Below Deck Mediterraneanseason 9 finished off with a sweet look at Captain Sandy Yawn’s engagement to now-wife Leah Shafer, but theseason overall was a letdown after accusations of production interference created a strange sense of drama.Below Deck Mediterraneanseason 9started strong, introducing the new crew of Mustique who would be working with Captain Sandy and Chief Stew Aesha Scott. With the interior team made up of Aesha and her two Stews, Ellie Dubiach and Bri Muller, Captain Sandy had Chef Jonathan Shillingford to handle the galley, and the rest of the team to handle the interior.
Withthe interior team down a Stew, the exterior team was expected to be on a roll throughout the charter season. With Bosun Iain MacLean working as the lead of the team, Lead Deckhand Joe Bradley, Deckhand Nathan Gallagher, and Deckhand Gael Cameron were set to have a great charter season. Though the majority of the charter season saw the exterior team doing well, they had some difficult charters early in the season that pushed them to the limit. With tension rising on both the interior and exterior teams,Below Deck Mediterraneanseason 9 seemed like it may be drama-filled.

Below Deck Mediterranean Season 9 Focused On Forced Crew Drama
The Drama Didn’t Feel Organic
ThroughoutBelow Deck Mediterraneanseason 9, there were somemajor moments of drama between the crew members that didn’t necessarily feel organic. With Ellie and Bri consistently getting under each other’s skin, the drama between the Stews in the interior department was constant. Ellie, who joinedBelow Deck Mediterraneanseason 9’s crewto become a Chief Stew in the future, struggled to deal with the interpersonal issues between herself, Bri, and Joe. While Ellie shared with Bri early on that she liked Joe romantically, Bri found herself getting flirty with the Deckhand. Their romantic drama spanned throughout the whole season.
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While the drama itself kept moving throughoutBelow DeckMediterraneanseason 9, there wasvery little actual drama going on aside from the jealousy and will-they won’t-they drama of the love triangle. Though some of the drama felt genuine, the majority of it felt forced and made the crew seem like they were wading through issues they didn’t want to be discussing for the majority of the time. The crew drama that was infused throughout the season felt off-kilter in some episodes and dragged out in others. With the drama of the season feeling forced, it was tough to watch.

Below Deck Mediterranean Season 9 Has Been Accused Of Faking Poor Performance
There Have Been Accusations Of Producer Interference
Along with the forced drama of the season, there were some serious accusations lodged at theBelow Deck Mediterraneanseason 9 producersregarding the crew members faking their performance. While the crew were all trained to work aboard superyachts and hoped to do well with Captain Sandy at the helm, some of the crew members struggled with their jobs aboard Mustique.Below Deck Mediterraneanhad several crew members who were accused of faking their performance as they moved through the charter season, asthey were doing so poorly it felt like it couldn’t have been realfrom episode to episode.
The majority of theBelow Deck Mediterraneanseason 9 crew members found themselves accused of faking their poor performances for the sake of drama, but not everyone got much flack.Chef Jonathan and Bosun Iainwere the main targets of the accusations, and both of them performed dangerously poorly from time to time aboard Mustique. FromChef Jono accidentally serving a woman with a deadly allergy a plate of raw fishshe couldn’t eat to Bosun Iain nearly navigating Mustique into a dangerous dock, the pair struggled through the charter season and didn’t know how to explain their poor decisions.

Below Deck Mediterranean Season 9’s Lack Of Fired Crew Members Was Odd
There Were Few Consequences For Poor Performance
While crew members were making major mistakes aboard Mustique, Captain Sandy didn’t fire anyone aboard the superyacht during the charter season. Though there aren’t firings with everyseason ofBelow Deck Mediterranean,when crew members make mistakes that could be dangerous to the rest of the crew or the charter guests, there should be some sort of action taken.Captain Sandy tends to give her crew members extra chances if they mess up, but making such big mistakes without any repercussions was an odd choice throughoutBelow Deck Mediterraneanseason 9. Throughout the season, there were few moments of consequence.
Captain Sandy’s decision not to fire anyone fromBelow Deck Mediterraneanseason 9 was odd, especially given the nature of the mistakes being made in the series.Chef Jono and Iain both made major mistakes that could’ve cost guests their lives, but the most either of them got was a talking-to. WhileCaptain Sandy seemed to be making stridesto fire Chef Jono, there wasn’t anyone to replace him according to the yachting services professionals. The majority of Chef Jono’s meals were decent, but the meals that weren’t wound up costing the team in several different ways, making things difficult.
Below Deck Mediterranean Season 9 Felt Boring & Underwhelming
It Wasn’t Up To Par For A Below Deck Season
Overall,Below Deck Mediterraneanseason 9 missed the mark. While the season had a fair share of drama, it wasn’t overly dramatic or surprising. The drama of the season stemmed from poor performances, which were never treated with any discipline or consequences, and a love triangle that irritated viewers. The season wound up relying on the same drama throughout the season, which ended up being boring for viewers who were hoping to see fresh drama and newstorylines coming toBelow Deck Mediterraneanthis season. While there were some bright spots,the majority of the season felt stale and unoriginal.
Although there were mostly pitfalls throughout the season, there were some moments that stuck out to viewers who were interested in learning more about the crew and the charter guests. The crew themselves were able to be interesting as they moved through the charter season, they had a difficult time sustaining viewers with the low level of drama on the series.Below Deck Mediterraneantends to be one of the less dramatic spin-offs in the franchise, but the specific drama of the season was difficult to get behind or find interesting.Below Deck Mediterraneanseason 9 was a serious letdown.
Below Deck Mediterranean
Cast
Below Deck Mediterranean is a Bravo reality television series that follows a crew that works aboard a gigantic superyacht during the busy season. The show highlights the challenges of the crew as they serve their high-end clientele. Each season tackles new locations, such as Greece, Croatia, Italy, and France, with some repeating.