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Meet the Crewmates Joining Captain Sandy Yawn on Below Deck Mediterranean Season 8
Captain Sandy Yawn is joined by a set of new yachties — and a few familiar faces — on Season 8.
Get ready for an Italian getaway, because Below Deck Mediterranean is headed to Genoa for Season 8 this fall.
Captain Sandy Yawn is joined by a few of the crew members from Season 7's M/Y Home (though they'll be on a new vessel this time around!), and she'll also be getting acquainted with two yachties who first appeared on Below Deck Down Under.
Get to know the Mustique crew and find out when Season 8 premieres by scrolling below.
When does Season 8 of Below Deck Mediterranean premiere?
Below Deck Mediterranean Season 8 will kick off with a supersized premiere on Monday, September 25 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo. New episodes will be available to stream the next day on Peacock.
Meet the Cast of Below Deck Mediterranean Season 8
Get to know (or get reacquainted with!) the yachties joining Captain Sandy in Genoa on Mustique below. Season 7 cast members Natalya Scudder and Kyle Viljoen are back, and Below Deck Down Under alums Tumi Mhlongo and Luka Brunton are crossing franchises to appear on Below Deck Mediterranean.
Returning Below Deck Mediterranean Castmembers
Sandy Yawn — Captain
Hometown: Bradenton, Florida
Birth date: February 23
Zodiac sign: Pisces
Years of experience in the yachting industry: 33
Favorite off-boat activities: "Snowboarding, skiing and playing in the water."
What is your wildest charter guest story from your career? "I had guests shooting water balloons from a massive slingshot on deck into a crowd during the Cannes Film Festival. The guests were also dressed for a red carpet."
What was your first impression of Mustique? "I was excited to run it because it was built in the same shipyard as the White Star, the vessel I became captain on in 2003."
Favorite place you’ve been on charter/place you traveled? "I love the South of France and the Amalfi Coast."
What’s one thing about working and living on a boat that would surprise people? "The show reveals it all, so no surprises there."
Kyle Viljoen — Stew
Hometown: Springs, South Africa
Birth date: February 21
Zodiac sign: Pisces
Years of experience in the yachting industry: 6
Favorite off-boat activities: "Mimosas, drag shows and shaking my thunder thighs to some good house music on a rooftop."
Special skills: "I can identify most of South Africa’s animals from just their sounds."
What Bravo shows do you watch?: "The Real Housewives of Atlanta, [The Real Housewives of] New York [City], [The Real Housewives of] Potomac, [The Real Housewives of] Salt Lake City, [The Real Housewives of] Beverly Hills, [The Real Housewives of] New Jersey, Summer House, [Luann and Sonja: Welcome to] Crappie Lake and Project Runway."
What is your wildest charter guest story from your career? "I once served over 45 teenage guests by myself and ended up crowd surfing and being the party mascot doing a handstand twerk dance-off."
Who is your best friend on Mustique?: "The espresso machine."
What was your first impression of Mustique? "Oh, now I work on a cruise ship."
Natalya Scudder — Stew
Hometown: Perth, Western Australia
Birth date: March 15
Zodiac sign: Pisces
Years of experience in the yachting industry: 8
Favorite off-boat activities: "Creating art, planning events for family and friends, cooking, and movie days."
What do you do in your off time on the boat? "Spend time with family and travel with friends!"
Special skills: "Can make the most boring things fun."
Who do you miss most from home when you're traveling for work? "My little niece and nephew!"
Favorite place you’ve been on charter/place you traveled? "Costa Rica and Raja Ampat."
What was your first impression of Mustique? "Wide boat, lots of storage, fun crew :)"
Below Deck Down Under Crossover Castmembers
Tumi Mhlongo — Chief Stew
Hometown: Johannesburg, South Africa
Birth date: December 23
Zodiac: Capricorn
Years of experience in the yachting industry: 3
Special skills: "I’m great at creating tablescapes."
What Bravo shows do you watch? "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, [The Real Housewives of] Dubai and [The Real Housewives of] Atlanta."
Favorite place you’ve been on charter/place you traveled? "The Bahamas is my favorite place to charter."
What’s one thing about working and living on a boat that would surprise people? "99.9% of the time you will never see the crew again after living with them."
Sum up this season in three words! "Crazy, exhausting[,] and emotional."
Luka Brunton — Lead Deckhand
Hometown: Raglan New Zealand
Birth date: October 31
Zodiac sign: Scorpio
Years of experience in the yachting industry: 7
Favorite off-boat activities: "Snowboarding, surfing and skydiving."
What Bravo shows do you watch? "The Real Housewives franchise."
What is your wildest charter guest story from your career? "I have had some high-profile guests visit a yacht. We had to pick them up in a tender in the middle of the night with no lights on so they wouldn’t be seen."
