Below Deck Mediterranean Season 9 has gifted us another bromance in Joe Bradley and Nathan Gallagher. Immediately, these two accent-heavy skilled deckhands bonded, leaving us with multiple scenes of giggling (and subtitles) in return. From working underneath a not-quite-ready-to-lead Bosun, all the way down to their messy boatmances, these two have endured as one. We just sat down with Joe and Nathan, who are currently running amok in New York City, to chat about their bond, relationship statuses post-filming for Season 9, music, and who they respect the most onboard their yacht.
The bruhs of Below Deck Med
As Joe and Nathan told Reality Tea, their friendship took zero time to build. This is because they’re “the same caliber of person,” according to Joe. Their friendship started “from the get-go. You just know when you’ve got a boy by your side, and that’s my boy right here,” he added, pointing at a smiling Nathan.
“We just fed off each other’s energies,” Nathan agreed. Joe then explained that if he didn’t have Nathan, he’d likely not “have had the same experience on Motor Yacht Mustique. Judging by what you’ve already seen, if I didn’t have this guy, I’d probably crumble,” he gushed. “If I didn’t have this guy, I’d crumble as well. We’d be apple crumble,” Nathan joked. Punny as hell.
The potential future firings that still lie ahead
Joe and Nathan are struggling with Iain Maclean. Therefore, suspicions are arising about Iain’s possible firing. We know that these two cannot speak on this, but we still had to ask.
Shooting us down, Joe encouraged us to “wait and see.” But Nathan chimed in, teasing that what we will see is “a very good watch.” Feeling intrigued, we asked Joe to blink three times if a Bosun promotion was in his very near future. This caused another bromance sesh, which we happily allowed. Love is love.
“We don’t blink,” Nathan quipped, coming to the rescue of his buddy. Laughing, Joe added, “We just close our eyes simultaneously.”
Speaking of struggling crew members, we next broached the topic of Chef Johnathan Shillingford. “On a personal level, the crew food is amazing. Not one day did we go without food,” Joe answered, calling Chef Jono a true “professional.”
However, Nathan noted that in watching his season, he’s seeing the issues at hand, but he’s also loving how his costar is stepping up to handle his business. “It’s nice to see Jono improve as he goes along. He’s took on the criticism quite well. He’s had meetings with Captain Sandy [Yawn] on the bridge, and he hasn’t shriveled up and panicked,” Nathan recounted, proud of his fellow Below Deck Med Yachtie.
Joe and Nathan’s other boatmances
These yachties know that boatmances are harder than bromances. As for Joe, his love triangle with Bri Muller and Elena Dubaich is heating up, which Elena touched on with Reality Tea a few beats ago. Right now, Elena has Joe blocked. On Elena, Joe remained polite and mum.
But he does still speak with Bri, revealing that they FaceTimed recently. Overall, “we love Bri” Nathan explained.
As for Nathan, on Watch What Happens Live, he teased that soon, Gael Cameron is giving in to her attractions. We brought this up, needing further intel, but our man shot us down. “I’m a teasy kinda guy,” he laughed, making Joe giggle. But, he does admit that “we won’t be disappointed” on what is still to come.
Even still, form an orderly queue, everyone. Because as Nathan notes, they are both now “single and ready to mingle.”
They’re getting the band back together
As we all just saw, Joe’s a genius on the keys. Shockingly, he’s “had no formal training.” Joe’s “self-taught,” and now, Nathan wants in. As Joe explained, “he [Nathan] wants to learn how to do the DJ, and I want to learn how to play the saxophone.” Moving forward, “that’s going to be our trade,” Nathan interjected.
Speaking of talents onboard, “what a voice he [Chef Jono] has, Joe expressed. “I thought I was musically inclined. That man pisses all over me,” he laughed. Reality Tea told Joe to add Chef Jono to their band (and also us, because why not), so yeah, that’s probably not happening.
Joe and Nathan love Captain Sandy Yawn
“What a power woman that is,” Joe says, referencing Captain Sandy. “I’ve been delegated lead deckhand, and that’s my first lead deckhand role. And for her to be my captain, and to put me at ease when I’m under pressure … she’s a Godsend,” Joe gushed, when asked about his boss.
Nathan agrees with Joe on this. “Affirmative. Smart. Clever. Knows how to hold a conversation. She’s good. She’s amazing,” he added.
When we asked if there was any other Captain that they’d like to film with, they both stressed that for them, it’s Captain Sandy or Bust. “Captain Sandy, all day long,” Nathan stressed.
Digging further, we asked if they were still in touch with their former superior. “I’ve sent a few memes. She’s liked them. So she’s engaged,” Joe chided.
The boys’ final drops of tea
When yachting becomes meh, both might consider a career as a “yacht broker.”
If Joe could choose anyone from the entire Below Deck franchise to film with, he’d pick “Luka Brunton.” As for Nathan, “Throw anyone at me. We’ll have a good time,” he joked.
Both of these boys want to return. “I’ll start this afternoon,” Joe laughed, as Nathan giggled, saying that he’d even take on the role of a Stewardess if needed.
Most importantly, if anyone is considering getting into this field, both these men say “do it,” because “it’s a good life.”
This interview has been edited for conciseness and clarity.
Below Deck Mediterranean Season 9 continues Mondays at 9/8c on Bravo.
TELL US – ARE YOU ENJOYING BELOW DECK MED SEASON 9? WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE JOE AND NATHAN RETURN IN FUTURE SEASONS?
