Below Deck Med Guest Issues Apology After Receiving Major Fan Backlash
Captain Sandy Yawn and Johnathan Shillingford on ‘Below Deck Mediterranean.’ Fred Jagueneau/Bravo
Below Deck Mediterranean guest Neysla Paltsev apologized for her behavior toward Aesha Scott after she was reprimanded by Captain Sandy Yawn on the show.
Neysla took to her Instagram Story on Tuesday, August 13, to address the backlash from Bravo fans. She specifically cited a moment between her and Aesha Scott where she made several rude comments to the chief stew.
“The dinner was definitely not my best moment and I should not have handled it the way I did,” Neysla said in the video. “I was emotional and I couldn’t reel it back in. It wasn’t nice at all and for that I am really sorry about that.”
On the Monday, August 12, episode, Neysla and her friends had Aesha and the stews moving around furniture for them to get the perfect photo. The group later called Chef Johnathan Shillingford down to question his choice of caviar.
Viewers have had a front row seat to some of the biggest reality TV feuds since the Below Deck franchise debuted. The show’s spinoff series Below Deck Mediterranean shocked viewers when Hannah Ferrier and Captain Sandy Yawn‘s inability to see eye to eye turned into the most memorable firing to date. Since the captain joined […]
“Beluga caviar, we understand is top tier. It tastes a little bit like a washcloth,” one of the women noted before Johnathan replied, “To be honest, this is what was available. It is kind of hard to source things here.”
Johnathan expressed his frustration in a confessional, 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?”
That same night, Neysla confronted Aesha for giving her a butter knife instead of a fish knife. Aesha explained that Neysla was confused because she was given the proper utensils.
“Oh, she’s going to school me?” Neysla 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.”
Captain Sandy has found herself caught up in several feuds with her Below Deck costars through the years. Viewers were introduced to Sandy when she replaced Captain Mark Howard on Below Deck Mediterranean in 2017. The Florida native quickly initially had a friendly onscreen relationship with costar Hannah Ferrier — but it didn’t take long for […]
Neysla subsequently told Aesha her “caviar service sucked.” After watching the episode, Neysla walked some of those comments back.
“The confusion with the knives was silly. But the way I handled it was not OK. For that, I am truly sorry,” she added on Tuesday. “Although getting knives confused is not a crime, neither is being rude. But I should not have been [that rude].”
Captain Sandy Yawn and Aesha Scott on ‘Below Deck Mediterranean.’ Fred Jagueneau/Bravo
On screen, viewers saw Captain Sandy intervene and defend her staff to 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,” the captain 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.’”
As soon as you step foot on a Below Deck Mediterranean charter yacht, you’re guaranteed one thing: a whole lot of drama. Throughout its Bravo run, crew members like Captain Sandy Yawn, Hannah Ferrier, Malia White and more have been know to butt heads with each other — all with the purpose of delivering a […]
Sandy 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.’”
One of the women — seemingly Neysla — said she was “over” the conversation. Sandy, however, stood by her employees after catching wind of the “mean girl” behavior.
“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?”
Below Deck Mediterranean season 9 airs on Bravo Mondays at 9 p.m. ET. New episodes stream the next day on Peacock.
