Captain Sandy Yawn's Revelation Causes Chaos on Below Deck Med

The Awkward Revelation

Captain Sandy Yawn, from the hit series Below Deck Mediterranean, accidentally caused a tricky situation between Luka Brunton and Jessika Asai after revealing that he had been texting Katie Flood, who starred in a previous season. Deckhand Luka and Jessika, who works on the interior crew, have been developing a 'boatmance' during Below Deck Med season 8. Across the Below Deck franchise, there have been a lot of various relationships and hookups over the years, and Luka and Jessika are the latest one.

Montage of Below Deck Mediterranean's Luka Brunton and Jessika Asai

According to a preview of the next Below Deck Med season 8 episode, courtesy of Us Weekly, Captain Sandy caused tension between Luka and Jessika when she asked Luka if he was texting Katie, whom the captain referred to as his girlfriend. Sandy didn't seem to realize the awkwardness that this caused. The crew was aware of the feelings Jessika had been developing for Luka. In a confessional, Jessika commented, 'What f***ing girlfriend?' When asked about the slip-up by Captain Sandy, Chief Stewardess Tumi Mhlongo exclaimed, 'Captain Sandy has no idea what's going on between Jess and Luka. I'm really curious how Luka is going to get himself out of this one.'

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Luka & Jessika's Below Deck Relationship Explained

It's no secret that Jessika was upset when she heard Captain Sandy mentioning the alleged texting between Luka and Katie, and was even more annoyed when the captain mentioned that he seemed to be happier when he's texting Katie. She was not at all happy when Sandy used the words 'smitten' and 'crush' to describe Luka's feelings towards Katie. Captain Sandy was clearly out of the loop about the flirtations that had been going on between Luka and Jessika, due to the fact that while she maintains close working relationships with her crew, she tries to stay out of their personal lives when she can.

In Below Deck Down Under season 2, Luka was introduced as a deckhand who ended up suddenly being promoted to Bosun when Ruan Irving left after his paperwork was found to have been forged. Luka was then reintroduced in Below Deck Med season 7, during which Captain Sandy asked him about Katie. According to Luka, the two are just very good friends. When he was asked about a potential romantic connection to Katie, Luka responded, 'My history [with her]? We don't really have a history. We've hung out a few times. What are you trying to get at?'

As for the current status of Luka and Jessika, the former was able to offer insight into his romantic life at BravoCon when he told Us Weekly, 'I'm in a relationship at the moment. [I'm] back with my partner that I was with before the show. We split up [before] the show and we're back together now. I don't think she's watching [this season]. It's probably good.' So while there may be some flirting going on between Jessika and Luka, ultimately, it did not end up getting more serious and continuing off the boat.

The Drama of 'Boatmances'

The Below Deck franchise is no stranger to the drama brought on by the romantic tension and chemistry between crew mates that often lead to short-term and sometimes long-term 'boatmances.' When people are put together in small, confined spaces and have to spend hours a day working together in sometimes very stressful situations, it is not surprising that they tend to form bonds and lean on each other. This can often lead to friction, hurt feelings, and explosive drama as the crew tries to learn how to work and live with each other for long stretches of time in a high-stress industry. It definitely makes for the drama-filled television.