Chef Johnathan Shillingford was thrown by Captain. Sandy Yawns decision to have a back-up cook locked and loaded in the wake should she need to replace him.
The Below deck Mediterranean Sea star has been called into the Bravo Clubhouse for Monday night’s (July 15) episode of See what’s happening live, where a virtual fan asked how he thought Yawn was prepared for his potential replacement.
“Honestly, a little shocking,” he admitted. “Because I had no idea that was happening. But to be fair, she’s the yacht captain and she has to take care of the boat. And if that’s what she has to do, then I respect her decision.”
Yawn probably didn’t want to repeat her season 4 fate when she fired chef Mila Kolomeitseva (the first female chef in Under deck history) for their substandard meals, leaving third pot Anastasia Surmava in charge of the kitchen until chef Ben Robinson could step in.
Shillingford also opened up about the controversy surrounding his refusal to wake up and make some late night snacks – even though they were on the charter guest’s preference sheet.
“I think I was so exhausted from the day before. I just thought if I wake up now, I don’t know how I’m going to get up in a few hours to make breakfast,” he said. “It was a tough call. It really was. Probably one of the hardest calls of my career. But usually you wake up and do the evening snack. This time it was just, well, a really tough call.”
The chef also admitted he felt “a lot more sympathetic” to fellow pot Ellie Dubaich, who was left to look after the guests when he refused to leave his bed, while he watched the show back.
“I had no idea that situation was happening and it was so demanding,” he said. “I think, you know, it wasn’t personal at all. Unfortunately, it developed that way.”
See what’s happening live broadcast Sunday to Thursday at 10pm ET on Bravo. New episodes are available to stream the next day at Peacock.