The drama continued in Below Deck Mediterranean this week. While Tumi’s initial approach to being chief stew wasn’t perfect, Natalya is beginning to prove that she’s even better at holding a grudge than she is at doing laundry. Captain Sandy’s had enough of the antics, and I don’t blame her. Here’s everything that went down in Below Deck Med Season 8, Episode 4: “Take It to the Bridge.” And no, that’s not a Justin Timberlake reference.
Lost in translation
While Natalya whines about Tumi playing “victim,” Max is having some issues in communication. He’s usually on French vessels, which means he speaks in his native tongue. This is the first time he’s taken a job where the language among the crew is English. What I’m sure he can understand, however, is all of the bitching being done about Tumi.
“I f*cking hate her,” Natalya says to Jack. For his part, the chef just wants to get on with his job. It’s clear he wants no part in this rivalry, and he even tells Natalya that she’s going to have to make things work for the good of the crew. Not getting the ego-rub she wanted, Natalya takes her complaining to Kyle. In confessional, he admits he’s not very good at keeping his mouth shut. “I’m realizing that my involvement has made things worse.” Oh, Kyle. This was your master plan all along!
Over on deck, Luka’s in love with Lara’s work ethic. She knocks it out of the park every time, and there’s even talk with Captain Sandy about bringing her up into a lead deckhand role. It’ll be nice to see that come full circle in a future episode. Let’s hope Lara can keep up the good work. Also, shoutout to Haleigh. She’s quiet but great at her job.
Good vibes from Tumi, for Jack at least
Jack speaks in confessional about how he prejudged Tumi due to his loyalty to Natalya. He admits that he actually has a “good vibe” with the chief stew, despite their rocky start. They’re working together well, even with Natalya in his ear. Now though, instead of buzzing in the chef’s lobes, she’s moved onto Jessika. The fourth stew is tired of getting “another update … about what Tumi did wrong,” every time she speaks to Nat.
It’s time to set up an exclusive lunch for the guests at Santa Margherita Ligure Castle. Lara is growing weary of Max VERY quickly. He appears to be trying to do the least amount of work possible, in a way that he can still get through to the next day. “We don’t have time to f*cking sit around and w*nk,” Lara reminds him as he complains about being tired. “I wanna kick Max in the d*ck,” she clarifies in confessional. “Yachting is not just fun and games, it’s f*cking work … trust me I’m gonna say a few things.”
Thankfully, the setup is completed on time, and the guests love every second. Getting to their destination is a long hike, but those views and Jack’s incredible food are worth every step. But as they enjoy their vacation, things kick off all over again over on the yacht…
Natalya’s looking for confrontation
“The cabins are not finished,” Tumi says upon inspection. This, despite Natalya claiming to have done them before leaving to help out with the guests at their lunch. With spots on the mirrors and shower door, along with no fresh towels being put in the bedroom we’re shown, it’s easy to side with Tumi on this one. She feeds back the information to Jessika, who then gives the feedback to Natalya upon her return to the yacht. This does not go down well.
Natalya calls Tumi to the bar over her radio, as if she’s the one in charge. “What’s the issue this time?” she says, instantly confrontational. Now, I made sure to watch Tumi very closely in this argument, because Natalya loves to go on about Tumi’s hands. At the start of the confrontation, Tumi actually kept her arms folded, while Natalya’s arms were flying all over the place, in a rush to explain why she only did a “freshen up,” rather than a complete turnover of the cabins. But, as soon as Tumi’s hand left the safety of her underarm, the same accusations from Natalya came flying.
Overhearing Natalya’s screeching, Captain Sandy stepped in and told the ladies to go to the bridge. Once there, Natalya was quick in saying she could not work with Tumi. For her part, Tumi laughed and acted like a schoolchild. She quickly agreed with Sandy that her reaction was not appropriate. “Right now I’m ready to put you both off the boat,” Sandy warned. “Figure it out.”
Jessika thinks Natalya is a “mean girl”
The guests return after an “amazing” lunch. They set up dinner for 8:30 p.m. with Tumi. When she gets a moment, Jessika pulls her chief stew aside. She apologizes for stirring the pot, and clarifies she only wanted to let Natalya know what they needed to improve on in future when fixing the cabins. I’m not entirely convinced, but she does defend Tumi in confessional. She says that Natalya is a “mean girl,” who reminds her of the days when she was bullied in school.
Fortunately, Tumi is someone who can put emotions aside for work. After trying – and failing – to speak to Natalya, she recalls a story in confessional about a show she was a part of in her younger years. Moments before taking to the stage, Tumi’s mother told her that her father had been shot dead. She still went on stage and put on a two-hour performance, using the interval to cry. She’s a warrior of a woman.
Jessika speaks to Kyle about Natalya, and he agrees that she can be a “mean girl.” He warns, “That’s one bitch you don’t wanna cross paths with.” He seems to be looking out for Jessika, but there’s always an ulterior motive with Kyle…
Tumi vs Natalya: Round 10
Jack’s having a nightmare with the vegan guest. She doesn’t like her dinner, and has “high standards.” So, as someone with high standards does, she asks for fried tofu and fries. That’s easy enough to cook, but when it’s presented, she says she wanted it deep-fried in breadcrumbs. This results in Jack being called to the guests. He then throws Tumi under the bus for not clarifying deep-fried. As a fellow Brit, I just think there’s another language barrier here. In the UK, something being “fried” just means you do it in a pan. It doesn’t mean it has to be in breadcrumbs or batter.
When dinner’s complete, Tumi asks Natalya – again – if they can talk. She rejects the offer and says they can discuss their working relationship in the morning. When the morning comes, however, Natalya is again looking for a fight.
Tumi goes in with compliments, and says the two may be “too similar.” Natalya scolds her for not coming onto the yacht “appreciative,” despite Tumi telling her she had done an exceptional job. They both accuse one another of not giving the other a “fair go,” and Natalya says Tumi wanted to “show your place.”
“I do not wanna be your friend,” says Natalya. If they did that, it would be “all fake BS.” She’s happy to work with her, but they won’t ever be mates.
Meanwhile, the deck team are preparing to dock, but Max is slow and Haleigh is pissed. Captani Sandy is almost left tearing her hair out. It’s the first charter with a full team, but there’s a real breakdown in communications.
Below Deck Med continues Mondays at 9/8c on Bravo.
TELL US – IS NATALYA BEING A “MEAN GIRL?” DOES MAX GIVE OFF LAZY VIBES?
