew had to quickly secure all the water toys. Max saved the day when he jumped onto the small boat just before it drifted away – the rope holding it in place had already snapped due to the strong wind and waves. The guests loved Max’s quick thinking, but they weren’t happy when Sandy announced it was too rough to continue and they needed to head back to the dock. Luckily, the docking process went smoothly. Nathan was thrilled with his new deckhand, saying he’d much rather have V working part-time than Christian and Tessa working full-time. Sandy felt the same way, clearly impressed with V’s performance.

Aesha is concerned about how the charter is going. As soon as the yacht docks, the guests retreat to their cabins, reminding everyone they’re in a lively European city with plenty to see and do. They don’t seem interested in exploring, though. The evening’s theme is high tea, and the guests have asked the yacht crew to lead them in a group dance. Luckily, Kizzi was a competitive dancer, and she’s happy to use Joe as her partner while choreographing a playfully suggestive routine.

Josh repeated his dinner plan from the night before: offering guests a choice of three proteins and salads, along with a huge variety of side dishes. Unfortunately, no one thanked him when he explained everything, and Carlos immediately complained that his mushroom appetizer was too oily. However, Josh redeemed himself with an amazing dessert served in a coconut bowl – a creamy coconut puree with pineapple, a coconut-almond crumble, and passion fruit sorbet, topped with a delicate honey tuile. Just describing it makes you want to try it! Josh mentioned he originally created the dessert for a competition, leaving everyone wondering what show it was and where they could watch it.

The night is going well, with Kizzi and Joe leading a lively group dance and including the guests. Aesha notices a positive change, saying it’s the first time she’s seen so many of the guests smiling. It seems the initial concerns about the charter are fading. While the crew is excited to have V onboard, Kizzi confides in Aesha that she was frustrated when V didn’t complete a task in the cabins earlier. She acknowledges the increased workload is getting to her, but doesn’t dwell on it. Aesha assures her they’ll receive additional help soon – in fact, Sandy has already arranged for a new stew to join the team before the next charter begins.

On the morning of the drop-off, Aesha and LaDonna shared a touching moment while searching for a headband LaDonna had left on her bed. The headband belonged to LaDonna’s daughter, who sadly passed away at only 18 years old in 2022. Aesha quickly found it after giving LaDonna a warm hug. Aesha’s greatest strength as a chief stew is her ability to connect with others – she truly is a ‘people person’.

Once the guests had left, Sandy, Nathan, and Aesha talked about V’s role. While Aesha enjoyed having V on her team, they all felt V would be a better fit and happier working with the exterior team. V was thrilled when they told her about the permanent switch, and even cried when she shared the news with Kizzi, who was genuinely happy for her. The satisfaction of a successful shift, combined with a generous $4,000 tip, felt incredibly liberating as Josh got ready for the evening. Kizzi excitedly told Nathan she was looking forward to a fun night out, and Nathan jokingly asked her to let him know when she’d ended things with her boyfriend.

It seems likely Kizzi and V’s friendship will be tested by their feelings for Joe, though thankfully they aren’t currently fighting. During dinner, Kizzi explained to Josh that she and Tommy weren’t a good match because she doesn’t do well with long-distance relationships. Joe, in a very direct way, described his attraction to Kizzi. Max, meanwhile, is clearly upset that Kizzi now seems interested in Joe, feeling like he’s been replaced. He joked about losing his ‘exotic’ appeal. Honestly, Max needs to pull himself together and remember his confidence!

Okay, so at the club, Nathan pointed out that V has the same drive as Gael, which I thought was sweet. But the real drama was with Joe. He spent the whole night close to V, dancing and chatting, and honestly, his moves are straight out of high school – always trying to pick girls up! He even apologized to V about Bon, which felt… weird. When she asked him why he was bringing up the past, he said he wanted to be upfront and not just disappear later. Then he immediately picked her up again! I’m totally confused by him. Is he trying to tell her he’s not looking for anything serious? V explained that guys haven’t known how to deal with her since Bon died, and she insisted she’s not falling apart. It makes you wonder if this bachelor, heading into the charter next week, can learn a thing or two from Joe’s awkwardness – or maybe just avoid it altogether!

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2025-11-04 06:55