'Below Deck Mediterranean' Captain Sandy Yawn Previews Her On-Screen Proposal
Season 9 of Below Deck Mediterranean premieres tonight. And though the action will once again take place on the "Mustique," Captain Sandy Yawn will face a new series of conflicts that include, according to a press release, "eccentric guests, an abundance of late-night demands that require intervention and a never-before-seen mechanical issue that orders all hands on deck." Luckily, Captain Sandy will be backed up by her crew, which notably features the return of Aesha Scott. Aesha starred in Seasons 4 and 5 of Below Deck Med as Second Stewardess before departing for the first two seasons of Below Deck Down Under. Now, she's returned home with much more experience in a Chief Stewardess role.But the warm feelings don't stop there. That's because Season 9 will provide a rare glimpse into Captain Sandy's personal life, namely her relationship with her partner, Leah Shafer. Below Deck Mediterranean will not only feature a rare on-camera appearance from Leah but also show Sandy's proposal from September 2023. We shall see how the magical moment went down in real-time and how much of their recent May wedding will make it to air.Read below for Parade's exclusive interview with Captain Sandy. Below Deck Mediterranean premieres tonight, June 3, at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo.Related: Everything to Know About Below Deck Mediterranean Season 9How are you feeling right now on the precipice of a new season? I imagine it must be an experience to rewatch everything.Yes, absolutely. Every time I watch the season, I always say to myself, "It makes a lot of sense. That's why that person was in that mood, or that person was crying." I don't really know until I watched the episodes. I think, "Oh, I wish I would have known. Maybe I could have stepped in sooner, or maybe not stepped in."Well, let's get into Season 9. So, I believe this will be the first time in Below Deck Med history that you'll be using the same ship in back-to-back seasons. What was that like?I know how to drive the boat. So I know where the switches are and what buttons to push, which makes it easier. And every boat's different. Some, you need a little more throttle maneuvering than others. And this boat I handled really well.I'm sure it helps when you're surrounded by familiar faces like Aesha. Tell me about your reaction to her coming back to the show that started it all.I have no idea on the how. I just know I was there when it happened. And what a great thing to have full circle. Aesha was the Second Stew, then goes off, learns more, and continues her education. Now she comes back with a mad skill set as a Chief Stew, and I couldn't be more happy.What was that like for you? Because I could imagine it must be nice to see a familiar face. But, to your point, Aesha's coming back almost a completely different person.Yes, I agree. I also think people obviously need time off to reset and come back with a different mindset. Aesha has always had a positive attitude. There's never been an issue with her. She's a hard worker. She's a team player. Every Chief Stew brings something different. Aesha brings all of it combined.It was such a blessing to have her back and watch her do her job as a Chief Stewardess. Which was, for me, managing personalities, which is what you don't have to do as a Second Stew. You try to keep that line; you try to keep it from reaching the bridge. So, it does reflect on the leader sometimes. And, in some cases, the leader can do anything possible to help someone, but they just refuse to help. And when that happens, that's when I step in. Aesha's great leader. It's been a true blessing having our back on board.You have a number of new crew members on Season 9. Give me one to a few words to describe each of them. Starting with chef Johnathan Shillingford.Chill.Stewardess Bri Muller.Bri is like a breath of fresh air. And also she brings good energy. I like Bri very much. Bri's an excellent crew member. When people are willing and open, that makes you an asset. You can learn anything as long as you're willing and open-minded.Bosun Iain Maclean.Delegation? I don't know, honestly. I think everybody has something to learn.Deckhand Joe Bradley.Entertainment.Deckhand Nathan Gallager.Experienced.And finally, Deckhand Gael Cameron.Reserved.Well, let's segué from your crew to yourself. Because we get to see an incredibly personal side of you in Season 9. What was that like?It's incredible. I think it's all in the "super tease." And every season brings something a little more spicy and sometimes a little more sweet. And I think this season for me, it's very sweet.Yeah, I imagine you didn't come onto Season 2 ever thinking you'd be proposing on-camera. It must be surreal.Yes, it is. And I don't really think like that. It doesn't really enter my mind. I don't think about TV at all. You can tell; look how I come out of my cabin. [Laughs.] Why didn't I just put a little makeup on or something? But I don't think about television. I'm there to do a job and live in the moment, the experience, and not thinking about all the other stuff.So then, what was it like to have your proposal captured by the cameras?Incredible. Especially with Pride right around the corner. I think it's awesome. I wanted that to happen. I'm so grateful that Bravo made it happen. And it's gonna really inspire a lot of people who are struggling to just say yes.What about from Leah's perspective? She's not someone who has shown up on the show before, so it has to be a big deal in many ways.I think it's a big deal that she came to visit me. I don't think it's a big deal being filmed. Because Leah's been on many TV shows and had her own TV show in the gospel world. So, I don't think that was a big deal for her. But the big deal was us being married. That was the big deal. And I think, watching on Below Deck: Mediterranean, we will go, "Wow, that was incredible."On that note, do you want to give an update on everything happening with you and Leah?Actually, Leah and I are going to do our honeymoon in July, because we didn't have a lot of time. We made a big move to Florida. Our house is under construction. And I'm doing these press junkets. So, yes, work is coming first.Did you celebrate post-wedding on the water? Or did you stay landlocked for once?So I did three days on my former boss's boat while we went to the little Palm Island in the Keys, which is spectacular island, for three nights. And then we came back in full throttle work mode.Next, here's when every Below Deck series is coming back.
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