TW: This article contains discussions of suicide.
Cathy Skinner is an incredible new-to-Bravo stew, currently starring on Season 10 of Below Deck Mediterranean. Cathy is extremely skilled in her job. She is also a drama-free yachtie, which means her storylines are landing well with the masses. However, there are certain plotlines that her producers left out, and these details involved her most tragic scenes filmed yet.
During the tail end of Episode 13, Cathy received a life-changing word from home. Her stepfather had passed, which saw Cathy crumple. Shortly after, Cathy soldiered ahead, bravely deciding to remain onboard.
Ever proud of our girl, Reality Tea got Cathy on the line. Here, we learned a heavy, albeit “important to talk about” detail surrounding her grief. We also (somewhat) learned where Cathy stands with Max Salvador, alongside many others on her crew. Here’s everything Cathy said.
Would Cathy Skinner dare to replace Aesha Scott?
Starting with everything that aired, Cathy joined the yacht in Episode 7. Her resume was stacked. Yet, this yacht already had a chief stew in Aesha Scott. Was it hard for Cathy to work in a lesser role?
“No, it wasn’t. I would absolutely think your first impression is, ‘oh, sh*t, she’s going to be a bit big-headed, and she’s so confident, and she’s just going to come in and be like, I’m going to start rolling.’ But that is just not me at all, so it really wasn’t hard for me to slot in, especially because of the team that we had.”
Speaking of her team, Aesha recently admitted that, one day, she will sail into a new chapter of life with her fiancé, Scott Dobson. We could easily see Cathy stepping into Aesha’s shoes. Does Cathy agree?
“I mean, it would be huge shoes to fill, and I have very tiny three-and-a-half-sized feet, but it’s something I would definitely be open to.”
Are Cathy and Max Salvador still together?
In Episode 8, Cathy set her sights on Max. With Cathy, Max is beyond supportive and sweet. What drew Cathy to Max?
“You know what it is? I’ve always appreciated people who are the complete opposite of me. I’m quite a serious person, so having that dynamic brings the fun out of me and makes me laugh.”
But don’t expect Cathy to elaborate on their current status, as Cathy loves “the suspension and storyline. But, take it how you will, we speak a lot. He’s great. We have such a great friendship, or more, together,” Cathy expertly teased.
“We speak so highly of each other, which is just so lovely. And no matter what happens, I always believe people come into your life for a reason, whether that’s for a long time or a short time, that we were meant to meet. He helped me through the hardest time of my life. So, no matter what happens, we will always have such respect for each other.”
Cathy dishes on Nathan Gallagher, Victoria SanJuan, and Kizzi Kitchener
While Max saves all his positive words for Cathy, he is currently frustrating Victoria SanJuan and Nathan Gallagher. Now, V shouldn’t have complained about Max to Cathy. But to date, these girls are okay. Cathy is “actually seeing V next week.”
As for Nathan, this bosun recently saved several beachgoers during a tragic shooting on Bondi Beach. But after, he went online and slammed “these people.” As headlines formed, both for and against Nathan, Cathy posted a thoughtful statement instead. Many fans noted that after, Cathy reportedly unfollowed Nathan.
However, “He actually unfollowed me,” and it was “before this,” Cathy revealed. “I was receiving a lot of comments, so I decided to address them peacefully. I don’t think people should get cancelled or anything like that. Sometimes, people don’t realise they are saying things that they shouldn’t until they say them, and people call them out.”
As for her support system post-filming, “Kizzi [Kitchener] is one of the first people to message me every time an episode comes out and just ask if I’m OK.” And during filming, Kizzi “was such a huge support leading up to, obviously, the hard time that I’m having right now.”
Cathy reveals that her stepfather died by suicide, and now, she hopes to use her platform for good
In Episode 13, Cathy learned that her stepfather had passed. As Cathy revealed to us, however, he actually died by suicide. Now, Cathy is bravely refusing to shy away from this truth. Instead, Cathy hopes to use her platform for good.
For those starting 2026, trying to come to terms with similar feelings or losses, Cathy reminds, “You are going to have good days, you are going to have bad days.”
“My favourite quote in the world is, ‘a bad day isn’t a bad week, a bad week isn’t a bad month, a bad month isn’t a bad year, a bad year is not a bad life. Emotions are temporary, and in those moments, it seems like there’s absolutely no other option. But you feel so different even a week later, a month later. So just one foot in front of the other, day by day, cry things out when needed.”
“And stop trying to understand the mind of someone that you’re not in. They are not themselves when it happens. There is such a big gap between depression and suicide, you will never be able to understand what a large difference that is, because we are not them.”
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please reach out to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialling 988, texting “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741741, or going to 988lifeline.org.
Below Deck Mediterranean is streaming on Peacock.
TELL US – ARE YOU LOVING CATHY ON BELOW DECK MED SEASON 10? DO YOU HAVE ANY WORDS OF PRAISE, COMFORT, OR SUPPORT FOR CATHY?
