Summary

• Fans call out Captain Sandy as a hypocrite for reprimanding Stew Elena after waking up Chef Jono herself.
• Captain Sandy defends her actions on Below Deck Mediterranean season 5, saying she woke Chef Tom during the day, not at night.
• Despite controversy, Captain Sandy praises Chef Jono's handling of the situation and emphasizes crew should not be woken up.

Below Deck Mediterranean season 9, the charter guests’ preference sheet called for late-night snacks, which Captain Sandy and Chef Jono discussed along with Chief Stew Aesha Scott, but when it came time to prepare those late-night snacks, the chef was long asleep. When Stew Elena tried to wake the chef, he refused to help. When Captain Sandy heard about Elena’s attempts to wake the chef, she wasn’t happy with Elena’s actions.

"It was during the day, it wasn’t at night”

After onishing Elena on the most recent episode of Below Deck Mediterranean season 9, fans pointed out that Captain Sandy was a bit of a hypocrite after she’d woken up Chef Tom Checketts to slice up some cucumbers during Below Deck Med season 5. While the situations were different, many have been wondering what changed.

While Captain Sandy was clear that she maintained her position of not waking up the chef, she did own up to doing it once herself. “It was during the day, it wasn’t at night,” Sandy explained to an outraged Andy Cohen on an episode of Watch What Happens Live. “It wasn’t at the end of dinner service, it was the after-breakfast service.”

Captain Sandy Praises Chef Jono After He Was Woken Up

While Captain Sandy feels that Elena shouldn’t have woken up the chef to help with the late-night snacks for the crew, she was happy with how the situation was handled on Chef Jono’s side. “I think he handled it well. I’ve had chefs throw things at [crew ] when they wake them up. You shouldn’t wake them up.” Andy asked about the Chef being prepared ahead of time, and Captain Sandy agreed he should’ve been, but felt that his response to Elena was appropriate and polite. Captain Sandy maintained the crew shouldn’t be woken up outside of an emergency.

Throughout Below Deck Mediterranean’s run, Captain Sandy has been working with the same set of fundamentals she’s held throughout her career. Though she’s always happy to work with new crew and understands that there is a learning curve for some of her crew, there are many who feel that Captain Sandy’s leadership isn’t the best fit for the superyacht. Due to her micromanagement and, at times, overbearing nature, Captain Sandy can be difficult to work with in some circumstances. Even though she may be right about the chef being disturbed, Captain Sandy's direction has been controversial.

As Below Deck Mediterranean season 9 continues, the tension is sure to rise as the crew continues to work through the charter season. The drama of the season is already getting started from Stew Elena and Deckhands Gael Cameron & Nathan Gallagher, who have already been toeing the line of a risque boatmance. Though the charter season is just beginning, there have already been some issues that require addressing, and though the Below Deck Mediterranean viewers may not agree with Captain Sandy, she appears to have everything handled aboard the Mustique.

Sources: Watch What Happens Live/YouTube, Below Deck/Instagram