It’s a come full circle for Aesha Scott, who returns to Below Deck Mediterranean for Season 9. The popular cast member was first on the Bravo reality series in 2019. She comes with a wealth of experience and the leadership title of chief stew. It’s a nice reunion for Scott as she hopes to impress Captain Sandy Yawn in Greece aboard the 180-foot M/Y Mustique.
She’ll work with another familiar face in stew Elena Dubaich, who had a cup of coffee in Season 6, and newcomer Bri Muller. Rounding out the crew at the start are chef Johnathan Shillingford, bosun Iain Maclean, and deckhands Joe Bradley, Nathan Gallager, and Gael Cameron.
Here Scott opens up about her homecoming.
First off, congratulations on your engagement. Amid all the relationship drama on all the boats you’ve been on, you’ve remained committed to Scott [Dobson]. What’s your secret?
Aesha Scott: Thank you! I really do believe it’s just the fact we are so stable and trusting. I’m just so grateful for Scott in that he is so secure within himself. He is more than happy for me to go off for weeks or months at a time. He is waiting for me when I get back. He is so supportive. I feel grateful to have such a loving, normal human supporting me amidst all this craziness.
BELOW DECK MEDITERRANEAN — Pictured: Aesha Scott — (Photo by: Fred Jagueneau/Bravo)
How was it coming home to the Med as the chief stew? Did you feel added pressure going in?
It felt like my homecoming. Like I’d been off experiencing the big bad world and grown into a woman. Now I am coming home. It was so exciting and felt so right. It did add this huge amount of pressure, which I put on myself because I really just wanted to make Sandy proud and show how far I’d come. Going into it I’m thinking, “You better do well Aesha. You better not f*ck up.” The Med has the highest standard in the world, and Sandy makes sure you uphold that. It was a lot, but I also believe you should also be growing and challenging yourself. So I was up to the challenge.
You’re pretty good friends with Sandy. How was it maneuvering that dynamic when she is now your boss again?
It didn’t take any management at all because I think at work we have so much respect for each other. She really trusted me to just make it happen and do my thing. She stood back and let me do what I wanted to do. It was so beautiful. She was always there if I needed her for support or advice. In the meantime, she let me do my thing.
Your interior team seems to have less experience. How was it managing that?
Oh yeah. It was so stressful. That is what I can tell you. I was determined no matter what to deliver the guests an amazing experience. Do you know how hard it is to uphold that standard when two of your stews are not that experienced? You end up having to do a lot of it yourself. What I will say about them that I was so grateful for is, that even with their shortcomings, they made it up with the effort they put in. They worked super hard to overcome anything they didn’t know. I’m really proud of that.
You have mixed luck when it comes to chefs. This season you have Johnathan. He seems very relaxed compared to others in these high-pressure situations.
Jono was so fascinating because he was literally the most calm chef I have ever worked with. He was literally this one personality the whole way through. No matter what you threw at him, he just stayed at the same level. I truly don’t know how he did it. He was like this living Buddha. Dealing with Ryan [McKeown] and chefs in the past where you may ask them to make something else because a guest doesn’t like something, and there is that tantrum. It was nice to just walk in there and know it would be calm.
The premiere you have your first charter and very little provision including alcohol. What was that like?
I truly think that was the most stressful thing I’ve ever experienced in my yachting career. I was so close to tears. At one point I did just go to the dining room and cry because I was so upset. I came into this season and was so determined to do the best job ever. I put hours, and days, into plans and managed to get a good sleep the night before. I went in so confident only to have all of it derailed because of things outside my control. It was so insanely frustrating for me. I think we were so lucky with the guests we got.
We had the young kids paying so much money to come on a superyacht for the first time and we don’t even have rosé. They had the right to act more pissed off than they did. They were quite polite in a way. We were lucky to have that group. I was also lucky to have Sandy because when the orders eventually arrived, she really rolled up her sleeves and put everything away.
I feel when it comes to boatmances and drama, you’re the one eating the proverbial popcorn watching the drama unfold. What can we expect this season in that department?
Gael comes on, but there is this instant chemistry she has with Nathan. I think one of her real challenges of the season is what she does with that chemistry and where it goes. There is a bit of a love triangle as well. It really interferes with my stews and how they show up to work each day. I found that situation very challenging and hard to manage. I have to lean on Sandy in the end because I just throw up my hands and don’t know what to do.
You mentioned the influencers on your first charter earlier. What else can you tease about the guests we’ll see?
The majority of the guests were very lovely. We just had one group in particular that, in the end, Sandy had to give them a roundabout lecture and talk about behavior because they were just so rude. I can’t wait for it to air, so all of their community can watch how they behave and get the looks coming to them. There is also this one moment I can’t wait for where one of the guests tries to embarrass me, and I totally school her. It’s the best feeling. Other than that, pretty much all of the guests are pretty lovely.
BELOW DECK MEDITERRANEAN — Pictured: (l-r) Captain Sandy Yawn, Aesha Scott — (Photo by: Fred Jagueneau/Bravo)
What did it mean for you to be part of Sandy’s engagement?
It was so special to be part of that huge day. I remember she asked me if I was willing to plan it and set it up. Before it happened, I was running around with candles and bags of decorations. Who doesn’t love love? It was a special moment to witness.
And you were among the select few that went to her wedding. That’s pretty special too.
It was so cool. I felt honored to be there because I really do love Sandy and her partner Leah [Shafer]. They were such a wonderful couple. They are so madly in love that when you see Sandy talk about Leah, she becomes a gitty little puppy. It’s cute. The wedding was gorgeous. It was my first time on a superyacht as a guest and not working. That felt lovely. It was awesome.
Are you more you harder to please when it comes to someone serving you?
I’m like the easiest person in the world. I’m like, “Please don’t bother getting me this.” I actually struggled and missed working. I wanted to jump behind the bar and start serving everyone. I had to hold myself back from jumping in and doing my stew things.
Do you stay in touch with many former castmates and colleagues from the show?
I still talk to Anastasia [Surmava] every week. We were just messaging this morning. Hannah [Ferrier] I talk to every week or couple of weeks. I talk to Jamie [Sayed] a lot actually. Culver [Bradbury], Tzarina [Mace-Ralph], Fraser [Olender], Daisy [Kelliher]. It’s nice because a lot of people don’t understand what it’s like to be on the show and do the job without being in it. The people in the Below Deck world really do grab onto each other. We have this beautiful family, which is super nice.
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Do you see yourself getting married on a boat?
Definitely not on a boat. As we saw with Sandy’s, you have to limit the number of guests you can have. I’m such a social person and traveling for years, so there are just too many people I want to invite.
What are you most excited for viewers to see this season?
Greece for one because we’ll see some beautiful and historical things. I guess it’s just watching me navigate the next chapter of being a chief stew because I have the actual job nailed down. It was more this season struggling with management and having to manage different personalities. That’s still where I’m learning and growing. It will be an interesting journey for viewers to see how I go with it.
Below Deck Mediterranean Season 9 premiere, June 3, 9/8c, Bravo
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