Favorite place you’ve been on charter/place you traveled? "Maldives was one of the most amazing places I’ve ever been. We got to surf nearly every day."
Sum up this season in three words: "Epic, wet[,] and dramatic."
Meet the New Below Deck Mediterranean Castmembers
Jack Luby — Chef
Hometown: Liverpool, England
Birth date: August 24
Zodiac sign: Virgo
Years of experience in the yachting industry: "3 in yachting, 14 years as a chef."
Favorite off-boat activities: "Creating travel vlogs and cooking content for my YouTube channel, CrossFit, boxing and hiking all over the planet."
Special skills: "I'm an absolute wizard on the dance floor."
What is your wildest charter guest story from your career? "A main charter guest had been fishing and caught some sea urchin. He put it in the galley while I was away, and I threw it away. The next morning, he asked for a sea urchin omelette so I woke up the diver and forced him to dive in the sea and get me a sea urchin."
What was your first impression of Mustique? "The galley was one of the best I’ve worked in so far. It really gave me a chance to showcase the best of my skills and abilities."
What’s one thing about working and living on a boat that would surprise people? "During charter you really work and earn your money. Off charter, it’s easy to forget about reality. You start thinking you own the yacht yourself."
Jessika Asai — Stew
Hometown: Hilo, HI
Birth date: May 16
Zodiac sign: Taurus
Years of experience in the yachting industry: 4
Favorite off boat activities: "Sunbathing, going to the gym, pilates and being in nature."
Special skills: "I’m very flexible. I can do front and back flips."
Who do you miss most from home when you’re traveling for work? "My girl besties and my dog, Legend."
What is your wildest charter guest story from your career? "Famous rappers came aboard for one of their birthdays. That's all I can say."
What was your first impression of Mustique? "Her name immediately reminded me of 'mistakes.'"
Ruan Irving — Bosun
Hometown: Margate, South Africa
Birth date: July 24
Zodiac sign: Leo
Years of experience in the yachting industry: 10
Favorite off-boat activities: "I like to box spearfish, surf, ride motor cross bikes and swim."
What is your wildest charter guest story from your career? "One guest wanted to do the flyboard and ended up flying so high that he fell onto a jet ski and broke his shoulder and ribs."
What was your first impression of Mustique? "It was an old classic boat and still looking good."
Favorite place you’ve been on charter/place you traveled? "To charter, for sure Bonifacio. To where I’ve traveled to, Bali."
What’s one thing about working and living on a boat that would surprise people? "All the different personalities and pressure on one small boat can be a recipe for disaster."
Lara Du Preez — Deckhand
Hometown: Hermanus, South Africa
Birth date: March 15
Zodiac sign: Pisces
Years of experience in the yachting industry: 4
Special skills: "I’m very handy and good at fixing things."
What do you do in your off time on the boat? "I workout, do courses to improve my deckhand skills and love to socialize."
What was your first impression of Mustique? "She was very dirty and desperately needed a cleaning."
Favorite place you’ve been on charter/place you traveled? "Bonifacio, France, and Bali."
What’s one thing about working and living on a boat that would surprise people? "The people you work with become your family and you make love-hate relationships."
Haleigh Gorman
Hometown: Langhorne, PA
Birth date: August 4
Zodiac sign: Leo
Years of experience in the yachting industry: "10 on small ships."
Favorite off-boat activities: "Hiking, scuba diving, fishing and yoga."
Who do you miss most from home when you’re traveling for work? "My dogs at home."
What was your first impression of Mustique? "Very clean compared to what I’m used to."
Favorite place you’ve been on charter/place you traveled? "Costa Rica on a research ship and the northwest Hawaiian islands."
Sum up this season in three words: "Super, crazy, hectic."
More on Season 8 of Below Deck Mediterranean
Per the official press release for Season 8, drama is on the horizon for the aforementioned Mustique crew members.
"Set amidst the mesmerizing Italian Riviera and the historic façade of Genoa, Italy, it's all hands on deck this season for Capt[ain] Sandy and her team," the release reads. "From outrageous guests to after-hours antics, the boat gets rocked throughout each charter as the crew navigates complicated dynamics and unexpected rifts. In a franchise first, unprecedented staffing changes dominate the season, which tests each department as they struggle to find their sea legs through unforeseen turnover."
"Sandy levels up this season with the 180-foot M/Y Mustique, which challenges her deck crew as they attempt to navigate the busy industrial port with utmost precision. Before they even leave the dock, visa issues tie up two crew members while a department head mismanages important paperwork. Sandy leans on temporary help for the first charter and an unexpected shake-up results in a change of hierarchy. On deck, the crew is overwhelmed by their workload on the oversized vessel as the interior deals with a clash of personalities. Chef Jack wows the guests with his impressive take on local Italian fare, but things start to sour when communication goes south..."
See more from Captain Sandy and the rest of the Mustique crew when Season 8 debuts on September 25.
