Let’s face it: Below Deck Mediterranean hasn’t been the same since Hannah Ferrier left. Of course, the show is still thriving. We have Captain Sandy Yawn holding it down as the show’s mainstay, and they even got nominated for an Emmy after Hannah left. However, it’s hard not to miss Hannah running the interior with her sassy Australian attitude. It takes a certain je ne sais quoi to be a Below Deck chief stew, and there’s been a revolving door of them since Hannah’s exit. As season 7 of Below Deck Med starts to wind down, Hannah is talking about what she wants to see in the show’s future, and as Us Weekly reported, she’s ready to see a permanent chief stew that lives up to the title.
“It’s really hard because obviously they’ve changed the chief stew every season since I left,” Hannah explained. “And I feel like it’s such an important role on Below Deck to fill.”
Hannah’s right. The chief stew is at the center of it all. They lead the interior and ensure that the charter guests are always satisfied; more importantly, they’re at the center of the boat’s drama. The chief stew’s relationships with the chef, the captain, and the rest of the crew set the tone for the entire charter season. We saw it all those seasons with Kate Chastain on classic Below Deck and with Hannah for (almost) five seasons on Below Deck Med.
After Hannah’s exit, Katie Flood filled the chief stew role for season 6. In season 7, we’ve been introduced to Natasha Webb, but Hannah doesn’t seem too impressed with what she’s seen. In speaking with the outlet, Hannah acknowledged that there are two sides to the coin: you have to be an excellent chief stew, but you also have to be a great reality TV character. Unfortunately, Hannah thinks Below Deck’s recent casting choices have missed the mark on the latter qualification.
She explained, “Because you want somebody who is good at their job, but then at the end of the day, we kind of go like, ‘Oh it’s yachting.’ It’s still a reality show.” Hannah continued, “So you want someone who’s funny, who’s quick. Who is not afraid to take people on. Not afraid to school their stews.”
School the stews, flirt with a charter guest, challenge the captain a little bit—Hannah always understood the assignment. However, she doesn’t think Natasha is living up to the job and is hopeful that the show will land a permanent chief stew soon.
“I’m hoping they find one of those soon,” Hannah admitted. “Because the one that’s on there now doesn’t seem … She could be very good at her job but doesn’t sound like interesting television.”
TELL US – HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT NATASHA’S RUN ON BELOW DECK MED? DO YOU THINK THE SHOW NEEDS A PERMANENT CHIEF STEW?
[Photo Credit: Karolina Wojtasik/Bravo]
