Welcome to the Below Deck Mediterranean Season 9, Episode 7 recap! In this week’s episode, called “Chain Reaction,” the anchor issue causes the guests to extend their stay, Aesha tries to broker a truce between her two stews, and Elena’s attempt to lure Joe away from Bri falls flat. Additionally, high winds and approaching smoke force Sandy to make a risky exit from the dock. Here are some of the highlights from Below Deck Mediterranean Season 9, Episode 7.
“Stop the anchor!”
When last we left the Mustique crew, the anchor was free-falling to the bottom of the ocean, as the chain unspooled like a runaway train.
Sandy’s frantically yelling, “Put the brake on! Stop the anchor! Stop the anchor!”
Even though the crew finally manages to stop the chain from running out, Sandy says, “We’re not going to be able to get our anchor up.” Sandy doesn’t want to leave it because it’s “a very expensive piece of equipment.” An on-screen graphic tells us a new anchor and chain can cost upwards of $65,000.
Sandy decides to put a buoy on it to mark the anchor’s location, take the guests back to the dock, and return later for the anchor. Hopefully, it’ll still be right where they left it.
Aesha has to break the news to the guests that there’s a problem with the anchor, and they’ll be late getting back to the dock. They may miss their flights. She starts serving more drinks to keep them happy.
Sandy also comes to see the guests and assures them that “the boat is not sinking.” They just have an unavoidable problem with the anchor that will delay them for a bit.
The guests take it well and are just happy to have their stay on the boat extended.
A change in hierarchy on Below Deck Mediterranean
When Joe is slowly placing a fender to prevent the boat from hitting the dock, Sandy isn’t pleased. She tries to keep it positive and says he just needs to learn a little more.
She calls Iain to the bridge and asks if he’s chosen a lead deckhand yet. He says he chose Joe because he seems to have more experience. But Sandy says, “Nate works circles around him. Joe’s a great talker, so maybe that’s why you thought that … I think you need to reassess experience.”
“This is clearly an oversite on Iain’s part,” Sandy interviews. “He should’ve informed me before making this decision … In the last few dockings, I always have to correct [Joe]. If Iain had taken the time to read the CVs, he would have seen that Nathan has a lot more experience than Joe. That’s a red flag.”
“In the future,” she continues with Iain, “always run it by me. But Joe does not have the experience when I dock, so Nate’s my bow guy.”
Just give peace a chance
Once the guests are gone, Aesha calls a meeting and tells Ellie and Bri they can bring a cocktail. When they’re all seated, Aesha says, “Well done on this trip, guys! I’m so pleased.” Except for the fighting and back-biting.
“You guys lost your focus for a little bit,” she adds. “It’s important to remember to say things with respect and kindness.”
“It bothers me if anybody’s putting out there that I’m disrespecting people,” Ellie interrupts defensively. “That’s something I have a huge issue with.”
Bri adds that her feelings were hurt, too, but Ellie responds that they don’t have time to be “overly sensitive about every single word.” I hope Aesha’s taking note of Elena’s overbearing tone. Plus she’s missing the whole point of the meeting.
Aesha reminds Ellie that they all have different personalities and to be conscious of how somebody might interpret something they say. “In a team environment, you can’t say, ‘I’m me and you have to take it,’” Aesha explains.
“But you can’t keep blowing things out of proportion at all times,” Ellie counters. “It’s exhausting.”
Aesha tells them to just “squash it” for now, but to watch how they speak to each other in the future “to be the best team we can be.”
Even though they share a group hug, Aesha questions whether things are fully resolved. Ellie kept trying to put the blame on Bri for “taking things the wrong way” and being “overly sensitive.” I don’t think Ellie heard the message Aesha was attempting to send.
The chief stew decides she’ll just “keep an eye on them” and hope for the best. If the situation escalates, she’ll have to ask for Captain Sandy’s help.
No kindness, no peace on Below Deck Mediterranean
Elena’s in the laundry helping Bri catch up. Bri’s still flirting with Joe, which annoys Ellie. In Bri’s defense, Joe was also flirting with her, so what’s a girl to do?
“You can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube,” Bri observes.
Meanwhile, Iain tries to get Ellie’s attention. Maybe she’ll get off Bri’s back if she has a man of her own. But even though Iain has high hopes, when a producer asks Ellie if he has a shot with her, she immediately shakes her head and says, “No.” So that’s that, then.
Almost immediately following the meeting with Aesha, Ellie and Bri are fighting over personal space while getting ready for the crew night out. Part of the problem is that Ellie is sitting in the middle of the cabin floor curling her hair, and Bri can’t get around her.
“Just get yourself together,” Ellie snaps, which is not very “respectful.”
“In the beginning, I thought Ellie could possibly be a friend,” Bri interviews. “But now, all trust is gone.”
For the night out, Elena is wearing a skin-tight, lacy black bodysuit, possibly hoping Joe notices.
At the bar, Aesha makes a plea to Joe, “You know how they’ve been having their little quarrels? Can you just please take one night off from the girls?”
“I don’t want any trouble,” Joe claims. “I’m not just like this little machine, that just goes around … f*cking everything. But I don’t think tonight is my night.”
“Thank you,” Aesha says, relieved.
Looks like that sexy bodysuit was a waste of effort and time, Elena. Joe respects Aesha’s request and doesn’t take the bait.
Sandy takes the risk
Sandy’s on the bridge when she gets a report about a wildfire burning “a couple of hours from the marina.” Welcome to California, Sandy.
“This is the first time in my career that I’ve dealt with wildfires,” she says. “We need to get off the dock before we have a problem.”
When the new guests arrive, the wind is crazy. Sandy hopes it will die down so they can get off the dock. These guests are only on board for one night, and they don’t want to spend it in the marina. Also, Sandy wants to get out before the smoke from the wildfire arrives, but she has to wait for the wind to die down.
As she tells the guests, “I don’t want to make you seasick on your first time out,” which they appreciate.
To make matters worse, a big superyacht just parked right in front of the Mustique, blocking their exit. The wind is picking up, and the smoke is moving in.
“Typically, I wouldn’t take the risk to leave the dock,” Sandy says, “but because we have so much smoke coming in, I have to get this vessel off the dock. So I’m going to take the risk.”
Sandy gives the order to drop the lines and go. The plan is to thrust off the dock and go as close to the superyacht as she can to clear it. There are also two smaller boats on her port side, so she not only has to clear those boats but their ground lines also. It’s gonna be a tight squeeze. Can she make it?
TO BE CONTINUED …
Below Deck Mediterranean airs Mondays at 9/8c on Bravo.
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