Nathan Gallagher has a hard choice to make this season on Below Deck Mediterranean. Should he fire Tessa Budd or Christian Trimino? Or, should Nathan fire both of these deckhands?
When we first met Nathan in Season 9, he was working as a deckhand. Then, when Nathan returned for Season 10, his role included a promotion to the bosun position. Now, as Nathan is quickly learning, being a leader is difficult. And when handed two green, slowly moving deckhands, the problems that can arise make this already taxing position feel all the more excruciating.
The only way to sort out his troubles is to fire either Tessa or Christian, and then hopefully bring on a new deckhand with better skills. But who will Nathan choose to cut loose? Both options have their flaws, so his decision could go either way.
Nathan Gallagher looks set to fire a deckhand on Below Deck Mediterranean
So far, the deck team is sinking. From fumbled dockings and departures to a stranded guest and a fellow member of their team out in the sea, all Nathan can do is shake his head and keep asking his team to step things up. However, when Episode 4 arrived, a major mistake involving a drunken guest happened. And now, Captain Sandy Yawn is ready to say goodbye to one or more of these deckhands.
Thankfully, Nathan feels the same. He has done everything he can think of, including checklists and quick instructions as needed. But nothing is sticking. And, instead of learning and adapting to meet the needs of their yacht, both Christian and Tessa are turning the script, blaming everyone, including Nathan, for their failings.
Once a mistake involving a guest’s safety happened, Captain Sandy finally realized that enough was enough, and she called Nathan up to the bridge. He has to let either Tessa or Christian go, she said. So, who will it be? she asked. Naturally, the cameras cut out here, leaving us with a cliffhanger for next week’s episode.
Now, Nathan has a big decision to make.
Why Nathan should consider firing Tessa Budd
During the first departure in Episode 1, Tessa struggled with the ramp. When Nathan urged her to ask an engineer, Tessa did so over the radio, which made Nathan sigh, saying, “This team’s not capable of giving 100 percent.”
Right after this incident, Nathan asked Tessa to bring out the nautibuoys, so their guests could enjoy their water toys after lunch. But Tessa did not understand how to do this properly. Neither did Christian, to be fair.
Then, in Episode 2, Tessa wandered all over the yacht, seemingly lost on what she needed to do. The following episode was no different. But even when Nathan gave Tessa the simple task of filling the jet skis with fuel, Tess still blanked and forgot. Cue a stranded Christian out in the middle of the sea, floating away on a dead jet ski.
Once Christian finally got rescued in Episode 4, Tessa turned to Nathan, saying, “The team feels kinda, like, weak.” She then spent the rest of Episode 4 complaining about Nathan’s leadership. So far, Tessa has not taken much accountability for her failures. However, her attitude has been slightly better than Christian’s, which makes us think that Christian is the most likely deckhand to get fired in Episode 5.
Why Christian Trimino could be fired on Below Deck Med
During his first watch in Episode 2, Christian failed to complete any of the items on his checklist. So, when Max Salvador woke up, he did all of these tasks instead. Not feeling embarrassed by his failings, Christian later dared to argue with his boss, who wanted him to blow up all of the water toys. It would be too much, Christian argued.
When the guest shifted gears, wanting to head into town, Nathan called his team on their walkies to have them start preparing the tender. But no one answered. Instead, Christian remained in his post, inflating the water toys. “I need more urgency,” Nathan demanded.
After receiving this notice from his boss, Christian drove the guests to the shore, but he stopped too far away, which Max had to help him correct. Instead of being thankful, Christian grew snippy. Then, it took Christian over an hour to bring the tender back to fetch these same guests. And later that same night, Christian once again failed to complete his checklist.
The next day was no better. Christian ignored Nathan’s orders. He did not instruct their guests about how to use their water toys. Naturally, one guest then floated away, needing a rescue.
But his biggest mistake happened in Episode 4, when Christian gave in to a drunken charter guest. This guest wanted to dip his toes into the darkened sea, despite the swells and the nos he had already received. When Christian gave in, this guest fell into the ocean, but cocky Christian still insisted that he had done nothing wrong.
Therefore, my money is riding on Christian’s exit.
Below Deck Mediterranean is streaming on Peacock.
TELL US – WHO SHOULD NATHAN FIRE?
