Captain Sandy Yawn subtly — but firmly — defended her crew from a group of rude guests on Below Deck Mediterranean.
During the Monday, August 12, episode of the hit Bravo show, chief stew Aesha Scott and the rest of the Mustique team found themselves dealing with a difficult charter.
The issues started earlier when the guests got onboard and immediately asked Aesha to move a couch on the deck so they could get a better photo. They followed that up with one person demanding Aesha bring her drink over — despite it being a few feet away.
“I am more than happy to go grab your very, very close drink for you. Just ask me politely,” Aesha said in a confessional. “She seems like she’s going to be hard work.”
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Chef Johnathan Shillingford subsequently got sucked into the drama when he was called in to discuss the caviar that was provided to the guests.
“Beluga caviar we understand is top tier. It tastes a little bit like a washcloth,” some of the guests noted before Johnathan replied, “To be honest, this is what was available. It is kind of hard to source things here.”
Johnathan wasn’t as kind while rehashing the incident for the cameras, adding, “I can’t do anything about the fact that your caviar tastes like a washcloth. I didn’t s—t out those eggs — some fish did. It is what it is. I am busy making dinner, can I go work?”
Later that night, dinner service got awkward when another guest claimed Aesha gave her a butter knife instead of a fish knife. Aesha chose to stand her ground instead of letting the woman demean her.
“Oh, she’s going to school me?” the guest asked her friends as Aesha explained the situation, firing back, “I’ve worked in service a very long time and it’s a fish knife. It’s because fish is not supposed to be tough, it’s supposed to be smooth.”
The woman didn’t like being corrected and as a result told Aesha her “caviar service sucked.” Aesha, for her part, wasn’t affected since she knew she wasn’t at fault for the problematic behavior from the group.
“These are people that like to claim that they are from the upper class but where is the class part?” she shared in a confessional. “I am experienced enough and I am good enough at my job that I actually don’t care if biting back at these guests gets me in trouble. I’ve got to stand up for myself at some point.”
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It didn’t take long for Captain Sandy to catch wind of the “mean girls” creating issues for her crew. Before she could intervene, the guests got in one more awkward confrontation when they asked for late night snacks.
Aesha offered some sandwiches that the chef made, which weren’t fancy enough. She followed that offer up with berries and nuts instead. The second suggestion didn’t work either and the guest left to her room — but not before falling down the stairs.
By the next morning, Sandy found a way to put everyone in their place. Sandy subtly defended her staff by sharing a story with the guests.
“I always say this. If you beat character down, you are going to kill their spirit. But if you are gracious and thankful, you are going to build them up and they are going to want to do more for you,” she told the group. “I had a client who spent a million euros on a charter and they were so rude to my crew. I pulled the primary in and I said, ‘I will cancel your charter tomorrow if you treat my staff like that again.’”
She continued: “They turned it around like that because I called the owner and he goes, ‘I don’t need the money. Let them go. End the charter.’ They turned it around to the point where they were clearing their plates. And we were like, ‘No, you don’t have to clear your plates. Just be kind.’”
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One of the women responsible for the rude behavior said she was “over” the conversation. Sandy, however, stood her ground by making it clear she was choosing to publicly support her employees.
“How you treat others is really important,” Sandy told the cameras. “From what Aesha and the other crew are saying to me, the clients are difficult. Did I get my point across?”
The charter wrapped up that same day with everyone saying they didn’t “have any issues” with the crew. Aesha was confused by that statement, adding in a confessional, “Were we on the same charter? I will take it for sure but this is so confusing.”
During the tip meeting, the crew found out they earned a $20,000 tip — which amounted to $1,500 for each interior and exterior team member.
Below Deck Mediterranean season 9 airs on Bravo Mondays at 9 p.m. ET. New episodes stream the next day on Peacock.
