With another extremely dramatic season behind them, it came time for the Below Deck Mediterranean crew to depart Mustique and move on to greener pastures (and maybe chief stewardess roles, in the case of Elena “Ellie” Dubaich?) during the Season 9 finale on Sept. 23.
However, before they could officially say goodbye, they had to bid Captain Sandy Yawn farewell — and reflect on all that happened to them over the course of Season 9.
Ahead, find out what cast members Captain Sandy, Ellie, Aesha Scott, Johnathan Shillingford, Iain Maclean, Nathan Gallagher, Gael Cameron, Joe Bradley, and Bri Muller shared during the Below Deck Med Season 9 finale and what they’ve been up to since filming wrapped.
Captain Sandy Yawn got married
After ending the charter season with a proposal, a loved-up Captain Sandy departed Mustique to spend some special time with her new fiancée, Leah Shafer.
Fans were also offered an extra-special treat by way of an “eight months later” flash-forward that showed Sandy and Leah’s gorgeous wedding. They tied the knot on a boat in Fort Lauderdale on May 11.
“In yachting and in life, I’ve never been more convinced that it’s all about the things in life that you’re passionate about. And embracing them as tight as you can,” Sandy said in a voiceover. “Whether it’s on land or on a boat, I’m gonna spend the rest of my life loving Leah.”
Get an exclusive look at Sandy and Leah’s wedding by checking out the above Below Deck Mediterranean After Show clip.
Aesha Scott is now engaged
After being “so excited” to come back as chief stew and prove herself to Captain Sandy, Aesha felt good about all she accomplished.
“I came, I saw, I conquered with the Greek gods. It just feels so great to walk off the boat and say, ‘I’m a Med motherf-cking chief stew, b-tch,” she said in a confessional.
Aesha also took a big step in her relationship after filming on Season 9 wrapped: In May, the yachtie got engaged to Scott “Scotty” Dobson.
Elena “Ellie” Dubaich moved to Florida and is training to be a chief stew
While Ellie had quite the dramatic charter season, she still left the boat with a smile. While hugging Aesha goodbye, the chief stew told her she was hardworking — a compliment Ellie appreciated, but wasn’t completely thrilled about.
“I got one adjective! Hard worker. This kind of feels like when your vibrator dies halfway and you’re just laying there like, ‘what?'” joked Ellie in a confessional.
More recently, Ellie told The Daily Dish that she’s currently based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
“I’ve spent the past year freelancing on a variety of vessels in service and I’ve worked as a solo stew,” she shared in September. “I’ve taken courses on bartending, purchased liquor to practice, done a Chief Stew course and a Yacht Purser course. I feel much more confident in my skills and I’m looking forward to always learning and growing further in my career.”
Joe Bradley is still best friends with Nathan Gallagher
Joe had a hard time leaving. As he put it in a confessional, “I’m going to miss every individual on this boat.”
And the person he’d miss the most? Bestie Nathan, who said it was “so rare” to meet someone like Joe on a boat. With that, they both knew they’d have a lifelong friendship.
Ahead for Joe: a 27th birthday, although he has “no signs of calming down.”
“I’m still going wild like I’m 19 on nights out,” he joked in a confessional. “Is it my time to mature? I’m gonna say no, baby! I’ve got 10 years left.”
In July, Joe shared an update on life post-filming for Season 9, telling The Daily Dish that he was seeking a lead deckhand role.
That, and gallivanting around New York City with Nathan. “He’s my best mate for life,” Joe said.
Nathan Gallagher picked up work as an engineer
While chatting with Captain Sandy on the Season 9 finale, Nathan shared that working on Mustique had upped his confidence — and was told that he’d absolutely be invited back for another charter.
“I expected to come on the boat, have fun. But this season has … maybe it’s not a bad decision to take a more responsible role moving forward in my career,” he said.
In addition to staying close with Joe since filming wrapped, Nathan has been working as an engineer. More specifically, he told The Daily Dish in July, “I’m working offshore on vessels just as a solar engineer.”
As far as his love life goes, see what ended up happening between Gael and Nathan after Season 9.
Bri Muller gained a new sense of confidence
Before Bri left, she went to talk to Captain Sandy — who gave her the award for “most improved” all charter season.
“Cap, thank you for this season. And for giving me the chances that you gave me. I’m trying so hard not to cry,” Bri said.
“You found out what works for you! Keep using that,” responded the boss.
In a confessional, Bri further reflected on her growth this season.
“I was probably the sh-ttiest, but I’m not so sh-tty anymore!” she joked. “So thank you. Before jumping on motoryacht Mustique, like, I was lacking confidence. But the sense of pride that I’m feeling right now, I can just take that to my next job. Like, I’m a working girl now.”
Gael Cameron left the boat with Nathan Gallagher
In a confessional on the Season 9 finale, Gael explained that she came into the season wanting to further her career and grow her skill level. “I really feel like I’ve done that,” she said. “It’s given me more confidence, not just in work but also, like, in life. The Gael that stepped on this boat would watch the Gael stepping off this boat with Nathan and think ‘What the hell have you done?’ But girl, you’ve got this.”
All in all, Gael left the boat with a new beau — and an amazing compliment from her captain.
“If you’re really into this, I recommend that you continue, because you’ll make a great captain,” said the boat leader.
Carrie O’Neill took on a chef role and has big plans for the future
Even though Carrie was only on the boat for a short period of time, (most of) her fellow crew members were sad to see her go.
“Thanks for this absolute pleasure,” she said upon departing, jokingly refusing Joe’s request for a hug.
Since filming on Below Deck Med Season 9 wrapped, Carrie has relocated to Florida for an unexpected reason: “[I’m] working as a chef on yacht,” she told The Daily Dish in September.
Added Carrie, “I have big plans to run across a rather large country in the coming months. Keep an eye on my Instagram [as] an adventure is pending.”
Chef Johnathan Shillingford is considering culinary school
Though he personally hit some bumpy waters in the kitchen, Jono was ultimately proud of the work he did this season.
“I feel super proud of myself that I was able to manage a solo chef position on a boat of this size. I have more to learn, probably. I want to continue growing; there’s always a solution to bounce back,” explained the chef in a confessional. “I feel like I figured it out. If I do have an opportunity to go to culinary school, to do a broader, kind of more general training, I wouldn’t refuse it either. I am ready to bring the twerk into the work.”
While visiting Captain Sandy to bid adieu, he thanked her for all of her feedback during the charter.
“I could tell you wanted me to succeed, so thank you so much,” he said.
Iain Maclean got praise from Captain Sandy
Before embarking on his next adventure, Iain thanked Captain Sandy for putting the pressure on him.
“You are a hard worker,” she said. “And I appreciate that.”
