Below Deck Med 11 finale recap: a dramatic end to an excellent season

There have been seasons of the Below Deck franchise that felt like they were dragging by episode 16, but the season finale of Below Deck Med season 11 was the opposite. Despite this being its 18th episode and being an extra 12 minutes of content, I could have used another episode just to breathe.

What a wild and wonderful season, both on TV and off! And it’s so much to process, I am focusing here on the episode itself. I just recorded my thoughts on the season for my latest podcast episode, easily playable at the bottom of this recap or in your favorite podcast app.

I hope I don’t have to disclaim that nothing that happened after this season was “wonderful”—except for Nathan’s eventual imprisonment, which I look forward to.

Nathan said in an interview, “To manage a new job, to manage my deck team, to manage a relationship, to manage having a new child, it was hard. The one thing I want to do now is just get back and be with my family.”

Let’s check off which one of those things he did—oh, none of them except go to Australia to be with his family, violently attack Gael, and then flee the country. Fuck.

While I trust this is how events played out in real life a year ago, it’s such a weird decision on Bravo’s part to pretend like we don’t know what happened. That’s because what we’re left with is seeing Nathan and Gael’s relationship in this lovey-dovey place, with Nathan saying, “I want to focus on my family. It’s that simple.” Fucking hell.

Then again, Below Deck did clearly show us Nathan being triggered yet again by Joe, and getting that look on his face that projects horror movie villain, not responsible leader.

The final confrontation did not end up with actual violence, thankfully, but it was scary: Aesha and Kayley sitting at the crew mess holding hands (and I think Massi sitting on the floor? Or did he join later?) as Nathan again threatened Joe.

This began at the final crew dinner, when Nathan spewed some clichés from what I assume is the Successories Mafia collection: “Well fucking done. It hasn’t been an easy season. But we’ve stuck together. No matter what our differences is [sic], we have each other’s backs through thick and thin.”

Kayley then said a bunch of words that I’d guess she regrets to Nathan: “I hope you know how valuable you are as a human being. The strength you bring—I’m so appreciative to have even met you.” Ugh.

Back at the boat, Joe approached Nathan in a way that seemed like he was trying to give the producers their relationship in a box with a bow.

“You’ve been part of my life for three years,” Joe said. “Can I shake your hand?” But then, laughing hysterically (drunkenly?), Joe said, “You’re a fucking father man! It’d be so much easier if you wasn’t.”

That such a statement triggered Nathan is something I’ll leave for psychologists to analyze. The core, though, seems reasonable: When someone in a friendship has a kid, their life changes, especially in the first few years, and that affects the friendship. That’s what it sounded like Joe was saying to me: We could have had so much fun finger-blasting and treating women like shit together, but you forgot to use a condom! Hey look, there’s a disrespectful way to put that!

Nathan put on his Joker smirk, told Joe to “grow up,” and demanded, “Do not disrespect my family.” No, only Nathan is allowed to do that. And when Joe tried to back down (“I am very happy for you and Gael. I am very happy for what you have”), Nathan threatened violence: “Shut your fucking mouth. … Do not tempt me.”

After Nathan left, Aesha swooped in and called Joe on his bullshit. I wouldn’t have minded someone pointing out how psychotic Nathan looked, but also good for Aesha for not letting Joe create this fake narrative.

“I literally watched it happen in real time,” she said. “When they first got together, you hated him straight away.” Aesha added, “You hated her” and “you were jealous.” She stormed off, saying, “I’m not going to fucking stand for it. It’s bullshit.”

Aesha made it clear she was not focused on Nathan, but Gael: “If she’s not here to defend herself, I’m going to defend her.”

Meanwhile, Joe cried in Cooper’s arms in multiple places around the boat while Kayley diagnosed Joe, noting his dad abandoned him, and “he felt like he was being abandoned again” by Nathan.

To his credit, Joe said in an interview that Aesha was right. I’ve never been a Joe fan—and the way he treated Kayley at the dinner (“I’m speaking”) was another example of why—but he’s maybe showing some growth? At least, there’s a willingness to admit he’s wrong.

Or Joe is just playing me like Gen played the whole boat! So let’s move on to the fun parts of the finale, like Gen declaring, “I’m really proud of myself” because she had “a great charter where I’m shining”—after telling us she was being fake.

Gen is forgiven, though, for her immaturity led to one of the greatest moments of irony in reality TV history.

Joe/the producers colluded with Luke to show up at the club to surprise Joy and trigger Gen. Sure, Gen could be triggered by a flake of glitter blowing across the deck after a night of Party City drag on the yacht, but someone clearly wanted a confrontation.

