The Below Deck Mediterranean crew proved they were willing to do anything for tips during the Season 10 charter season—even cleaning poop from a guest cabin shower drain. After the final charter, Captain Sandy Yawn revealed how much the M/Y Bravado crew raked in total for the season, and, thankfully, the crew felt the sum reflected their efforts.
The final charter guests tipped $16,000 ($1,454 per crew member), bringing the overall season tip total to $219,000. That broke down to a whopping $19,900 for each crew member.
“That’s a lot of money!” Sandy said during Episode 18.
Max Salvador agreed: “We’re rich!”
The tip was well-deserved after the trials and tribulations the crew faced throughout the season. Stew Cathy Skinner remarkably kept her composure when a guest requested to “pee off the boat,” not to mention the crew endured a charter guest calling them “servants.” On another charter, Chef Josh Bingham and chief stew Aesha Scott fielded a late-night request for “Sichuan chicken” after an eight-course tasting menu. And the crew even memorably kept their composure during a disastrous “matchmaker” cruise.
“This season, the tips were great because of the performance of the crew,” Sandy said during the Jan. 26 episode. “The joy that they had was wonderful. To reflect on everything that happened, and how we stuck together — it was pretty freaking amazing.”
Was Captain Sandy Yawn happy with the crew after Below Deck Med Season 10?
Captain Sandy sang her crew’s praises after the final charter guests departed during the Jan. 26 episode. “I am really proud of all of you — how you evolved over the season,” she told them.
She called Aesha a “joy” to work with as well as a “little bright beacon.” Of the other interior crew members, she added, “Kizzi and Cathy, such a pleasure. Josh, watching you create your dishes—the flavors that you did for the clients — you crushed it.”
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The deck crew, led by first-time bosun Nathan Gallagher, struggled during the early charters, until Captain Sandy eventually fired two crew members. “Nathan, your beginning wasn’t easy as bosun. You handled it very well. You found your voice. And, I love witnessing it,” Sandy told him during the finale. She also applauded the return of Below Deck Med Season 9 deckhand Joe Bradley.
“Joe, I love that you became lead deckhand,” Sandy said, before calling out Victoria “V” SanJuan’s successful transition from stew to deckhand, while complimenting “the way that [she] tackled those fenders that are twice [her] size.”
Sandy also praised Max’s growth during Season 10: “The way that you came through from the previous charter season was incredible.”
What’s the largest tip the Below Deck Med Season 10 crew earned this season?
Although the final charter’s tip was generous, it wasn’t the largest amount the crew was paid during Season 10. During Episode 6, they were rewarded with a whopping $40,000, which broke down to $4,000 per crew member.
Aesha revealed that it was a first for her in her yachting career. “That’s the biggest tip that I’ve ever had on any of my seasons. It’s going to take me a long time to come down from this high,” she told producers. Max even gathered the group to thank the primary charter guest, LaDonna, in a video text.
The generous tip was even more surprising because of how poorly most of the charter went. The guests were kept at the dock for most of the trip due to bad weather and “choppy” waters. Two vegan guests were also unhappy with Chef Josh’s dishes, and one ventured below deck to the galley to criticize Josh during Episode 5.
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“I’m really worried about how this charter is going,” Aesha confessed during Episode 5. “I can tell they’re not happy at all. They’re just like hiding in their rooms right now. We just need to do something to make them forget how terribly this has gone so far.”
The crew rallied, and Kizzi Kitchener and Joe taught the guests a group dance, while Josh served up an elaborate spread for the final dinner.
“Success is much about how we pivot and rebound,” Sandy told the crew at the time. “So, in this case, what I love is these charter clients actually saw how hard you worked.”
ICYMI, Sandy shared her thoughts on Nathan and Gael Cameron’s relationship during an exclusive interview with The Daily Dish.
