The “bromance” between Nathan Gallagher and Joe Bradley was dead in the water even before the Below Deck Mediterranean Season 11 premiere, and a heated confrontation was already on the horizon amid their tense reunion aboard Akira One.
Upon Joe’s arrival, both he and Nathan and immediately acknowledged that they hadn’t seen or spoken to each other since Below Deck Med Season 10 wrapped, but the latter suggested they put away their personal issues for the time being. It didn’t take long, however, for Joe to mention to Nathan that he couldn’t ignore his “energy” and asked if he’d even read any of the messages he’d sent him between seasons.
“No, I haven’t,” Nathan admitted before referencing Joe’s past behavior with one of their former castmates (more on that below). “I just didn’t see the need for it.”
Joe, for his part, explained that even though he felt “bad” about what happened, he still liked “to have fun” and was “probably not gonna stop,” either. The bosun fired back, “If that’s how you feel about it, I’m not gonna waste my time f–kin’ talkin’ about it. That was a bunch of bulls–t. I’m not f–kin’ around this year. … I’m here to work, so respect it.”
In a confessional, Nathan added, “This is not that start that I wanted. But to see him defend it, Joe is a complete a–hole.”
What to Know About Below Deck Mediterranean Season 11
Season 11 of Below Deck Mediterranean is officially underway and already making waves! New episodes air Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo and stream next day on Peacock.
Rocking the boat under Captain Sandy Yawn this season are chief stew Aesha Scott, bosun Nathan Gallagher, chef Joy Lefaucheur, stews Gen Lillie, Kayley Smith, and Kat Johnston; and deckhands Joe Bradley, Cooper Dawson, and Luke Brumer. Read each crew member’s bio. here.
As for what’s to come aboard the sleek new M/Y Akira One, Below Deck Med fans can expect to see clashes between former friends Nathan and Joe, Aesha balancing her youngest stew team yet with wedding planning, and appearances from Gael Cameron, Hannah Ferrier, and more.
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Nathan Gallagher explained why he cut off Joe Bradley before Below Deck Med Season 11
In stark contrast with his excitement during Season 10, Nathan was downright disappointed when Captain Sandy Yawn informed him that Joe would be a part of his deck team again this year. “So, the bromance has stopped,” he told Sandy.
As Nathan explained to a producer, “Coming to the end of last season, the way he was treating women was f–ked. I haven’t talked to him since. I was like, ‘Do I really want to be in this person’s company anymore?’ And I don’t.”
More specifically, Nathan was referring to how Joe had hooked up with Kizzi Kitchener, despite leading Victoria “V” SanJuan to believe that he was only interested in his boatmance with her. What’s more, V was temporarily off the vessel at the time, recovering from an illness while also grappling with grief amid the anniversary of her fiancé’s unexpected death.
As Nathan put it to Chief Stew Aesha Scott, if Joe decided to “f–k around with girls this year,” then he’d be “off the boat” immediately.
Joe, meanwhile, claimed to have much less clarity on why Nathan was so upset with him. “Yeah, sure, I didn’t handle the situation with Victoria how I should,” the deckhand conceded to a producer. “In my defense, we only knew each other for a couple of weeks. It’s not like we were married. I don’t think I’ve done anything so offensive for Nathan to hate me.”
Why Joe Bradley criticized Nathan Gallagher as bosun
Since viewers last saw Joe on Season 10, he explained that he’d gained experience as both a bosun and as a captain on smaller vessels. Needless to say, the bitterness between him and Nathan only fueled his critiques of his former friend’s performance as a bosun from the get-go, particularly after a pre-charter docking incident. With the noise from a pair of party boats inhibiting the team’s communication with Captain Sandy, the yacht had struck the dock during the incident.
“I don’t want to sound like a knob-head, but if I was on the stern, the boat wouldn’t even be within two meters of hitting the dock,” Joe claimed in a confessional. “As a bosun, you’ve gotta understand that there’s a loud environment. You’ve gotta pre-plan this.”
Later, he added, “My number one goal this season is to prove to Captain Sandy that I’m ready to take the next step in my career. I want to be head bosun one day and then captain after that. But let me tell ya, I’m gonna have a really tough time doing that with Nathan in charge. I just don’t know.”
Once the first charter was officially underway, Joe called out the docking “accident” to Nathan and also criticized an “organizational issue” he’d noticed with how he was leading the deck team. At the time, Nathan told a producer that he wanted only to “keep it professional” with Joe, but by the episode’s end, he’d already had enough of his commentary. In a phone call with Gael Cameron, Nathan accused Joe of having an “alternative motive.”
“He’s a f–kin’ issue,” Nathan explained to Gael. “He wants to step on toes, and he’s mentioned a few times about being bosun. … I just don’t trust him. That’s all. I’m choosing Luke [Brumer] as the lead deckhand. I’m telling Captain Sandy tomorrow. Joe’s gonna be pissed. I don’t care.”
Captain Sandy Yawn, Aesha Scott, and Gael Cameron’s react to Joe Bradley and Nathan Gallagher’s falling out
Perhaps no one was more surprised than Captain Sandy about how much had changed in Nathan and Joe’s friendship between seasons. In fact, she predicted that Nathan would “be happy” to hear that she’d hired Joe to be one of his deckhand and was confused when he wasn’t. When he filled in the stunned captain that they “hadn’t really talked” since Season 10, she pointed out that they were “bromancing all the time.”
“I’m gonna make sure that they maintain a professional relationship,” Captain Sandy stated in a confessional. “But more importantly, I really hope that they resolve this.”
Aesha, meanwhile, was a bit more in the know about the drama, explaining to a Below Deck Med producer, “I was aware that Joe and Nathan weren’t heading in the right direction, but I don’t want that to interfere with my relationship with both of them. Nathan’s like a little brother to me, whereas Joe is that crazy uncle that’s always funny when he shows up to Christmas. But you know he’s gonna put his foot in it somehow, and then you’re gonna have to deal with the repercussions.”
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As for Gael, who had her own issues with Joe in the past, she, of course, was closely aligned with Nathan’s point of view on the situation. She similarly expressed shocked to hear the news that Joe would be serving under Nathan as a deckhand on Season 11, however, exclaiming, “Really? For f–k’s sake!” When Nathan brought up Joe’s bosun aspirations to her during their video chat later on, Gael further remarked, “He always has an alternative motive.”
Of course, the drama is only just beginning, so don’t miss an inside look at everything to expect on Below Deck Med Season 11.
