The Big Picture
- Chef Shillingford was surprised to learn Captain Yawn wanted him fired.
- Yawn considered replacing Shillingford after guest complaints about his food.
- Despite differences, Shillingford respects Captain Yawn post-filming.
Below Deck Mediterranean star Jonathan Shillingford is claiming that he had no idea Captain Sandy Yawn wanted him fired. The whole drama started unfolding majorly during Below Deck Mediterranean Season 9, Episode 4, which aired on June 24, 2024, and especially after the current guests aboard Mustique complained about Chef Shillingford’s food. Now, according to Shillingford, not only did the Captain consider firing him from the reality series, but she also had a backup chef ready to replace him.
This came as a huge shock to Shillingford who joined Below Deck Mediterranean Season 9 as the new chef. In an interview with US Weekly, Shillingford admitted that it was not nice for him to know that Captain Yawn was trying to get rid of him. In fact, Shillingford revealed that he found out about her opinion of him at the same time as the audience. “I didn’t feel that during the show. I didn’t know that was her position,” added the reality chef.
However, he did go on to say that despite their differences, he still has a lot of respect for Captain Yawn. Now that the filming for the show is over, the chef maintains that working with the Captain and her crew was an honor. Shillingford shared that he grew up in a family of strong women. So, working with a female captain was an honor for him, regardless of whatever transpired.
Captain Yawn Tried To Stick Up for Chef Shillingford in the Beginning
The midseason trailer for Below Deck Mediterranean Season 9 showed growing tensions between the Captain and the brand-new chef on her yacht. Then, Season 9, Episode 4 shows Yawn questioning Shillingford’s future on the show after he served tuna carpaccio to a guest who couldn’t eat raw seafood. The incident leads to Yawn telling the cameras that she has no choice but to fire Shillingford after the mistake.
Yawn and Shillingford sit down to have a conversation about the chef’s performance during the same episode. Things seem to end on the right note but the Captain is seen requesting a backup chef right after that. Yawn defends her decision in a confessional in the following words:
“I know we are only at charter two but the food has to be perfect from charter one. In the past, I have given second chances. The one thing I am not going to wait on is finding another chef just in case he doesn’t come through.”
This was a complete shift from how the Captain felt about her chef during the Season 9 premiere when she backed Shillingford up after he couldn’t wake up to make food for the guests late at night. The yacht stew, Elena Dubaich, who attempted to wake Shillingford up in the middle of the night was actually reprimanded by the Captain who told the crew to ”never wake the chef up.”
Below Deck Mediterranean
In a luxury charter yacht traveling across the Mediterranean, crew members face both the challenges of managing upscale guest expectations and the complexities of their own interrelationships. Each episode highlights the high-octane world of yachting where exceptional service standards meet personal drama and adventure.
- Release Date
- May 3, 2016
- Cast
- Sandy Yawn , Hannah Ferrier , Malia White , Mzi Dempers , João Franco , Colin Macy-O’Toole , Kyle Viljoen , Christine Drake
- Seasons
- 7
- Creator(s)
- Mark Cronin , Doug Henning , Rebecca Taylor Henning
- Franchise(s)
- Below Deck
- Showrunner
- Mark Cronin , Courtland Cox , Nadine Rajabi
Below Deck Mediterranean Season 9 is currently airing on Bravo every Monday. Episodes are available to stream the next day on Peacock.
Watch on Peacock
