Below Deck Mediterranean is back, and hopefully better than ever. I say this because Captain Sandy Yawn has spent 8 full seasons in search of her forever Chief Stew bestie. Ever since maritime law placed Hannah Ferrier on the plank back in Season 5, this series has struggled to find a yachtie that can last. This season, however, Aesha Scott has returned home to the Mediterranean, and finally, BDM might’ve just found themselves a little Kiwi keeper.
Only time will tell how Aesha and Captain Sandy get along as a leadership duo. But as for Aesha’s predecessors, well, we already know how these pairings went down. In all, five different Chief Stews have come before Aesha on Below Deck Med. Of these, they’re all attractive ladies, but also, let’s be real, some struggled way more than others.
But who struggled the least and survived the most? Let’s ask our mirror, mirror on these yacht’s sometimes clean walls, to help us now rank Below Deck Med’s greatest Chief Stews of them all (so far).
5) Natasha Webb – Season 7
In Season 7, we met Natasha Webb. She looked identical to Natalya Scudder, who she happened to constantly find herself at odds with. To be fair though, Natasha’s entire team reeked of dysfunction. She also found herself in a pretty hard-to-watch love triangle.
Once onboard, she tried to hide the fact that she and the chef, Dave White, had a prior fling. Their feelings still lingered upon meeting again, but as Natasha had a toxic thing going on with a guy back home, things grew murky. Natasha started slacking on the job, and arguments ensued, not only between herself and her men but also among herself and her team.
Afterward, Natasha spoke out about her mental health during filming, detailing how she had hit an all-time low in these moments. These days, she’s engaged to someone who’s kind, and she is finally living back in the light. We love this for Natasha. She’s still at the bottom of our Below Deck Med Chief Stew rankings though.
4) Bugsy Drake – Season 5 (1/2)
Bugsy Drake first worked underneath Hannah on Season 2, where, after sharing Hannah’s personal messages with a former charter guest, these two found themselves at odds. Overall though, Bugsy lived by a more is more theme, from her tablescaping skills to her own styles. This worked in her favor, because the guests loved her, as did Captain Sandy.
Moving forward, Bugsy returned in Season 5, replacing the quitter known as Lara Flumiani. But then, Hannah’s firing arrived, and Bugsy took the lead.
As for the conflicts that Bugsy had to deal with, when she stepped up, Aesha walked back on, and almost immediately, the chef made Aesha cry. At this, Bugsy failed to defend her stew. Then, Aesha had her hand on Rob Westergaard’s butt for a photo, causing this deckie’s boatmance to lament about giving Aesha a “beat down.” That’s assault, brotha (read this in Billy Madison’s voice, please), yet, Bugsy overheard this verbal threat, and then walked back into the galley, gossiping about this dumb ordeal.
Physical threats suck, but I do strongly believe that should Bugsy ever return, she’d be a solid leader. As this hasn’t happened yet, she’s living in the number 4 spot as a BDM Chief Stew.
3) Tumi Mhlongo – Season 8
I like Tumi Mhlongo. I think that she’s funny and hardworking, and she shinned brightly as a stew on Below Deck Down Under. But then, Tumi crossed over to star on Below Deck Med in Season 8, and the seas here were very, very rocky for her to navigate.
Prior to boarding, Tumi and Kyle Viljoen got to stay on dry land for a bit, due to issues with their Visas. As their season kicked off without them, Kyle got into her ear, pitting her against Natalya. Onboard, Natalya took over Tumi’s duties, but when it came time to finally hand the reigns over to Tumi, these two ladies had a massive communication breakdown.
This whole season remained on this same rocky wavelength, but to her credit, Tumi stayed the course, refusing to quit. Looking back, Tumi regrets letting Kyle into her headspace, but what’s done is done. Until she can redeem herself on any of the other Below Deck series, she’s in the number 3 spot on our BDM Chief Stews list.
2) Katie Flood – Season 6
Katie Flood was a Chief Stew in Season 6. Like many of the others, her season had several toxic components. Her season also aired during the time of Covid. Needless to say, the decks were stacked against her, but even still, she showed out rather well.
Not only was Katie great at her job, but she was also beloved by Captain Sandy. Even still, Katie’s backbone wasn’t as strong as it needed to be. Especially when it came time to deal with her stews Delaney Evans and Lexi Wilson. Both of whom were eventually let go.
Overall, it was pretty shocking to not see Katie returning to this series. Until she does, she’s still sitting very high on our rankings list, filling in the number 2 spot as a BDM Chief Stew.
1) Hannah Ferrier – Seasons 1-5
Hannah is the only Chief Stew on BDM to last for more than one season. Did she have her fair amount of struggles? “Quack, quack b*tch,” yes, she did. Just like all of the others, at times, her interpersonal skills were found lacking, as were her leadership showings.
Even still, Hannah forged real relationships during some of her seasons. She made us laugh, cry, and yell. Especially during her firing. She was all of the things that a reality television series needs, so for now, like it or not, she’s in the number 1 spot as BDM’s mostly beloved, longest-running, and definitely most talked about Chief Stew ever.
TELL US – HOW WOULD YOU RANK THESE 5 BDM CHIEF STEWS?
