Joe Bradley and Nathan Gallagher instantly bonded on board Below Deck Mediterranean Season 9. But when they returned for Season 10, their bromance faltered.
This season, Nathan returned with a promotion. He is now the bosun, so his responsibilities greatly increased. However, Nathan didn’t have a solid team at the start of this season, so two firings quickly occurred. After that, Joe returned to help his buddy on deck.
When Joe appeared on the pier in Season 10, he and Nathan ran to each other, like starved, giggly lovers. It was hysterical to watch, but shortly after, there were rumblings that, in between Seasons 9 and 10, Joe and Gael Cameron, Nathan’s girlfriend, were at odds. Therefore, when Gael later returned in Season 10, their tensions soared. And now, post-filming, Nathan and Joe are no longer on speaking terms.
There are obviously many details that viewers aren’t privy to. But regarding what’s aired, this is everything we know about the current rift between Nathan and Joe.
Joe Bradley and Nathan Gallagher are no longer Below Deck Mediterranean besties
In 2024, I had enjoyed interviewing Joe and Nathan. They were both in New York City, as they were starring on a fun taping of Watch What Happens Live together. When they appeared on my screen, cuddled together as only besties do, their love for each other was apparent. And their affectionate words for each other only further proved how close these men had grown during filming on Season 9.
As Joe told us, he and Nathan are “the same caliber of person.” Their friendship started “from the get-go. You just know when you’ve got a boy by your side, and that’s my boy right here,” Joe said, pointing at a smiling Nathan. “We just fed off each other’s energies,” Nathan agreed.
Joe next stressed, “If I didn’t have this guy, I’d probably crumble.” Once again agreeing with his mate, Nathan joked, “If I didn’t have this guy, I’d crumble as well. We’d be apple crumble.”
One season later, their once-tight friendship has indeed transitioned into a sad serving of apple crumble.
Nathan spoke of Joe’s previous “beef” with Gael Cameron
During Season 9, Gael clocked Joe in her confessional when speaking about his season-long love triangle. “Joe is being a little bit of a dick,” she said. “He is choosing what he wants, when he wants it, without considering how it affects the girls. It’s just not nice anymore, so I’m losing respect for Joe in that sense.”
This season, Gael returned at the tail end of Episode 12, which caused Joe to raise his signaturely bushy eyebrows. As Nathan explained, Joe and Gael had a previous “beef.” Elaborating, Joe noted that his “beef” with Gael actually went down online.
As Joe admitted, he and “Gael aren’t friends, and such is that.” Apparently, they engaged in a post-filming “social media war” that had “just spiraled into chaos.” Then, once Gael settled back into her role on deck in Season 10, their feud deepened. Even though Gael was only onboard for a handful of episodes in Season 10, she still managed to call out Joe for his faulty interactions with women’s hearts, and on all of her statements, Nathan agreed.
Joe has called out Nathan’s skills as bosun, while Nathan doesn’t like Joe’s behavior with the women
This is Nathan’s first season as a bosun on Below Deck Med. But so far, his promotion has proven tricky, as viewers have noticed throughout Season 10. One important detail to note is that Nathan’s role is beyond serious. One wrong move or decision within either his team or his leadership could threaten their yacht, a crew member, or even one of their guests.
Therefore, certain high-stakes moments, such as docking or dealing with tipsy guests on their water toys, have brought out the worst in Nathan. It’s understandable, really. I spiral over far less trivial matters. However, as Joe and others have noted, Nathan yells far too much.
But Joe isn’t the only one calling out bad behaviors. Nathan is also not a fan of how Joe is moving with the ladies this season. “It’d probably be best if you f*cking just be mindful on the night out,” Nathan urged Joe during Episode 16. But instead of listening to his bosun, Joe argued that maybe Nathan is looking for a reason to be mad.
Joe seemed open to reconciliation, but Nathan is going social media silent
After Below Deck Med Season 10 wrapped, Joe and Nathan unfollowed each other online. We don’t know which yachtie pulled the plug on this online connection. But we do know that Joe is open to a meeting of the minds with his former Bravo-based BFF. Meanwhile, Nathan has remained absolutely mute about their divide, both online and in the press.
Nathan is a new dad, so can we blame his silence on exhaustion? Maybe. But now that he, Gael, and their son are officially a trio for life (hopefully), Joe is realizing that, if he wants to make peace with Nathan, he will also need to make peace with Gael. As Joe told The Daily Dish, “I’d love to make amends with the girl.”
Joe added, “I would love to throw any animosity or any melodrama in a bin and start from a fresh page, because there are more important things in life, like [their] baby.” Now, only time can tell if these former friends can find their way back into each other’s arms.
Below Deck Mediterranean is streaming on Peacock.
TELL US – ARE YOU HATING THIS RIFT? DO YOU HOPE TO SEE NATHAN AND JOE MAKING AMENDS?
