Below Deck Med Recap: Aesha Steps in to Shut Down Ellie’s Power Trip

Below Deck Mediterranean’s Aesha Scott finally confronted Ellie Dubaich for going on a power trip that affected the rest of the interior team.

During the Monday, September 15, episode of the Bravo hit, Aesha started to notice just how often Ellie would tell stews Bri Muller and Carrie O’Neill what to do. Ellie, meanwhile, questioned why Aesha was treating her differently now.

“There’s been a palpable shift in Aesha’s behavior toward me ever since Carrie got onboard,” Ellie noted in a confessional. “And I’m here, like, ‘What about me? Remember me?’”

Aesha had her reasons for not relying on Ellie as often — especially when her subordinate started “goofing off” instead of doing her job. After Aesha caught Ellie hanging out in the crew mess instead of cleaning the boat, she called it out in front of everyone.

“Did you not listen to anything I’ve said to you? We are about to pick up charter and you are just flouncing around the crew mess,” Aesha added while speaking to the cameras. “It is like she’s trying to piss me off.”

According to Ellie, Aesha’s new approach didn’t make her want to work harder, sharing, “I feel like I have to check out a little bit because I don’t like how I am being treated. I fully understand that Aesha wants the highest yacht standards but the way she is going about it — she is achieving the opposite effect.”

Aesha wasn’t the only one to clock Ellie’s attempt to lead the interior. Carrie also felt as if Ellie was making it a priority to boss her around.

“Ellie is definitely trying to be the alpha dog but I’ve had a really high stress job for a long time and I’ve needed a break,” she recalled. “So it is kind of nice to let go of that responsibility for a little while.”

Later in the episode, tensions got worse when Ellie tried to exert her power. She initially didn’t like being told what to do by Carrie.

“That feels amazing. As a second stew having the floater tell me what to do at this point,” she sarcastically told the cameras. “At the same time, I was kicked out of laundry but now Carrie can do laundry all of a sudden? What the f— is going on?”

The situation only got worse when both Aesha and Ellie started giving out orders.

“Carrie, can you please jump into the pantry?” Aesha asked before Ellie jumped in over the radio, “Carrie and Bri, I need help decorating please.”

Aesha used the opportunity to remind Ellie publicly that she was in charge.

“I do not understand what Ellie is playing at. I think she is doing it to try to show Carrie, ‘Hey bitch, I do have a little bit of power here,’” Aesha noted. “But guess what Ellie, I will swoop in and I am going to put out your candle.”

The chief stew subsequently realized she needed to speak with Ellie, adding, “I have noticed Ellie kind of overstepping her role. I think Ellie thinks that being a chief stew is just walking around the boat and telling people what to do.”

Despite noticing Ellie’s insubordination, it wasn’t until the second stew undermined her job that Aesha shut her down. Aesha gave instructions to Chef Johnathan Shillingford that Ellie mirrored moments later.

“She has not once this whole season said that we are clearing on the radio,” Aesha pointed out in a confessional. “This is the straw that broke the camel’s back for me. It is too much.”

As the episode came to an end, Aesha pulled Ellie aside, saying, “I think it is annoying because it has been a buildup. I feel like you have been overstepping as the second. The job as the second is to delegate when I am not around. But if I am on the floor, you are not delegating. I’ve noticed it quite a lot over the last few days. It is really frustrating and just can’t happen.”

She continued: “It is to the point now where I am like, ‘You have disrespected my position for your own ego so much that I don’t really give a s—. Throughout this season I had to coddle her. No more of this s—, I am sick of it.”

Ellie, however, maintained that she would “never disrespect” her boss. Flashbacks from earlier in the season showed clips backing up Aesha’s point about Ellie.

“I don’t know why Aesha is just blaming me for everything at this point and making me the scapegoat,” Ellie asked as the episode came to an end.

Below Deck Mediterranean season 9 airs on Bravo Mondays at 9 p.m. ET. New episodes stream the next day on Peacock.