Captain Sandy Yawn is lucky to have a deck crew that works harmoniously and effectively. It seems the opposite can be said of the Below Deck Mediterranean interior team this season.
Production seemingly chose to squeeze as much ego into the stews as possible. And don’t forget, the yacht is so large that Jessika Asai is staying on as a fourth pair of hands.
Tumi thought Kyle was “easier to manage”
The season previews indicate that chief stew Tumi Mhlongo will repeatedly argue with Natalya Scudder, who filled in for her while she was waiting for a visa. Kyle Viljoen gets in on the action by butting heads with Natalya, with whom he had worked prior. It’s a lot of personality in a small space, as their boss came to explain during an interview on Mediaweek and Chattr’s The Entertainment Hotline Podcast.
“I just think it was just way too many big personalities on one boat. There’s no way we could do that in real life, we probably wouldn’t come out alive, to be honest,” Tumi said.
The South African national has a theory as to why Natalya and Kyle not only butted heads this season but on Season 7 as well.
“I think Natalia and Kyle are the same people truly in terms of big personalities and that’s why they fight the way that they do. Maybe their approach is different but they’re the same, in my opinion,” she explained.
When asked which stew she would choose to be her second, Tumi chose her fellow countryman from South Africa.
“I’d have Kyle as second because he’s not passive-aggressive in the way that he communicates,” Tumi said.
She added, “Natalya I would love to have a second if we could communicate effectively because I think that we would be great in terms of table decor, her passion, and her work ethic. But, I felt like Kyle is just easier to manage. Even though he’s hyper-emotional, he’s much easier to manage [than Natalya].”
Tumi and Natalya didn’t waste any time trying to establish dominance. Saying they had an immediate disconnect is putting it mildly. Season 8 is delivering the drama.
Catch Below Deck Mediterranean Mondays at 9/8c on Bravo.
TELL US – WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE INTERIOR CREW DRAMA? WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO TUMI’S COMMENTS? ARE YOU SURPRISED SHE WOULD PREFER KYLE TO BE HER SECOND STEW?
