S9.E13: Chef Woes and Cabin Blows

[dsteele]

A potential catastrophe looms when a near-fatal dish is served. Interior challenges come to a head as Aesha's team remains in disarray. After the storm, the crew manages to fix the leak in the uninhabitable cabin.

Airs 8.26.24

Edited August 26 by dsteele

[ZettaK]

Aesha is not a great leader.

[faraway]

I cannot stand Aesha. If she talked to me the way she talks to the guests, I would feel very insulted.  And she is gross- not my thing.

Added- she talks to the guests like they are two year olds. Maybe these rich people like that.

Edited August 27 by faraway
to clarify

[SHERMDOG]

Ugh..I understand Jono screwed up.  But FUCK SANDY..ugh. can't stand her. I know I'm in the minority. I agsin am in the minority but I love Jono.

[bencr]

To be fair, if Sandy was going to fire Jono for serving uncooked fish to a guest who could die from eating it, then she should fire Aesha and herself for sending guests out to be washed away in 30 inches of rain.

[aghst]

More fake drama.  First the raw fish, it appears to be a major screwup but you can never tell with this show.  I don't recall them mentioning it in the pref sheet meeting but you'd think Aesha would be reminding Jono and all the stews and anyone who is serving the plates.

Then the cookie desert thing, reminds me of the guest who was pissed at being served chicken -- "chicken is for poor people."

OK they have a right to be upset, if they really paid big money to appear on this fake charter but we know the show casts the guests.

So if they're pissed about the dessert and also shocked about the raw fish, why tip $25k?  Either the tip is fiction or the reaction to the desert is BS.

Which is it?

Also the first day of the charter was a washout, because of the torrential rain.  Not the crew's fault for the weather but that's another reason to be dissatisfied with the charter and not tip the crew as much.  Sure that would be punishing the crew for something they have no control over but they didn't have to do as much the first day, so it's analogous to leaving a big tip or any tip if you order food to take away at a restaurant instead of getting table service.

I suspect in real charters, if the vessel is not able to leave port, then the charter guests would be able to claim a partial or full refund, or a reschedule of some kind.  Can't imagine a charter company would take thousands, maybe tens of thousands for a charter and if an "act of god" prevents them from rendering the service that the guests paid for, they wouldn't say "tough luck man, you didn't get the experience you paid for but no refund or rescheduling."

Because with that kind of attitude or policy, people wouldn't book charters unless they can be absolutely sure of the weather.

Always has to be drama, now Ellie is peeved that there will be another stew.  Also they wait after a huge rainstorm to fix up that cabin and bring along another stew.  No that was the plan all along, understaff them so that people are overworked and on edge, more likely to bicker.

But what timing, Ellie and Bri sort of make peace, agree neither of them will mess with Joe any more and of course they bring another young woman on and Joe's already rubbing his hands.

 

[Chatty Cake]

Why wouldn’t there be more safety protocols taken when a guest is on board with a severe allergy? Wouldn’t Jono and Aesha work together to oversee that the guest is safe? They showed Nathan serving the plate to her. Also why didn’t the guest ask to have the plate removed immediately? 
Finally, since Sandy is so intent on inserting herself here and there for short periods, why didn’t she review some safety guidelines with the chef, chief stew and bosun? 
The cookie thing was lazy but with no help in the kitchen I can see why he was scrambling although he should have had dessert already planned. The guest didn’t have to be such a jerk.
They always show Iain eating and getting ready to go down. What was the group text about? He wanted to sleep in? He really comes off too lackadaisical but I prefer him to Joe running around humping anything that stands still.   

[Baltimore Betty]

11 hours ago, faraway said:

I cannot stand Aesha. If she talked to me the way she talks to the guests, I would feel very insulted.  And she is gross- not my thing.

Added- she talks to the guests like they are two year olds. Maybe these rich people like that.

That scene where she was feeding the primary, just omg.

The balls, that was gross but to have Aesha talk about how much she loves balls, on her face, in her mouth, etc...why so coarse?

The raw fish/near death experience, what Sandy did not understand is it is only if ingested because the there were plates on either side of her and taking hers away wouldn't make a difference because of the proximity of the other plates.  I could see if the guest ate some and then asked if it was raw fish but I am sure she has an epi pen at the ready.

Sandy love of the dramatic is stupid, her trying to replace Jono with one more charter to go, I am glad it couldn't be done.

Why couldn't the leak in the crew cabin be fixed before this charter, the leak could have ruined the cabin, the dampness would allow mold to grow, the wood trip would warp and the smell would make for an unpleasant stay in that cabin.

I have given up trying to believe that Bri is not thick as a brick, she really lost her own clothing from the time it was laundered to the time she put it away. I have no hope for her.

