Ever since Aesha Scott made her debut on Below Deck Mediterranean in 2019, she has been beloved by Bravo fans everywhere. When the Below Deck franchise branched out with Below Deck Down Under in 2022, Scott was the natural choice to become the spinoff’s first chief stew. Under the guidance of Captain Jason Chambers, Scott strengthened her skills as head of the interior team in the show’s two successful seasons and proved herself to be a level-headed, kind, and adept leader.
So, who better to serve as the chief stew of Below Deck Med Season 9 than Scott herself? “It was so special to back where the journey started,” said Scott. Scott admits that a big reason for her return to show is Captain Sandy Yawn and how she has “evolved” over the years. “The last time I worked for Sandy, I was a second stew and just a girl,” said Scott. “It was so cool to be able to come back and show her all the things I’ve learned and who I’ve become as a woman.” If you’re worried that Captain Jason might be jealous of Scott’s going back to work for Captain Sandy, don’t be! “He is always very supportive,” confirmed Scott.
Captain Sandy and Scott have remained close since their initial time together working on the Med. In fact, Scott was one of the few Below Deck alums invited to Captain Sandy’s and Leah Shafer’s wedding on a super yacht last month. “It’s just so obvious how madly in love they are with each other,” gushed Scott. Scott was also present during Captain Sandy’a proposal to Shafer, which fans will be able to witness later this season. “I just felt so lucky that I got to be a part of it,” said Scott.
It’s a good thing Scott and Captain Sandy are so close because Scott will need her guidance this season with her two stews, Elena “Ellie” Dubaich and Sabrina “Bri” Mueller. Scott describes working with the two women as the “hardest management situation” she has ever dealt with. Both women pursued deck hand Joe Bradley romantically, but Scott says there was a “power struggle” between the two of them long before either lady was involved with him. “Their personalities clashed too much,” said Scott simply.
DECIDER spoke to Scott over Zoom about her evolution in yachting, her experience with another celebrity charter guest, and what’s to come this season on Below Deck Med.
DECIDER: How does it feel to be back on the show that started it all for you?
AESHA SCOTT: Oh, incredible and amazing, and scary and awesome. It’s that feeling of leaving home and going on your OE [overseas experience] for a couple of years, and then really missing your family and flying back and rekindling all of the things that you loved. It was that exact feeling. It was so special to back where the journey started.
The last time I worked for Sandy, I was a second stew and just a girl. I went off and flourished and became a chief stew. It was so cool to be able to come back and show her all the things I have learned and who I have become as a woman. Though, it was also scary because I put so much pressure on myself. I really wanted to be perfect for Sandy because I respect her so much.
Was Captain Jason at all jealous that you were going back to work with Captain Sandy for a charter season?
I don’t know if he was, but I mean, I’m sure he was [laughs]. I didn’t tell him beforehand because we’re supposed to stay in the bubble and I’m a good girl. He heard it through the grapevine somehow, and he messaged me being like, “Oh, I’ve heard that you’ve gone back to over there.” And I was like, “Yeah, sorry. I should have told you.” But he’s like, “No, that’s fine. All the best, blah, blah, blah.” He is always very supportive.
You also were one of the few Below Deck alum attendees at Captain Sandy’s recent wedding to Leah Shafer on a super yacht in Florida. What can you tell me about that special day?
It was just so beautiful. First of all, it was exciting for me because I’ve never been a guest on a super yacht before. I’m always the one working. It felt very strange to be there in a nice dress and champagne in my hands. Sandy and Leah both looked absolutely stunning. When you see them and the way they look at each other, it’s just so obvious that they are how madly in love. I just felt so much joy for them. It was lovely to watch them make it official.
In the season trailer, we get a peek at Captain Sandy proposal to Leah! What was it like to be there for the event?
It was just absolutely perfect. Leah had no idea what was going on. She thought that she was just coming for a cute little visit with Sandy. I remember watching her as one of the deckhands drove her over in the tender and I was waiting for her at the end of the dock. As she started to look around and take in what we had set up, what was happening all just started to click. It was just so funny seeing her face. Everything went so well. It was so perfect, and there was a very happy Leah at the end of it. I just felt so lucky that I got to be a part of it and help Sandy make it an even more special day.
Now that we’ve talked about all the nice stuff, we’ve gotta get into the drama of the season a bit. It’s clear that your stews Elena and Bri test your newly honed management skills this season. What were you first impressions of them?
Oh, my initial impressions were very good. Both were super bubbly and super energetic. You can see in the first meeting that they both seemed to have this real desire to work, which was awesome. I appreciated that Bri admitted straight away that she’s not super strong with cocktails. I had Ellie, who was bursting at the seams, desperate to be making cocktails. So, I was like, “well, thank God, I’ve got one who desperately wants to do cocktails and one who says that she doesn’t like doing them. That makes my job easy.”
Turns out it was a bit more complicated than that…
Yes, that was the first day. As you’ll see, things start to derail on the second day. Bri had a lot less experience than I thought she did. Right from the start, you can see some power dynamics sparking up between Ellie and Bri. I can’t go into detail, but it gets worse and it gets better, then it gets worse and it gets better. Their relationship and my management of their relationship take a lot of twists and turns throughout the season.
And the trailer alludes to the fact that their relationship really turns sour when both girls romantically pursue deckhand, Joe Bradley. How much does that factor into the tension between them?
They will say that it was the boy. I guess he was kind of the catalyst that set off the bomb. However, I believe that there were much deeper issues going on between them. I think their personalities clashed too much. It turned more into a power struggle involving deep-rooted emotions that went far beyond getting annoyed about a guy.
That’s why I say it was one of the hardest management situations I’ve ever been in. I tried so many different things with them. I tried the Dr. Phil thing. I tried the ultimatum thing. They were a nightmare a lot of the time. That when I had to lean on Sandy’s wisdom. I told her, “You’ve got to help me deal with this.”
What can you tease about the rest of the season?
Not much [laughs]. I do a really good job in terms of being a chief stew and delivering a fabulous guest experience, but it’s going to be a really interesting journey to watch. Like I said, I had never had my management skills tested like this before. You’ll get to see how I navigate difficult situations.
Before I let you go, I have to ask you about an upcoming charter. In the trailer, we see Trishelle Cannatella, the Season 2 winner of Traitors, as one of the guests. What can you tease about her trip?
Her charter was awesome. She came on with a group of people, and I think another person in her group has been on reality TV before as well. They were just such a kind, polite, lovely group. I would have them on again, for sure. She is a really cool girl.
