Below Deck Med Star Causes "Near-Fatal" Catastrophe After Being Accused Of Faking Poor Performance (2024)

After multiple critiques over his performance as chef on board the Mustique, Johnathan "Jono" Shillingford might finally be fired from Below Deck Mediterranean, if the just-released mid-season trailer is anything to go by. Multiple cast members have been seemingly on the chopping block throughout Below Deck Med season 9, especially Jono and Bosun Iain Maclean, with Elena "Ellie" Dubaich and Bri Muller now in the hot seat and potential departures on the horizon. Amid this drama, producer interference allegations have surfaced online, with Jono and Iain being accused of faking their poor performances.

Bravo released a Below Deck Med mid-season trailer, courtesy of Us Weekly, in which Chef Jono comes the closest he's ever been to being fired. Chief Stew Aesha Scott serves tuna carpaccio to the charter guests. Unfortunately, one of them admits, "I can't eat raw seafood because it could kill me." Captain Sandy goes down to the galley to confront Jono and then later says during a confessional, "I have no choice. I have to fire him."

This particular incident with the raw seafood will take place during Below Deck Med season 9, episode 13, titled "Chef Woes And Cabin Blows," according to episode descriptions released by Teanailpolish on Reddit. The description for episode 13 reveals that a possible "catastrophe" comes up when a "near-fatal dish" is served to the charter guests. The Below Deck Med mid-season trailer confirms that the catastrophe is Chef Jono's tuna carpaccio.

Will Chef Johnathan Shillingford Finally Be Fired On Below Deck Med?

Chef Jono Should Be Fired If He Causes A Near-Fatal Incident

At one point in an early Below Deck Med season 9 episode, Captain Sandy called for a backup chef to be on standby in case she ended up firing Jono. So far, that backup chef hasn't been needed yet. Jono's problematic skills in the galley have been overshadowed in recent episodes by Iain's massive mistakes as an exterior crew member as well as Ellie and Bri's intense feud as part of the interior crew.

The Below Deck Med mid-season trailer confirms that the chef's issues haven't gone away, and he's about to face his biggest test yet: proving to Captain Sandy he deserves to stay, despite almost causing a guest to suffer from an allergic reaction. Presumably, said guest mentioned her allergies on the preference sheet. If that's what happened, then the chef is in massive trouble for ignoring a problematic food that could cause someone to die. If it wasn't on the sheet, then maybe the chef will be in the clear as long as he prepares a different meal for the guest.

Captain Sandy's line from the trailer in which she says she has no choice but to fire him could be some misleading editing from the Bravo producers to make it seem like she's firing Jono when she's actually going to let go of Iain, who also deserves to be fired. Either way, there are only a few weeks to go until Below Deck Med fans find out the ultimate outcome of Chef Jono's latest catastrophe. The Mustique crew members can only skate by for so long until they're held accountable for their actions.

Below Deck Mediterranean airs Mondays at 9 p.m. EDT on Bravo.

Sources: Us Weekly, Bravo/YouTube, Teanailpolish/Reddit

Below Deck Mediterranean

Reality-TV

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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 France, with some repeating.

Cast

Sandy Yawn , Hannah Ferrier , Malia White , Mzi Dempers , João Franco , Colin Macy-O'Toole , Kyle Viljoen , Christine Drake

Release Date

May 3, 2016

Seasons

7

Network

Bravo

Franchise(s)

Below Deck