[snarts]

I thought Sandy had vetoed Iain's decision to make Joe lead deckhand? Seems like nobody told him. Watching him continually try to boss Gael around makes me angry primarily because I don't see him doing the same to Nathan.

Speaking of Nathan, he was so cute mentioning the sappy romantic side that Gael brings out in him. Shipping them hard, hoping they avoid the boatmance curse.

So they finally fix the leak but with only two charters left in the season. No idea why that couldn't be fixed charter one, other than production interference to amp up the interior drama. 

Agree that the tip didn't match the experience but not surprised. Some people tip well and others don't, it doesn't always correspond with the service received. 

Ellie is deluded if she thinks she's chief stew material. She can't even be on service alone.

[RalyWilmy]

Not much to add, other than I have never identified with someone on a reality show as much as I did the guest who over served herself at the wine tasting.  I may have done that a time or three, lol. That whole scenario had me cackling. When she said "don't judge me", I fell out 🤣

Edited August 27 by RalyWilmy

[aghst]

Yeah did Joe suddenly try to micromanage Gael, after she criticized him for leading Bri and Ellie on?

Or was he doing it before but they chose to only show it in this episode?

 

 

[sugarbaker design]

6 minutes ago, snarts said:

Agree that the tip didn't match the experience but not surprised. Some people tip well and others don't, it doesn't always correspond with the service received. 

I know it's not the same scale as these $20K+ tips, but I always overtip a server if someone in my party is acting like an asshole.  I also make a mental note never to eat out with the asshole again.

6 minutes ago, snarts said:

Ellie is deluded if she thinks she's chief stew material. She can't even be on service alone.

She's the worst!  I hope they compile a gag reel of Aesha's corrections.

Edited August 27 by sugarbaker design

[LotusFlower]

12 hours ago, SHERMDOG said:

Ugh..I understand Jono screwed up.  But FUCK SANDY..ugh. can't stand her. I know I'm in the minority.

You are not in the minority.  Sandy is the worst.  

[Chatty Cake]

A pet peeve, when Sandy was filling in for Captain Lee, she fired a stew for calling her Sandy and then correcting it to Captain Sandy. Yet Aesha calls her Sandy often. The stew she fired was deserving of it but does she want to be called Captain or does she want to be best friends with her crew?

I like Aesha but that balls segment was ridiculous. 

[howiveaddict]

I googled hemochromatosis, which causes iron overload.  The raw seafood thing is because with high iron levels, it is easier to have problems with bacteria from the raw seafood.  It's not instant death like anaphylaxis.  That said, I almost think that production made the guests condition up, too cause problems.  I got  the "Oh, yeah, I could die from raw seafood due to iron over load, wink, wink from the guest.  Maybe not, but I have at times thought some of the other things on a preference sheets were made up.  

Also, why didn't Sandy or Aesha remove the plate when they found out.  Not leave it there , killing the guest, so Jono could remove the plate.

[DallasDiva243]

I laughed so hard at Joe falling up the stairs  and Jono leaning over him and saying “good morning”!!! Best part of the episode!!

[Baltimore Betty]

40 minutes ago, howiveaddict said:

I have at times thought some of the other things on a preference sheets were made up.  

Like the woman who couldn't eat eggs outside? 

Those producers have wild imaginations sometimes.

Edited August 28 by Baltimore Betty

[Zaffy]

I think the only real drama is Aesha having one stew less and working way too much. And I am not even sure about that. All the rest seems fabricated.
Like the leak that Iain fixed in a few minutes, just two charters before the end of the season.

So the production advised (or asked) Aesha to be gross this season with poo and balls "jokes". The production thinks we appreciate this kind of humor. But do we?
Who watches this franchise? I had the feeling that the BD audience are adults over 30years old. It seems Bravo thinks they are pre-teens instead. Who is right?

It amuses me people get angry with Sandy, she is  just playing a role. She does what production asks her to do. She just can't act well and sometimes it is just embarrassing. 

No serious yacht company would hire most of these people as a crew.
It is not about yachting skills, it a crew selected on different criteria: their drama-causing talent and their looks.

Jono seems like a nice person, but serving cookies sandwich on a luxury yacht? huh? And still they got a huge tip. It's a mystery!!!!
Or the tip is also fake. At the end I will start believing this is not a boat, they never came to Greece and it is all cgi in front of a green screen 😁
 

[Baltimore Betty]

1 hour ago, Zaffy said:

the tip is also fake.

I have been saying that for many seasons about all the BD shows, mostly everyone hands that wad of money to the captain and it is always in a white letter size envelope.  My thought is traveling with $20,000+ in cash is nuts if it is real, in the modern day of Venmo and Zelle I would think the primary would transfer the money to the yacht company and the yacht company would wire the money to the crew's accounts. Considering if the money was in USD and for example, Aesha lives in Australia, she would possibly lose money making the exchange.

