Chef Josh Bingham continues to be tested by guests on Below Deck Mediterranean Season 10, and Episode 15 was no exception. In a preview (watch above) of the January 5 episode, Josh prepares a complicated Spanish dish called “jambon” (which is described as “Barcelona’s exquisite cured ham” in a video Josh watches on his phone). But then, he discovers he’s made a rare error while serving it to the guests.
The guests are thrilled as he carries the jambon on deck in the preview, with one saying, “Yes! Get in my belly!” The dish is dramatically displayed with the meat suspended in the air. Josh jokes, “I need to be taller for this,” as he starts carving the dish. All of a sudden, a guest critiques his carving style. “I just know that it’s usually from the side—like carve it from the side,” she tells him.
Josh confesses his embarrassment at being called out by a guest to producers. “I feel 18 eyes right now on my back. My biggest fear is being laughed at. I hope they enjoy the rest of the food because this is like something you would buy in the supermarket,” he laments. “Am I a joke? Are you a joke? Is this a f–king joke?”
But in front of the guests, Josh tries to shrug off the error, quipping, “I’ll never live this one down, to be honest.” His critic also replies playfully, “Well, you gotta start somewhere.”
Below Deck Mediterranean chef Josh Bingham pushes himself despite guest criticism
Josh has battled guest criticism and his own self-worth throughout Below Deck Mediterranean Season 10. In a memorable moment during the Oct. 20 episode, primary charter guest Jack Freeman made repeated requests for Sichuan chicken, even after being served an elaborate eight-course tasting menu.
Chief stew Aesha Scott tried to keep the chef’s spirits up despite difficult guests and reminded him, “You don’t have to do everything they say… You’re going to burn yourself out otherwise.”
Josh agreed that he held himself to too high a standard at times. “People send things back… I don’t want that s–t to happen. So I think I just try to put a bit too much. Maybe I need to pull back,” he admitted in the Oct. 27 episode.
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But when the next charter included two vegan guests, Josh came down hard on himself again. “This is the first charter that the guests don’t like my food. This is a f–king nightmare,” he told producers.
He later ended up storming out of the galley and off the yacht. “You’re expecting too much for one person. F–k you all,” he said at the time. He added in his confessional interview: “I’m going to lose my s–t.”
Although he returned, Aesha worried that Josh was heading for a crash if he continued his intense pace and standards. “Josh’s response to the criticism is just to push himself harder,” Aesha said in her confessional. “And while that is admirable, I’m not quite sure it’s sustainable. But, you know, godspeed, my chef.”
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How Josh Bingham brings creativity to the Below Deck Med galley amid the pressure
Although working as a private chef on super yachts is a high-pressure job, Josh felt prepared for the challenge due to his decade of experience at Michelin-starred restaurants.
“Working in Michelin kitchens, I mean, it’s good because you become a great chef, but it’s f–king intense,” he told producers in the Sept. 29 episode. “One time, I was running the meat section at a kitchen. I was 20 minutes late on a check. The chef behind the pass grabbed me, pulled my head down onto the hot pass … and just screamed at me.”
He added, “I remember, like, getting up, and being like, ‘Yes, chef!'”
Josh has also found ways to incorporate his love of music into his cooking career. “I used to work in kitchens where we didn’t have music for years, and I didn’t realize how much it affected me until I left that kind of work,” he shared during the season premiere.
His artistic creativity extends to the food he prepares. “It’s all part of an art form,” he added, even joking that he would wear “nail varnish” if he could—but it “might come off in the food.”
Below Deck Med fans will have noticed that Josh never shies away from a costume and has even appeared in confessional interviews in a full clown outfit, make-up, and wig.
“You never know when guests are gonna ask you to dress up or do a silly dance or whatever,” Josh shared. “A lot of chefs want to hide in the galley, but I enjoy that. I enjoy the creativity.”
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