Below Deck Mediterranean is the first spin-off to hail from the highly viewed Below Deck series. Premiering on Bravo on May 3, 2016, seven seasons of Below Deck Mediterranean have since aired. In addition, Season 8’s release date is expected for later this year.
Unfortunately, Below Deck Mediterranean has had its fair share of polarizing main cast members. Love them or leave them at the dock, these characters either made viewers turn off their screens, cheer, or, watch obsessively in total fascination. If you’re anything like me, you were also of the “scrolling social media for hot takes” kind during the seasons that felt the most divisive.
These heated and differing reactions means that ordering each season for its likability will be a bit subjective. With that disclaimer in place, these are our rankings for the first seven seasons of Below Deck Mediterranean. To paraphrase Captain Lee Rosbach, please don’t eat my a** for dinner.
#7) Season 7 Fell Flatter Than Dave White’s Pancakes
Season 7 was overall a must miss. Chief Stew Natasha Webb‘s flirtations with Chef Dave White turned toxic due to her on-again, off-again boyfriend on land. She asked Dave to keep their boatmance a secret, toying with his feelings in the process. His behaviors then grew somewhat dark, making this season not fun to watch.
While Chef Dave was skilled, he had a few missteps. One specifically saw him not understanding a guests pancakes request, making crepes instead. As for the remaining crew, while some were great, it was an overall snoozefest. We therefore are ranking Season 7 at the bottom, though it works well as background noise when needed.
#6) Season 6 Hit Rough Waters
Season 6 provided a bit more entertainment value than Season 7. This was the first season post Hannah Ferrier‘s firing to begin with a new Chief Stew. While Hannah’s replacement, Katie Flood, was kind, she struggled to make executive decisions within her department. In her care was Stewardess Lexi Wilson, aka one of the most difficult Below Deck personalities to date.
Lexi was incredibly lazy, and she fought often with Chef Mathew Shea. She crossed a line when telling him “Your parents should’ve aborted you” just prior to threatening violence. Mathew was also a polarizing cast member, but unlike Lexi, he wasn’t fired. Overall, Season 6 just left us feeling “meh,” so it earns a spot at number six.
#5) Season 1 Has Almost Been Forgotten
As far as inaugural seasons go, Below Deck Mediterranean Season 1 was decent. Viewers were introduced to the now infamous Chief Stewardess Hannah, deckhand Bobby Giancola, and the humorous Chef Ben Robinson. This was also the only season to not be led by Captain Sandy Yawn, as the now-late Captain Mark Howard controlled the wheelhouse.
This leadership change would likely see Season 1 ranked much higher by many, but we are trying to be subjective…it’s hard.
The crew’s interactions this season felt lacking. Apart from Danny Zureikat‘s firing, no one really talks about this season much. Therefore, it’s landing just below middle grounds at spot number five on our Below Deck Mediterranean rankings.
#4) Season 2 Brought The Drama
Season 2 saw the return of Hannah and Bobby. It also introduced viewers to a slew of future reoccurring cast members, such as Captain Sandy, Malia White, Adam Glick, and Bugsy Drake. This season, we learned that Bugsy wanted Hannah’s position (foreshadowing…), and we saw a heated love triangle form between Adam, Malia, and Wesley Walton.
Basically, Season 2 saw a lot of lies and drama unfold. This was also where Captain Sandy’s initial dislike of Hannah was formed, and stayed… We are only ranking this season at the number four spot, as the love triangle dragged on for far too long.
#3) Season 3 Brought Multiple Boatmances
Season 3 felt like the love-boat, which honestly was pretty entertaining to watch. Hannah and Chef Adam returned. They were joined by João Franco and Colin Macy-O’Toole, two new cast members who would also go on to star in future seasons. Onboard, João was conflicted between Brooke Laughton in her “grandma’s bathing suit” and the witty Kasey Cohen, while Hannah had her first (and only) boatmance with Conrad Empson.
A bromance also formed between Colin and João, which helped to lighten several scenes. Overall, Season 3 earns a spot at number three in our Below Deck Mediterranean ranking.
#2) Season 4 Brought Fun
Season 4 almost made it to our top selection, as it was just so fun overall to watch. The entire interior team got along well, which is rare. A sweet, nontoxic boatmance even took place between the hysterical Jack Stirrup and the now highly beloved Aesha Scott.
Colin and Joao returned, and three different chefs were seen. The first one, Mila Kolomeitseva, was fired after Episode 5, because she (likely) lied on her resume, licked steaks, and couldn’t even make nachos. Stewardess Anastasia Surmava stepped up to replace Mila before Chef Ben finally returned to save the day.
We loved Season 4, and were it not for the series-changing events that took place in Season 5, it would have been our top pick.
#1) Season 5 Forever Changed This Series
Oh Season 5, where do we even begin? During this season, Captain Sandy’s longstanding dislike of Hannah partnered up with Maritime Law and Malia, leading to Hannah’s firing. Here, Hannah was found (by Malia) to have (a prescribed bottle of) Valium and a CBD pen onboard, and the rest was history. The returning Bugsy also got to see her dream realized, as she slid into Hannah’s position.
Captain Sandy also unfairly fired (our bias is showing, not sorry) Chef Hindrigo Lorran, aka KiKo, just prior to Hannah, cementing many viewers dislike of Captain Sandy for good. But again, this is a polarizing take, as she’s opening doors for women in a male-dominated industry, and that should not be made small.
Either way, as Season 5 still has many people talking, it lands in our top spot as the best season on Below Deck Mediterranean.
TELL US – WHICH SEASONS OF BELOW DECK MEDITERRANEAN WERE YOUR FAVORITE AND/OR LEAST FAVORITE?