Below Deck Mediterranean Recap: Your Own Worst Enemy

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It’s incredibly satisfying to prove someone wrong, but truly awful when you realize your negative expectations about a person come true – especially if you want them to succeed. This week, the people we’re following continue to make questionable decisions. You have to admit, they’re consistently bad at it. Despite clear warnings in both their careers and relationships, they’re stubbornly pushing forward. As our guest, David, puts it: are they failing because they didn’t try hard enough, or because they were destined to fail all along?

Professional boxer David is on charter thanks to an invitation from his friend, Cameron. Aside from a bit of seasickness after a morning sailing lesson – understandable, considering it followed French toast! – the charter is going well. Cameron, a former football player, brought along some football buddies, along with David, a rapper, and a sommelier. Everyone is friendly and looking forward to relaxing and watching the America’s Cup, the most important sailing race, from the yacht. It’s lucky their trip coincides with the event; Sandy even compared it to the soccer World Cup. Aesha knows the importance of the America’s Cup, as New Zealand is a major sailing nation – they actually won the title in 2024, the year this season was filmed.

Everyone else was having a good time, but Kizzi quickly gets caught up in drama with guest David. She was attracted to him even before he arrived, openly commenting on his appearance during the initial meeting. As soon as he boarded, she began flirting, and things escalated quickly when he asked for her Instagram. While a romantic relationship with a guest could get her fired, flirting isn’t against the rules. In fact, hoping for bigger tips, Cathy encourages Kizzi to pursue her interest. However, Kizzi, craving attention and being very open about her feelings, talks about her attraction to David constantly. Aesha overhears her discussing it with Josh and worries she’ll cross the line, reminding viewers of past seasons’ issues.

Josh isn’t thrilled with Kizzi’s focus, as her connection with David is proving to be a distraction. He gets frustrated when she schedules dinner without consulting him, but they quickly resolve the issue after the dinner service. Despite this, Josh consistently delivers excellent meals, ranging from elaborate pasta and crab courses to classic Spanish paella. However, Aesha observes he’s increasingly relying on family-style service as the season nears its end. While family style is often appreciated, it doesn’t always align with guest preferences. Aesha decides not to mention it this week because paella, which the guests requested, is well-suited to family style. Nevertheless, she’s perceptive; the guests also request that their paella be served in the formal dining area.

It’s no surprise that Kizzi is acting up again – she always seems happier when she’s getting attention from men, and she fantasizes about being the glamorous girlfriend or wife of a famous athlete. But she’s not the only one behaving as expected this week. Joe is predictably starting to panic about his relationship with V. Honestly, everything that’s been happening between them made me wish I could travel back in time, like in Back to the Future, and warn V to end things before it’s too late.

The episode starts with V questioning Joe about the expiration date he mentioned, as he’s been trying to make plans with her for after the charter season ends. He insists the date has passed and that he’s fully committed. Throughout the charter, V battles a sinus infection that she feels is connected to her grief. The anniversary of Bon’s death, which also happens to be her birthday, is just four days away. While I’m generally skeptical of theories linking physical symptoms to trauma, it’s clear to anyone watching that V is really struggling. She shares with Captain Sandy that the approaching date is weighing on her, and explains how Bon died while diving after experiencing a shallow-water blackout—a condition caused by lack of oxygen to the brain. On the second day, Captain Sandy notices V’s condition worsening and allows her to rest for as long as she needs.

Will Joe be able to handle this difficult situation? Although he told V he’d be there for her, he starts to pull away as things get more serious. He quickly becomes panicked, telling Nathan he doesn’t really know V and feels overwhelmed, like he needs to protect himself. It’s Cathy who ends up comforting V as she cries. While Joe was working when Sandy sent V to him, and he might not have even realized she was upset, it’s heartbreaking that V is dealing with grief, illness, and her birthday, and now might also be let down by someone who promised her care and support.

Similar to what Nathan went through last week, Joe is facing personal struggles while his work life is actually getting better. (We also see Nathan calling Gael at the start of this episode. He claims he’s done with Kizzi, but they still seem to flirt with each other throughout the charter.) Before the charter begins, Nathan chooses Joe as the lead deckhand. I think this was a mistake, because Nathan based his decision on how long he’s known Joe and their past working relationship. Max really deserved this promotion – he helped out during the difficult times with Christian and Tessa, and he covered for Nathan when he was sick with food poisoning at the beginning of the season. Nathan even previously told Max he saw potential in him as a lead deckhand.

Max reacted badly to Joe’s appointment – he stormed out of the meeting and even yelled – but Nathan wasn’t surprised. Max holds grudges for a long time, and is still distant with Cathy, who’s confused by his behavior, even though he acknowledges she makes the world a better place. Despite recognizing Joe’s skills and praising his initiative, Max remains focused on how he feels personally slighted.

Effective leaders understand their team’s feelings and how they’re reacting. Aesha demonstrated this when Kizzi felt overlooked after Cathy was chosen as second stew. Aesha made an effort to boost Kizzi’s confidence by acknowledging her work and checking in with her, even though it meant extra work for her. In contrast, Nathan seems frustrated that Max is upset and doesn’t seem to understand how Max is truly feeling, as shown when Sandy asks about it. While Nathan claims Max is okay, Max is actually struggling and trying to calm himself. This creates a tense atmosphere on the boat. The situation is worsened by the fact that, aside from Sandy, no one appears concerned about V’s wellbeing, either physically or emotionally. This is significant because V is a vital member of the team – always enthusiastic, willing to help, and positive.

Joe is proving he’s ready to take on more responsibility as a deckhand by proactively asking a crew member for a lesson on dropping anchor. Sandy is pleased with his initiative and how he and Nathan are now working professionally together, though I suspect his eagerness might be for show. Meanwhile, Max continues to cause problems. After a rough sailing lesson, he picks up guests V and Cathy on the tender without telling anyone he’s returning, which frustrates Aesha. Even worse, he lets a guest drive the tender again – something he and Nathan were previously reprimanded for, and which Nathan suspects was intentional. Max denies it, claiming he was in control the entire time. Nathan confronts him about it multiple times, even in front of Joe, but Captain Sandy interrupts, unaware of the issue and asking them to clean the boat. Later, tensions escalate between Max and Nathan while putting away the Jet Ski, hinting at a difficult time ahead for the two of them.

The episode concludes with a lot of tension. On the first night of the charter, David and Kizzi shared a flirty, suggestive conversation where he playfully called her adventurous and she hinted at enjoying a little mischief. She mentioned she’d show him her rebellious side the following night, but wanted to keep it quiet while they were still working. Kizzi later confessed she doesn’t think David is very witty, but finds him attractive enough to overlook it. The next morning, he sent her a flirty message, which she immediately shared with everyone. The episode ends with Kizzi and David together after the others had gone to sleep, leaving viewers wondering if they’ll act on their attraction. I doubt they will, though. Kizzi may enjoy pushing boundaries, but she’s smart and knows a hookup wouldn’t stay secret. I predict she’ll prioritize keeping her job and maintaining a good relationship with her boss, and she seems to care about not putting her coworker, Aesha, in a difficult position. Plus, the preview for next week shows her continuing to flirt and sneak around – this time with Joe! Hopefully, things don’t get too messy.

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2025-12-09 06:56