Summary

• Boatmances are already heating up among the crew of the Mustique on Below Deck Mediterranean season 9, creating drama and tension.
• Gael's desire for deckhand Nathan while having a boyfriend raises questions about her commitment, adding complications to the cast dynamics.
• Ellie's interest in Joe creates a potential love triangle with Bri, causing drama and betraying their friendship aboard the yacht.

Below Deck Mediterranean season 9 is just beginning, but several romances have already begun among the crew of the Mustique. Considering the crew is together on the yacht full-time while separated from their relationships outside the boat, it is natural they would find romance within the group. Romances aboard the boat, known as “boatmances,” add necessary drama to the show, but they also threaten to divide the cast.

Below Deck Mediterranean season 9 follows the charter yacht Mustique under the lead of Captain Sandy Yawn. The majority of the cast this season is new to the Below Deck franchise, building fresh relationships as they get to know one another. The budding boatmances are set against an idyllic backdrop as the Mustique explores the waters off Greece.

Gael its To Having Feelings For Nathan After They Almost Hook Up

Her Interest In Nathan Is Complicated By Her Relationship Status

The first real romantic tension of season 9 was between deckhands Gael Cameron and Nathan Gallagher. Sparks began to fly when the crew spent their first night on the town together away from the boat, celebrating the success of their first charter. Once back on the boat, Gael and Nathan texted each other from their beds and plotted to meet up out of the camera's view. “What’s right and what’s wrong?” Gael asked in a confessional, adding, “maybe I like him a little tiny bit.”

Gael’s desire to meet up with Nathan was surprising considering she revealed she had a boyfriend in the first episode of Below Deck Mediterranean season 9, much to the disappointment of her male castmates. However, Gael later expressed concern about her ability to trust her boyfriend in her absence. Her attempt to hook up with Nathan further casts doubt on Gael’s willingness to stay committed to her boyfriend throughout the charter season.

Gael and Nathan’s attempt at starting a romance was thwarted when production caught Gael in the kitchen. She insisted she was just getting a drink of water, then texted Nathan to call off the rendezvous. Gael itted in her confessional, “I’m still in a relationship, and I feel like I’m definitely having stronger feelings than I need to have in this moment.” Gael left it unclear whether she and Nathan would have followed through if she had not been caught, but it is no coincidence that later in the episode she was shown avoiding her boyfriend’s calls.

Bri Has Her Eyes On Flirtatious Deckhand Joe

Bri And Joe’s Playful Banter May Lead To Something More

Sabrina “Bri” Muller is still learning the ropes as a steward, but she finds herself distracted by her attraction to deckhand Joe Bradley. Affectionately referring to Joe as “eyebrows,” Bri stated, “everyone has needs, and sometimes my needs need to be met.” She appears very interested in pursuing a boatmance with Joe, despite the fact that she is a relatively new steward and needs to devote her energy to keeping up with the demands of her job.

Joe’s flirtation with Bri continued when he asked her whether she had any tattoos. Bri responded that she had two, which was the answer Joe wanted to hear. He said he finds tattoos “quite sexy,” and because he promised his grandfather he would never get a tattoo of his own, he sees them as “forbidden fruit.” Regarding Bri’s tattoos, Joe noted, “it does something for me, one hundred percent.”

Back in her room, Bri asked her roommate, Steward Elena “Ellie” Dubaich, to teach her how to flirt. When Ellie asked who she was planning to flirt with, Bri played coy and denied it was Joe. Her denial to Ellie hints that she was hiding her interest in Joe because she knew Ellie would not approve.

Ellie’s Chemistry With Joe Threatens To Create A Love Triangle

Bri’s Betrayal May End Her Friendship With Ellie

While Joe and Bri teased a potential boatmance, Joe was also flirting with Ellie. Ellie and Joe had shared an intimate dance during the crew’s night out, and Joe described Ellie’s method of taking a shot as “sexy.” Ellie itted that “there might be a little something starting between” her and Joe, and the two “definitely have chemistry.” However, she was not aware that Joe was hitting on Bri at the same time.

Ellie’s interest in Joe appeared to wane after she witnessed his flirtation with Bri. In episode 4, after watching Bri and Joe’s banter over dinner, Ellie commented that Bri “knows I’m attracted to him, and she doesn’t seem to care about any of that.” Bri's betrayal was especially hurtful considering Ellie had been putting in effort to help Bri become more efficient with her housekeeping duties aboard the ship. Ellie added that “as a general rule, working on a boat, you never wanna go for the guy your supervisor is interested in.”

A season of Below Deck Mediterranean would be incomplete without some romantic tension, and the season 9 cast is diving straight into the drama. Gael's pursuit of a boatmance leaves her relationship with her boyfriend up in the air, while Joe is oblivious to the mess he creates with his flirtation. As the Mustique’s crew pursues new relationships, they risk leaving destruction in their wake.