With season 7 of Below Deck: Mediterranean underway, the internet is abuzz with their opinions about the almost entirely new cast. The returning cast are Mzi and, of course, Captain Sandy. Over the years that Captain Sandy has been a part of the show, fans have been heavily divided regarding their opinions of her. After the supposed setup of Hannah's firing, fans were polarized more than ever.
There's no denying that Sandy is a strong, dedicated captain, and these memes perfectly sum up Sandy as a person and a character on Below Deck: Mediterranean.
Evil Step-Sisters
Sandy is a strong, powerful woman who worked hard to get to the position she has in a male-dominated industry. She has not been quiet about how hard she's had to work and has taken a particular liking to Malia, believing Malia has it in her to become a strong Captain as well.
However, many fans believe these two use each other and neglect the rest of the crew (particularly Hannah) to get ahead not only in their industry but also in their fame. This meme exemplifies how fans felt after season 5, when it seemed that Malia and Hannah conspired very similarly to the evil step-sisters from Cinderella.
Everyone After The Reunion
Fans were not happy with Sandy after the season 5 reunion due to the way she handled the situation with Hannah, one of the best chief stews on Below Deck. Hannah has been a fan-favorite since she started on Below Deck: Med in season 1, and to see her treated the way she was didn't sit well with many fans.
This meme perfectly encapsulates the way many fans felt about not just Sandy but Malia too after season 5, but in particular the reunion. To see a veteran Bravo celebrity like Hannah get treated with such disrespect and what seemed like a setup lead fans to take Hannah's side over Sandys.
The Toys In The Water
Sandy has always been vocal about wanting the water toys ready to go before the charter guests even have a chance to ask for them. It's understandable since she believes the guests deserve 5-star service and giving them what they want before they know what they want.
It's become a bit of a running joke throughout the seasons as Sandy seems to ignore the hardships the deck crew goes through to get the very difficult toys set up in a timely manner. This season she has been overly micro-managerial towards Raygan about getting the water toys out despite the deck crew being down two .
Nothing Before Coffee
As the seasons progressed, Sandy's often calm demeanor started to crack more and more. Fans are certainly split as to whether they believe she's a good captain or not. In this instance, it's clear she's about to lose it but double-fisting her coffee adds a bit of humor to this scenario.
This meme is also highly relatable for those who need caffeine in the morning and don't want to be bothered with stressful situations before said caffeine can be had. Sandy looks like she needs both of those coffees before dealing with the situation at hand.
Hyping Up Bugsy
It wasn't much of a secret that Captain Sandy adored Bugsy and the work she did. It's true that Bugsy was an excellent table-scape artist but Sandy had a penchant for complimenting Bugsy at the expense of Hannah. While Hannah and Bugsy had their own issues, this didn't help their situation at all.
This meme shows how Sandy went out of her way to compliment Bugsy without Bugsy being present and it tended to make Hannah not only look bad but feel undermined for the work she put into the charter herself. The drama from this season is one of the best reasons to watch Below Deck.
The Fallout From The Reunion
After Hannah was fired in season 5, many fans took Hannah's side over Sandy and Malia's. Some fans completely understood the difficult position that Captain Sandy was in, while others felt like she and Malia conspired against Hannah to get her fired without giving Hannah a chance to explain herself.
After the episode where Hannah was fired and especially after the reunion, Malia and Sandy were particularly quiet on their socials to avoid confrontation from viewers who disagreed with the way the two of them handled the situation and even doubled down on their actions.
Sandy Is A Strong Woman
Captain Sandy is someone a lot of people, especially women, look up to and ire. Despite the polarizing opinions about how she treated Hannah, there's no denying that Sandy is a force to be reckoned with and has a lot of wisdom to bestow.
She's proven her strength by not only making it in yachting as a female captain but also through her personal struggles with addiction. She takes it upon herself to help crew who she sees struggling to guide them on a better path to avoid the same hardships she endured.
Get Back On The Boat
This meme is pretty hilarious after Sandy had such a huge reaction to Hannah staying out on the tender longer than she said she would. It's understandable that she felt like Hannah had used her panic attack to get some extra time with her then-boyfriend and bosun, Conrad.
However, Hannah feels like Sandy should have been more understanding since she had just witnessed firsthand Hannah's panic attack the day before, and could have cut Hannah some slack before getting as livid as she did (via Kyle and Jackie O podcast).
Her Food Was Unacceptable
Fans of Below Deck are sure to the abysmal food that Chef Mila, one of the worst crew in Below Deck history, sent out of the galley. At first, Hannah wanted to help Mila make better food before going to Sandy but eventually had to refuse to bring the food out because of how bad it looked.
This meme hilariously summarizes both the crew and viewer's thoughts on Mila's food (particularly the nachos). With the amount of money the charter guests are spending, the food is a highly important element in making a successful and enjoyable charter.
A Quick Comeback
Some people are made for reality TV, whereas for others, it's evident from the second they step on the boat that they may not be cut out to have the cameras in their faces all day with almost no privacy. This seems to be the case for season 7's bosun, Raygan.
Sandy prides herself on giving women in yachting a chance to rise in rank, specifically Malia and, now, Raygan. However, Raygan appears to be crumbling under the pressure of being on such a large boat and having the cameras around. When Raygan told Sandy she was sizing up everyone's weaknesses, Sandy quickly reminded her to take into her own weaknesses as that's what it takes to be a good leader.