Below Deck Mediterranean Season 8 has finished up a tumultuous batch of episodes. It’s hard to say who among the cast were the winners of Season 8, but boy were there quite a few losers. A lot of reality TV is categorized by its love-to-hate stars, but these stars were deemed just plain dislikable. So, how did things shake up for them at Season 8’s conclusion?
Captain Sandy, Tumi, Luka, Natalya, and Jack
Captain Sandy Yawn finished out BDM Season 8 by expressing how she was looking forward to seeing her “love,” Leah Shafer. She also expressed her love for her position: “I love being a captain. It’s something I live for, it’s in my blood. I will be a captain until the day they put me in the ground or set me on fire.”
Moreover, Captain Sandy had kind words for the rest of the crew. In the final tip meeting, she told Tumi Mhlongo that she was a “rock star,” and praised her work ethic and her resolve in “maintaining [her] composure.” Captain Sandy said she’d been “excellent” in her position. Tumi joked, “I need a vacation ASAP.”
As for Luka Brunton, Sandy told him, “Luka, I’m telling you right now, you belong on the bridge, not the engine room.” In the captain’s eyes, Luka’s first season as a bosun was a success. As he got off the boat, he made plans to go see Natalya Scudder. Speaking of, Natalya was in Genoa and joined the crew for a final night out, making amends with Kyle Viljoen.
To chef Jack Luby, Sandy said it was a “rarity” to see a chef as enthusiastic as him.
Kyle, Jessika, Lara, Haleigh, Max, and Lily
As for Kyle, the stew had a tearful encounter with his captain. “From the bottom of my heart, I can’t thank you enough for giving me an extra chance, an opportunity.” He added, “And, not only are you a captain for me, but you are a really good friend. And I respect you [for] who you are, and you are amazing at what you do.”
Sandy called him “a good person,” and in his final interview, Kyle was confident he’d be “able to navigate” a chief stew position in the future. Uh-huh. Sure. Meanwhile, Jessika Asai changed her mind about her plans to head to France with Luka. “With Luka, I learned a big lesson,” she said. “I just need a lot of time to get over this entire thing.”
Lara Du Preez shared some hugs with her castmates and asked herself, “Why did I pack so much?” as she rolled her suitcases down the dock. Haleigh Gorman shared an emotional goodbye with Lara before leaving. Max Salvador expressed, “Finally!” in an enthusiastic shout. “Freedom, liberty!”
Last up was Lily Davison, who reflected, “I think I have to live my life with no regrets. You’ve been there, you’ve done it, everything you need to do, you learn from it.” She added, “I could be a chief stew.”
TELL US – WHAT ARE YOUR FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE CAST? WHO WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE RETURN?
