Another season of Below Deck Mediterranean has come and gone. Honestly, our internal anchor’s dragged all throughout this one, as it just felt long. To explain, Kyle Viljoen was messy, with borderline toxic behaviors displayed on the reg. Likewise, Natalya Scudder was a gossip, seemingly trying to pit crew members against each other in the interior department. Yet, several of Bravo‘s chosen cast members still stood out for us in positive ways. In fact, we can easily list four of these Below Deck Med Season 8 cast members who we hope to see again, either underneath Captain Sandy Yawn, or, with a different Below Deck captain. In no particular order, these are our picks.
Chef Jack Luby
Chef Jack Luby grew on us more and more with each passing episode. He was able to quickly identify just how problematic Kyle was, while mentally supporting Nat in turn. While we were just as frustrated with Nat’s antics as we were with Kyle’s, Jack’s kindness was a bright light for her well-being, so we can’t hate on that. We also can’t hate on the closed captions, which helped us to understand Jack’s thick accent.
When BDM Season 8 began, Jack ran into some issues with how he cooked eggs. Basically, he found breakfast to be “overrated.” Despite this, Jack turned up his skills, turning out dishes that were met with approval. Minus the Big Gay Brunch crew, who were looking for something a tad more extravagant than the rainbow-hued dishes that they were served.
Truly, Jack’s food was enough to make anyone “bubble and squeak,” and if you didn’t read that in his accent, did you even watch? For his humor, heart, and his skills, we hope to see Jack returning to a Below Deck galley sometime in the near future.
Lara Du Preez
Lara Du Preez was promoted to the Lead Deckhand position this season, and we couldn’t have been happier for this decision that was made by her Bosun, Luka Brunton. If you ask us, Lara saved Below Deck Med Season 8. For her first season, this deckie truly held her own. She was also hysterical, which we need more of on this often-stressful series.
No matter what, Lara displayed excellent leadership skills. When Max Salvador slacked off, Lara called him out. She also quickly sprang out of her bed during one of her appointed rest times simply because the interior department needed an extra hand for a meal service. Just don’t ask her to sing an opera song, or do if you need a laugh, which she is happy to supply.
Throughout this season, Lara remained level-headed, helpful, and kind. We not only want to see Lara back on Below Deck, we also want to see her continue to rise up in the ranks, with an eventual Bosun title secured.
Haleigh Gorman
Haleigh Gorman worked alongside Lara on the exterior team. Sadly, she didn’t get a lot of air time, because drama wasn’t her bag. Yet, every time that she was on-air, we couldn’t help but admire her solid work ethic and her carefree-spirit, which saw her casually displaying her boobs at random. Confidence is key, so keep doing you, Haleigh.
Luckily, Haleigh was eventually given an opportunity to shine. As a certified diver, Haleigh took a group of charter guests out on a diving excursion. We about fell over when Haleigh announced that she loved diving, simply because she hated talking to people.
Sames.
We’d like to see way more of Haleigh. She’s a hard worker who is fun, making us feel like she deserves way more screen time via another season on Below Deck.
Tumi Mhlongo
Hear us out. Tumi Mhlongo deserves another shot at being a Chief Stew on Below Deck Med, or on any other Below Deck spin-off for that matter. Captain Sandy seems to agree with us on this one. In fact, on this week’s Watch What Happens Live episode, she even revealed that the crew member she’d most like to work with again was Tumi.
When we first met Tumi, she was a stewardess on Below Deck Down Under. She was joyful and funny, and she was also an extremely hard worker. Yet, she failed to thrive on BDM. Her downfall started as soon as she boarded the yacht a handful of episodes late, as a Visa issue had gotten herself and Kyle stuck on land.
Luckily, Nat covered for Tumi onboard. Unluckily, Kyle poisoned Tumi’s well against Nat while the two were stuck together in customs off-air. Once they were finally cleared, Nat stepped down from being the temporary Chief Stew, but Tumi came in hot, and Nat responded to her with aggression. Cue the gossiping, back-stabbing, etc. within the interior department.
Things failed to improve much, yet, we still think that Tumi deserves another shot, unlike Kyle and/or Nat. Simply put, Kyle and Nat are returning BD crew members, just like Tumi. Unlike Tumi though, their first season on-air saw them both behaving just as poorly as they did this season. Therefore, we know that Tumi can do better, but as they’ve proven, we cannot say the same for either Kyle or Natalya.
Tumi doesn’t deserve hate. If you ask us, she only deserves another shot on Below Deck.
TELL US – WHICH BELOW DECK MED SEASON 8 CAST MEMBERS WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE AGAIN? WHY?
