João Franco has been busy since his days on Below Deck Mediterranean. While he was on the show, João was the lead deckhand during Below Deck Med season 3 and was promoted to bosun during the following season. Captain Sandy Yawn was more than impressed with him in his first season and saw his potential as a bosun. João was honored by the praise and considered Sandy to be someone he looked up to. They developed a close friendship throughout his two seasons, one that seemed unbreakable.
While he may have excelled in his yachting skills, João did not get along with many of his crewmates. Former chief steward Hannah Ferrier called him out as a "misogynist," as he would often flirt with stewardess Kasey Cohen right in front of stew Brooke Laughton, who he was pursuing. During Below Deck Med season 3, he and Hannah often butted heads after João began dating Brooke. However, the two made amends the following season and were in a great place. João took several years off from the franchise, but surprised fans by coming back yet again in 2023.
João Franco Has Been Busy Since Below Deck Mediterranean
João Hit A Career Milestone
After leaving Sirroco when the last charter of Below Deck Med season 4 came to an end, João was ready to move on from the exterior team to be a captain. According to BravoTV, João did an Instagram Live chat with Below Deck Sailing Yacht's Captain Glenn Shephard in March 2021, where he spoke about finishing his officer of the watch courses and how he was a captain on a 30-meter yacht for about a year-and-a-half.
Then João, who captivates Below Deck Med fans, looked forward to ing his officer of the watch exam.
"I'm gonna do my exam in a month, and then I'm gonna most likely head back to Europe and look for a job on a sailboat," he said.
João went on to talk more about his first job as a captain. "I think the hardest part of being a captain is the responsibility of dealing with people's lives on board," he added. João has been a small vessel captain since 2021, but in 2023, he made the announcement that he was now able to captain larger vessels. He has remained dedicated to his career in yachting in the seven years he's been in the industry.
João Has Invested In His Relationships
João Has An Active Love Life
As for his friendships with his former Below Deck Med crew, in an episode of the "no longer close with Captain Sandy. João said she would often send mixed messages about their friendship and he often questioned her motivations when it came to helping him in the industry. Now that João has finished his captain's courses and is on the outs with Sandy, it's unlikely he would be inclined to take the position again.
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Besides beginning his career as a captain, João also found love. In March 2020, he proposed to his long-time girlfriend, Michelle Dicu. However, in June 2021, the couple announced the end of their engagement. João is now dating Domi Tesi, who is also in the yachting industry.
Now that João is a licensed captain, it is improbable that he will be appearing on another season of Below Deck Mediterranean. And Captain Sandy would not be too pleased if she was replaced by her former bosun. However, João did make a return to the Below Deck franchise in the Australian spinoff Below Deck Down Under as a Second Officer under Captain Jason Chambers.
Joao Last Appeared In Below Deck Down Under Season 2
Joao Unsuccessfully Tried To Shake His Villain Status
João got a villain edit in both seasons he was on Below Deck Med. He would turn into his rude and misogynistic alter ego Jezabob when he would drink and was generally unpleasant to be around when he was not drinking either. However, Joao ed Below Deck Down Under as the replacement of fired Bosun Luke Jones. João was happy to showcase his enhanced skills on the exterior team and prove that he made a good leader. Moreover, João wanted to prove that he had changed himself for the better.
However, while João did display more redeeming qualities, he also showed that he still had some bad tendencies.
The Bravo alum got into a boatmance with Chef Tzarina Mace-Ralph, who had known João previously and disliked him because he dated one of her friends and was allegedly not good to her. But Tzarina and João clicked and Tzarina couldn't deny their chemistry and João's charm. However, their boatmance crashed and burned after Tzarina caught João acting like his old self again.
João also got drunk and let Jezabob come out towards the end of the season. João is entertaining to watch, and now that he is a Captain and reprised a leadership role, there is potential to see more of him within the network, especially since he creates drama. Giving João more opportunities to appear in the network would be a smart move for producers and something João might be agreeable to as well.
What Is João Up To In 2024?
In 2024, João has yet to appear on any Below Deck franchise shows. His last appearance was on Below Deck Down Under season 2 in 2023, and he didn't have the best showing. João started the season beginning to shed his villain status, especially after he was the one who replaced Luke Jones as Bosun. Luke was fired by Captain Jason after Luke tried to sexually assault Margot Sisson while she was drunk during a crew night out. However, that quickly changed after he began a boatmance with Chef Tzarina Mace-Ralph.
The two had known each other from the past but were simply friends. João broke her heart at the end of the season when he revealed he wasn't interested in pursuing anything post-season. João ended up looking like a villain in the end, and he couldn't shed his villain status. Despite not redeeming himself on Below Deck Down Under, João has become quite successful in life and his career after the show wrapped.
I would like to post this in appreciation for Domi. Thank you for being by my side and seeing the good in me even when I cannot see it in myself.
To start, let's take a look at João's career. On Instagram, the former reality star posted a photo of himself in early December with his yacht crew. In the caption, João went on about how proud he was of his team and couldn't wait to hang out with them as friends now that his charter season was over. Plus, João confirmed he has moved up in his career from bosun to captain. Besides his career, João's personal life seems to be doing great as well. João is still with his girlfriend, who seems to be part of his yacht crew. He even shared an appreciation post for her last month, raving about how much he means to her.
Will João Return To The Below Deck Franchise?
As for João's return to the Below Deck franchise, right now, that seems very unlikely. With his new career as a captain, João would only be able to come back if he replaced one of the current Below Deck captains. João could also return if he decided to take a demotion and just work as a bosun. However, João doesn't seem like the type of guy who would want to work as a bosun after being a captain for probably close to two years now. If João does return, it would be far into the future and likely to replace one of the existing captains.
Nonetheless, fans wouldn't be excited to see João make his Below Deck return. The former bosun didn't have the best showing during his last season in the franchise, so he probably wouldn't get the warmest reception from viewers. João would need to use the same laid-back attitude he seemingly does with his off-screen crew in order to be in the fan's good graces. Also, it may be difficult to get any existing Below Deck crew or alums to work with him again, especially Chef Tzarina.
Overall João is enjoying life away from the Below Deck cameras. He had a rough last few seasons and he probably needs some time away. While one should never say never, João will likely stay away from Below Deck Mediterranean, or any Below Deck show for that matter.
Below Deck Mediterranean is available to stream on Peacock.
Sources: BravoTV, Behind The Velvet Rope, João Franco/Instagram, João Franco/Instagram, Bravo/YouTube, João/Instagram
Below Deck Mediterranean
- Release Date
- May 3, 2016
- Network
- Bravo
- Showrunner
- Mark Cronin, Courtland Cox, Nadine Rajabi
Cast
-
Hannah Ferrier
WHERE TO WATCH
Below Deck Mediterranean is a Bravo reality television series that follows a crew that works aboard a gigantic superyacht during the busy season. The show highlights the challenges of the crew as they serve their high-end clientele. Each season tackles new locations, such as Greece, Croatia, Italy, and , with some repeating.
- Franchise(s)
- Below Deck
- Seasons
- 9
- Main Genre
- Reality-TV
- Creator(s)
- Mark Cronin, Doug Henning, Rebecca Taylor Henning
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