They got it. Luke showed up wearing cotton pads on his face, presumably so he could clean up any messes he made. When Gen saw him, she did what a mature person does: ordered red wine and dumped it on him.

Luke left the club—and got into a production van, so this isn’t just Luke injecting himself back into the show—and the next day made irony history.

“It was a little bit embarrassing walking over the club stained with red wine,” said the guy who STAINED SOMEONE’S SHEETS AND NEVER WASHED THEM.

And Joy—oh, the best part of this season is Chef Joy and her joy. Even when she struggled, she rebounded, not turning into a jackass like almost every other Below Deck chef before her. And she approached the challenges with a lot of good humor/gallows humor, a perfect combo.

Anyway, instead of hanging out with wine-soaked Luke, Joy went to check on Gen. That is so nice and just human of Joy, who explained to us, “Even if I don’t like you, I don’t want to see you crying for a man. No woman on earth deserves that.”

Gen rebounded quickly, fondling Cooper’s nipples in the van. Later, in the other van back to the yacht, Joy said, “I think she needs to go to psychiatry.” Agreed!

So does Luke. “This is not going to be the end for Joy and I,” Luke said in an interview, and suggested what was next for them was marriage, as he hummed the wedding song.

Luke’s deckhand compatriot, Cooper, ended the season in a better place, but not by much. He started off as a charming doofus and revealed himself to be a fuckboy doofus.

Instead of talking to Kat about his lack of desire to do anything than bang her in secret, he flirted with other women at the club, who the editors IDed on screen as “Random Girl 1” and “Random Girl 2,” ha!

When Joy heard what Cooper did to Kat, she approached him on the boat: “You fucking clown. Don’t break anybody’s heart any more, or I’m going to break you.” Emmy for Joy! Or a Nobel Peace Prize? Something!

Kat was upset but also in the right headspace. “Over and over again, he keeps on disappointing me,” she said. “I’m upset with myself that I let it get this far. I let the red flags slide.” But she added: “Cooper, you’re responsible for being a dick.”

A few more guests wandering the deck from the finale of Below Deck Med season 11:

• The final charter guests, aka Protein Polycule, gave an incredible $35,000 tip. That brings the total to more than $253,000 for the season.
• “I will happily be half-naked in front of eight men if I get a tip like this,” Joe said. But it wasn’t being half-naked, it was being pursued by a random flight attendant (!) that the gaggle of gays invited on board (?) and then abandoned to sleep on the deck (?!). She was awake until 4:30, bothering the crew. “I feel like she’s going to eat me, and I know where she’s going to start,” Joe said.
• The guests did bring on an actual drag queen, who did the crew members’ makeup, so they didn’t just look like drunk frat boys wearing wigs. After the drag show, Cooper wiped his face once and asked, “Is all of it off?” Totally gone, just like Luke’s semen!
• Massi, your time was too short. Upon seeing Luke in person, he reacted to Luke’s size. And then he told us, “Joy, if you change your mind, I’m willing to pay somebody to fight Luke—for me, for you.” Bring this guy back!
• Captain Sandy told Joy she’s the best chef she’s ever worked with and “you stand out from all the others,” which left Joy in tears. And is maybe how Sandy convinced Joy to precook dinner for her and Leah. (Sandy! Order takeout and bill the production. Don’t make your chef work more!)
• Cooper told us, “I feel like I’ve learned so much about being a deckhand.” Oops, Coop! You said dickhead wrong.
• On the last morning, Joe hugged Nathan goodbye and said, “Whatever happens, I do wish the best for you.” And at this point, the best is prison, so let’s hope.
• Joe and Cooper standing at urinals together was quite the image: like somebody leaned a baby carrot and a 15-foot ladder against the same wall.
• Sandy’s wife Leah joined her for the final night—and for an interview, too. Leah answered a producer’s question about Sandy’s cooking skills with one word: “DoorDash. Lots of DoorDash.”
• Cooper and Joe decide to get matching rings, as straight guys who just spent a charter getting licked by gay men do. “I’m going to rock out with my cock out,” Cooper said later, flapping his butt cheeks for Massi.
• Kat ultimately broke up with Cooper, which is outstanding. So many seasons of women on this show pining after absolute losers. It’s nice to see someone recognize a loser and move on. And she left us with the perfect final words for this season: “I’m coming out of this so strong. I think the only person that came farther than me this season was Luke.”

Thanks for watching Below Deck Med season 11 with me and reading these recaps! I’ll be back next Monday with Below Deck: Original Fraser Flavor. For now, listen to my take on this season:

Made from Humans: How Reality Becomes TV

Below Deck Med’s magnificent mess—and malevolent outcome

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