We never see a crew member show the wad of cash or talk about the big pile of cash, or roll in said cash, or safely lock up said cash, etc...

The other BS is Sandy is on her yacht in Greece and decides to text whatshername to request a replacement chef...this woman who sends staff to the boat is most likely in Fort Lauderdale, time zones people, time zones, unless this woman works swing shift I do not believe those texts are really happening in real time.

 

[aghst]

Remember the one time a little boy had a little suitcase handcuffed to him and then when they left they uncured the suitcase and left the tip money in that little suitcase?

Obviously someone went to the trouble of getting crisp bills, almost in pristine condition so that the bills stacked together was neat and the individual tip portions weren't that thick?

In any event I wouldn't want to store tens of thousands in cash over the course of a season in this tightly packed ship or where the crew cabins are.

 

 

[Zaffy]

3 hours ago, Baltimore Betty said:

I have been saying that for many seasons about all the BD shows, mostly everyone hands that wad of money to the captain and it is always in a white letter size envelope.  My thought is traveling with $20,000+ in cash is nuts if it is real, in the modern day of Venmo and Zelle I would think the primary would transfer the money to the yacht company and the yacht company would wire the money to the crew's accounts. Considering if the money was in USD and for example, Aesha lives in Australia, she would possibly lose money making the exchange.

We never see a crew member show the wad of cash or talk about the big pile of cash, or roll in said cash, or safely lock up said cash, etc...

The other BS is Sandy is on her yacht in Greece and decides to text whatshername to request a replacement chef...this woman who sends staff to the boat is most likely in Fort Lauderdale, time zones people, time zones, unless this woman works swing shift I do not believe those texts are really happening in real time.

 

There are some articles (with Bravo as a source) claiming that the tips are really paid by the guests. I also doubt, mostly because of the logistics, as you also pointed out.  
The lady, Sandy keeps calling (Nora? Norma?), is probably the production! lol!
I could guess there are agencies for yachting, providing this kind of services in location. So if Nor(m)a is a real person, could be indeed based in Greece or near by in Europe. I find funny the charter preparations that happen in the last 5 mins for the shake of TV time. Trying to find the food the guests asked a few hours before they arrive or the decorations for "their" silly parties. Aesha called someone for the fireworks at sea a few hours earlier. I guess it could happen but you take a big risk. 

 

EDITED TO ADD:
Red it detectives think Norma is this lady and they do have offices in Europe

 

Edited August 28 by Zaffy

[hatchetgirl]

I can't stand Joe.  He's a pig and i need him off my tv.  Same can be said for Ellie.  Just both so gross and blech.  

 

[howiveaddict]

Norma is real. People have met her at Bravo Con. She was also at Sandy's wedding.  Listen to Watch What Crappens podcast to hear the real and imagined conversations between Norma and Sandy recreated.  Bloop. Love ya slut!

[iMonrey]

On 8/27/2024 at 7:52 AM, snarts said:

Agree that the tip didn't match the experience but not surprised. Some people tip well and others don't, it doesn't always correspond with the service received. 

For sure. Some people are good tippers even when service is fair to middling. Some people are lousy tippers even when service is great. Some people are just assholes, it's often brought to my attention. Anyone who thinks tips would always have a 1 to 1 ratio to the quality of the service has obviously never worked in the service industry.

A little trick I learned from a waitress friend, who tips well even if service is just fair. When she returns to the same restaurant she requests to be seated in the same waiter's station, and then she gets excellent service because the waiter remembers she tips well.

11 hours ago, Baltimore Betty said:

I have been saying that for many seasons about all the BD shows, mostly everyone hands that wad of money to the captain and it is always in a white letter size envelope.  My thought is traveling with $20,000+ in cash is nuts if it is real, in the modern day of Venmo and Zelle I would think the primary would transfer the money to the yacht company and the yacht company would wire the money to the crew's accounts.

Yes. Kate Chastain said the cash is just for the show. The real money is wired into their accounts. The money, however, does indeed come from the guests.

[SemiCharmedLife]

On 8/26/2024 at 7:53 PM, SHERMDOG said:

Ugh..I understand Jono screwed up.  But FUCK SANDY..ugh. can't stand her. I know I'm in the minority. I agsin am in the minority but I love Jono.

THANK YOU!  I came here to say this.  First of all, the lady wrote "no raw fish" on the preference sheet.  I highly doubt she said it was deadly to her. How was Jono to know the extent of the problem?  Sandy is the WORST!!!  Jono has done so much better and taken all the critiques to heart.  And she wants to fire him?  Also, give me a break on dessert-gate.  Jono made homemade CAKE, homemade ice cream, homemade cookies and homemade caramel sauce.  That is actually much more work that a soufflé.  I wish he would have stood up for himself to Sandy.  Aesha described the dessert as a cookie and ice cream.  Not cool.  I love Aesha, but don't agree with that.

