Bravo
Travis Michalzik, Below Deck Mediterranean Season 4’s new lead deckhand working alongside Jack Stirrup, is expected to stir up drama on the high seas with his “work hard, play harder” mindset.
He stood up for the LGBT community after Chef Mila Kolomeitseva said she doesn’t want her son to see men kissing. Then Travis got a kiss from deckhand Jack Stirrup.
He prepared his Instagram followers for some cringe-worthy moments in advance of the season premiere June 3, begging his followers “#roast me.”
He added, “God have mercy on my soul.”
Michalzik grew up in Perth, Australia, according to his Bravo bio. He dropped out of high school “on a pursuit to find true happiness.” That pursuit led him to a series of odd jobs, and evenutally, yachting.
The crew is sailing through the French Riviera on the Sirocco mega yacht this season. Season 4 airs Mondays at 9 ET. Bravo promises this season will be packed with drama.
1. He Prepared His Instagram Followers For The Worst
Michalzik took to Instagram before the Season premiere to warn his followers he was “a total d**khead” in front of the cameras on Season 4.
Sure enough, he made the mistake of calling Captain Sandy Yawn simply “Sandy” on the season premiere.
“You call me Captain Sandy,” she responded. “We’re not friends.”
He begged his Instagram fans to roast him, saying laughs are better shared together.
He wrote, ““G’day f**kers, just letting you know that I was a total d**khead on a boat filled with cameras and crew, then some sexy folks made one of those reality tv show things out of it. An episode will be out a week, bulk s**t talk and lols probably,” he added, captioning a photo of sliced pickles. “Also as you can see in this delicious pic I f**ked up some gherkins. Embarrassment is only real when shared so get around it and #roast me, doing strange s**t is good for ya. God have mercy on my soul. Xoxo big smooches 4 you all girls and Boiz.”
His 16 hashtags included, “#sorrymum.”
Before Episode 2 aired, he posted a photo of an interview he did with deckhand Jack Stirrup.
“Bloody super bueno time talking absolute rot, balderdash and especially bullsh*t with jacky boy,” he wrote.
2. He Stood Up For LGBT Rights On Episode 2
Chef Mila Kolomeitseva drew heat when she said she would not want her son to see two men kissing. The exchange began when she noticed Travis’ nose ring.
“I would have questioned him as well,” she said of his sexuality.
“Mila, classic Russian homophobe,” he responded.
Mila did not seem offended.
“Ooh la la, yes we are,” she said.
“I don’t want to see a man kissing in front of me,” she continued, prompting deckhand Jack Stirrup to lean forward over the car seat and kiss Travis on the cheek.
“I don’t want to see my son seeing two men kissing each other and thinking this is normal because this is not normal,” she said.
One person commented on Travis’ Instagram, “Thank you for standing up for LGBTQ+ people against that russian *****. ????”
His Instagram account shows he’s not concerned about people making assumptions about his sexuality.
“Another day, another opportunity to look absolutely f**king fabulous w/ ma boy @isaachayhurst where the west coast meets the east coast in god d**n fantasy land,” he wrote.
“Ha f**k me right!?” he captioned a post where he posed coquettishly on the edge of a yacht with a lacy dress pulled down to reveal his shoulders. “Feeling cute might f**k around and get a little bit toxic am I right or am I right? Ily ex oh ex oh let’s all play spin the bottle and kiss the plumpness of each other lippidy smackers. Mwa”
In another post, he wrote, “Slippity dippity get it girl power shaved myself from eyebrows down for the full commitment.”
3. He Bares All On Below Deck Med Season 4
His “play hard, work harder” attitude is showcased on a clip where he bares all.
“Because of the stupid sh*t that I do, people will think that I’m a complete idiot, but I like to prove those people wrong,” he said on the Bravo interview.
The clip cuts to a scene of Travis stripping down, and his female crew mates gasping in horror.
The scene cuts again to a huge compliment he received from Captain Sandy Yawn.
“Travis, you’re the best tender driver I’ve ever met in my entire life,” she said.
4. He Once Peeled Almonds With A Teaspoon For A Guest
Travis said he once peeled almonds for a guest – with a teaspoon.
During a Bravo interview, crew members were asked about the strangest guest request they ever received. His guest’s request wasn’t particularly strange. They just wanted some almonds.
The problem was there were no peeled almonds on the boat.
“So we had to peel the almonds by soaking them, and then scraping it off with a little teaspoon,” he said.
5. He Started Yachting 8 Years Ago
Michalzik is one of Season 4’s new yachties, hitting the sea on mega yacht Sirocco with eight years of experience, according to his Bravo bio.
“Travis grew up in Perth, Australia, where he decided to leave high school on a pursuit to finding true happiness,” his bio says. “After a series of courses and odd jobs, he heard about a deckhand job on a sailing yacht, and for the last eight years has been living the life as a jokester, party boy “yachtie” with a work hard, play harder attitude. As a deckhand, he appreciates good work ethic paired with strong communication skills – if he is going to survive nine charters with his fellow crew, he hopes they’re able to match his skill and keep up with him.
His crew members might question his leadership because of his mindset, Bravo hinted. “Travis, after a few mishaps begins to question leadership, however, it’s his ‘work hard, play hard’ mentality that comes into question by the rest of the crew,” they wrote in a press release.