NBCUniversal Captain Sandy Yawn
Captain Sandy Yawn has given her thoughts on some of the more controversial moments and cast members in “Below Deck Mediterranean” season 8.
Returning cast member Kyle Viljoen has long divided fans’ opinions due to his outspoken nature and involvement in some of the interior team’s drama, but Yawn came to his defense while discussing the season.
“As far as Kyle’s [fight with] Max [Salvador], alcohol is not a lot of people’s friends,” she told Us Weekly. “I don’t think Kyle would say that if he was not under the influence. Kyle is a great human being just like Tumi [Mhlongo] and Natalya [Scudder] and Max.”
“Moments happen when people are in that mode psychologically,” she continued. “I think Kyle probably regrets it. I’m sure Kyle regrets a lot and I think he’s actually admitted it on social media. That’s what I really like about Kyle is that he does own it after he does it. If he could just prevent it [though] because he has no filter. Sometimes you can think stuff but just don’t use those words because it does impact other lives.”
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Captain Sandy Yawn Said She Would Work With All the Crew Members Again
Yawn shared that despite Viljoen’s struggles this season of “Below Deck Med,” she would still work with him again. In fact, she told the publication she’d work with all the cast members of the season again. “It’s about giving people opportunities to change,” she explained. “How do you know if people want to change? You give them the opportunity to show you that they’re going to change.”
“Why would they change if no one gives them the opportunity?” she added. “Of course, I would give them all the opportunity to show me that they will change… Except for Ruan [Irving, the bosun], I would never have him back. I could never trust him because that’s a big deal to do what he did.” Viewers might recall Irving did not have the proper documentation to work on the vessel.
Luka Brunton, who was promoted to bosun after Irving’s exit, also received praise from Yawn. “Luca did the best he could given the circumstances that he was thrown into — as far as I’m concerned,” she said, adding that he’d never worked as a bosun before. “He did me a favor and he rose to the occasion. He has the respect of his deck team and it’s a learning curve. Not everyone’s going to be perfect out of the box.”
The 8th Season of ‘Below Deck Mediterranean’ Has Featured a Lot of Interior Drama
The 8th season of “Below Deck Mediterranean” has been a dramatic one thus far, and it started on a hectic note for several of the crew members. Viljoen and Mhlongo were both unable to join the yacht for the first charter due to visa issues, while Irving couldn’t work because of his lack of certifications.
The deck and interior teams were forced to step up and they did an excellent job, although the friction in the interior team started growing after all crew members were on board. Scudder, who was the temporary chief stew in the first charter, clashed with chief stew Mhlongo, and Viljoen was in the middle of their arguments.
After one major fight with Viljoen, Scudder made the decision to leave, though her replacement, Lily Davison, has not had a smooth integration with the team. Davison’s lack of experienced has so far caused frustrations among the interior crew members and Yawn was forced to warn Davison to step it up. Despite that, the captain told Us Weekly, “Lily was awesome. She was a joy to have on board.”
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