[iMonrey]

On 8/27/2024 at 12:42 PM, Chatty Cake said:

A pet peeve, when Sandy was filling in for Captain Lee, she fired a stew for calling her Sandy and then correcting it to Captain Sandy. Yet Aesha calls her Sandy often. The stew she fired was deserving of it but does she want to be called Captain or does she want to be best friends with her crew?

You're only allowed to call her Sandy if she likes you. And if Hannah was chief stew Sandy would be all over her ass for the service mistakes. But since she's friends with Aesha, Aesha gets a free pass on all the myriad laundry mistakes and service problems. 

[ZettaK]

Joe is despicable. He is ready to hit on the new stew after he used Bri and Ellie (well, they allowed themselves to be used). 

Ellie is delusional if she thinks she is chief stew material.

Bri is incorrigible. She even lost her own dress. 

Those two, and especially Bri won't find employment easily after those televised "performances". 

Aesha's behavior/language is cringeworthy.

As for Jono, who is otherwise likeable, he could have made a soufflé (for example) because the guests asked for it (or a crème brûlée). It was an important anniversary for the couple. I was making good cheese soufflés when I used to cook a little bit years ago. It was not difficult, or that time consuming. But he probably needed some help, and there were only three stews available who were not too competent to begin with.

As for the fourth stew, she seems to be interested in hooking up with guys per the previews.

Edited August 29 by ZettaK

[aqusdealer]

News Flash...Joe gets an STD and his willy falls off!

[SailorGirl48445]

Aesha in the previews of the new stew: Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

ugh.   

[PaperTree]

16 hours ago, SailorGirl48445 said:

Aesha in the previews of the new stew: Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

ugh.   

That voice could cut glass.

[Chalby]

On 8/26/2024 at 11:19 AM, ZettaK said:

Aesha is not a great leader.

She doesn't seem to be doing as well as she could. I like her personality (except when she shares too much) but I see she's working to fulfill yacht duties when she's been down a stew the whole time. That's on Sandy. 

[Chalby]

On 8/28/2024 at 8:24 PM, SemiCharmedLife said:

How was Jono to know the extent of the problem?  Sandy is the WORST!!!  Jono has done so much better and taken all the critiques to heart.  And she wants to fire him?  Also, give me a break on dessert-gate.  Jono made homemade CAKE, homemade ice cream, homemade cookies and homemade caramel sauce. 

I'm impressed by any chef who is able to produced a decent meal in spite of "preference sheets". Usually chief stew eyes what's leaving the kitchen, but for Sandy to want to fire him? The guests weren't even upset. What's really going on for Sandy to dump on Jono? Surely it's more than this nonsense.

[howiveaddict]

I personally like  cookies with ice cream. Heat up the cookie first and you have melted yummy goodness.  

[PaperTree]

Back in summer 1974, 15 years old, I was a busboy in a high end restaurant.

Gave new customers a glass of water and butter on arrival, then cleaned up the mess.  Busted my ass.  Waitresses were mostly cool.  If they messed with me, guess whose tables got cleared last.  Hmmm

Had about 30 tables to deal with, then helped clean the kitchen when it was all over.

Made 3 bucks an hour which was very good money at the time, but knew, this wasn't the life for me.

[lilmarysunshine]

On 8/27/2024 at 7:38 AM, Baltimore Betty said:

 

The raw fish/near death experience, what Sandy did not understand is it is only if ingested because the there were plates on either side of her and taking hers away wouldn't make a difference because of the proximity of the other plates.  I could see if the guest ate some and then asked if it was raw fish but I am sure she has an epi pen at the ready.

As someone else mentioned, the problem is getting sick from raw fish and the iron surplus in her blood making things exponentially worse. So it only mattered if she ate it.

Aesha is just so gross. I don’t understand why they love her.  Everyone who knows her knows she loves balls so they show a close-up of her fiance’s crotch. So low-brow for people who purportedly are in charge of delivering refined experiences.  

[ZettaK]

On 9/2/2024 at 9:44 PM, lilmarysunshine said:

As someone else mentioned, the problem is getting sick from raw fish and the iron surplus in her blood making things exponentially worse. So it only mattered if she ate it.

Aesha is just so gross. I don’t understand why they love her.  Everyone who knows her knows she loves balls so they show a close-up of her fiance’s crotch. So low-brow for people who purportedly are in charge of delivering refined experiences.  

And somebody would be able to see the fish was raw, on top of Aesha, etc. telling her.