If you had to pick one crew member on Below Deck Mediterranean most likely to interrupt on the radio in the middle of a storm, it would have to be Lexi Wilson. Right? Because that’s exactly what happened on this week’s episode as the deck team scrambled to re-anchor the boat in a full-blown whiteout. And here the (no longer second) stew is asking unnecessary questions about where to put some pillows. Lexi! Time and place! I mean, seriously. Can you not see that the deck crew might be dealing with something a bit more serious than some wet pillows?
And yet, just as quickly the crisis is over, and Malia White and Lloyd Spencer just ended up really, really wet. (Shout-out to the commenter who quickly educated me on what “red on deck” meant!) However, the storm inside Lady Michelle has just started brewing. While new stew Delaney Evans is busy pouting in her cabin, Katie Flood has come to the realization that she’s been put in a no-win scenario over bringing on extra help. On the one hand, if she keeps the new stew around, everyone else in the crew will be angry over the massive cabin swap that has to happen. On the other, if she lets Delaney go, she looks like a hypocrite for refusing help the interior clearly needs and hurts the newbie in the process.
And naturally, Captain Sandy Yawn is no help whatsoever. After all, she’s the one who placed the chief stew in this predicament to begin with. Even when Katie is literally in tears over the decision, she’s happy to sit back and pass the buck. As she’s stated over the past couple episodes, Sandy’s operating under the guise of teaching her chief stew valuable leadership skills. But it seems increasingly obvious the less helpful she is that she simply doesn’t want to risk looking like the monster she did last season over firings and hirings. Nothing’s Sandy’s fault if she forces her subordinates to make all the tough decisions, right?
Meanwhile, the guests are stuck inside. They’re unable to do water sports or play with all the toys. They can’t even enjoy the views of Croatia — not that this particular group of ladies has any idea where they are. So it’s up to the deck team to keep them entertained inside… Which apparently means setting off the fire alarm and presenting them with David Pascoe and Mzi Dempers dressed as strippers, ahem, firefighters. Now David is the first to say he’s no Magic Mike, but Mzi really goes for it. We’re talking a full-blown lap dance and maybe a bit too much touchy-feely for whatever HR department is supposedly overseeing the yachting industry?
After the boys challenge the guests to a flirty game of beer pong, even Malia gets uncomfortable with how much she’s pimping out her deckhands. There’s only so far we’re willing to go for a good tip, people. And listening to any charter guests talk about fondling balls (of the beer pong kind, obviously) is a step too far. Back in your uniforms, boys! The fire has been well and officially extinguished.
Thankfully the weather finally starts to clear in time for dinner, which Chef Mathew Shea is throwing together as some sort of Italian hodgepodge due to the guests’ insanely conflicting dietary preferences. However, one particular charter guest isn’t exactly loving all the family-style meals, and requested an entree she doesn’t have to serve herself. Except oops…amid all the different pizzas and pastas and meatless marinara sauces, Mathew drops the ball and completely forgets. The strange thing, though, is that the guest in question prefers to stew silently rather than ask about her entree. Even when Courtney Veale unassumingly asks if everyone has what they need. Honey, if you don’t speak up, it’s your own fault. Now dig into the communal pasta!
The next morning is day three of the charter. And for reference, we’re still anchored in Uvala Mikauica. Also for reference, everyone’s still giving Katie a hard time about the potential cabin swap. Particularly Mathew, who’s stuck bunking with the chief officer while Delaney gets his cabin all to herself. So yeah, that’s obviously annoying. But Katie just needs everyone to get off her back, thank you very much. Because attitude from the chef isn’t helping. And speaking of not helping, Lexi is using Delaney’s arrival to maximum advantage to do minimal work. First she’s teaching the newbie how to do sloppy, substandard turndowns. And now, she is quite literally sleeping in the laundry room. In a corner. On the floor. In her uniform, while everyone else is busy working. No wonder the interior is suffering.
Out on the swim platform, the deck team is having a minor crisis involving one of the jet skis. Namely that it’s…umm…sinking. As guests are riding it. Malia quickly goes to work trying to diagnose the problem, though it seems obvious someone didn’t check the vehicle’s plugs. We all know how much Sandy cares about the water toys, so of course she’s down in Malia’s space micromanaging the situation. The bosun tries to cover for her team, claiming the jet ski could’ve sucked up a plastic bag. But Captain Sandy sees Malia’s move as a lie. And now there’s a seed of doubt planted in her mind when it comes to trusting the teacher’s pet. (In the end, the problem was the plugs. The jet ski was so full of water, it could’ve sunk. And it was all David‘s fault.)
After an uneventful beach picnic, the guests have requested a glamorous white party for their final dinner. Except by “white party,” the provisioner apparently thought Katie meant “prairie wedding.” Because that’s precisely the kind of dress sent to the ship for the stews to wear. (And sorry, not even hacking at the hemlines with scissors can save them. But do you think Lexi cutting Delaney‘s dress shorter than she asked was really an accident?) Dinner is another rainy affair, and the same guest who complained earlier isn’t feeling it. While everyone else raves about Chef Mathew‘s food, she gives him a four out of ten. Eek. Can he really say now that he went the whole season without a single guest complaint? You know he’s just spiraling at home as he watches guest criticize his cooking.
And while the guests are indulging in sushi, Lexi is busy eating chips while her new BFF Delaney does the laundry. This really is Lexi’s dream scenario. She can slack off while at the same time bossing a newbie around. She may have gotten her second stew title revoked, but you can always rely on her to find someone to lord power over. And the worst part might be that Delaney doesn’t even realize she’s being used. She thinks Lexi is her best friend on the boat and that Katie is the menacing villain of this story.
The night ends with the most memorable guest, Danielle, donning one of the firefighter suits to record a campaign video for Mayor of Florida from the hot tub. (Is that how mayoral elections run down there? You can just run for mayor of the whole thing?) And Mathew makes one last-ditch appeal to Katie to get his cabin back. But will it work? The next morning is departure day, and the chief stew still hasn’t made up her mind. For some reason, she goes to Captain Sandy for more advice. Somehow the biggest issue at stake here is the cabin arrangements, which may be a bit off the mark. (The real problem is obviously Lexi. However, her laziness is flying completely under the radar with Delaney picking up the slack.)
Captain Sandy reminds Katie that Delaney coming aboard was meant as a temporary fix. Not a permanent solution. And there are only two charters left. So now it’s time to make a choice. (Somehow, letting Lexi go doesn’t seem to be on the table…) Sandy quite literally tells her chief stew to “woman up,” but also be prepared for the inevitable backlash. And so, Katie pulls Delaney aside for yet another meeting. And…just like that, the episode cuts to a close. So we’ll have to wait until next week to find out her decision! (If you’re watching a week ahead on Peacock, please try to avoid spoilers in the comments for the sake of those who aren’t!)
TELL US – SHOULD KATIE LET DELANEY GO OR KEEP HER? HOW IS LEXI GETTING AWAY WITH SO MUCH LAZINESS? DID DAVID OR MZI MAKE A BETTER, AHEM, FIREFIGHTER? SHOULD SANDY NOT TRUST MALIA OVER THE JET SKI INCIDENT?
[Photo Credit: Bravo]
