Elena “Ellie” Dubaich was the center of much drama duringBelow Deck Mediterraneanseason 9, and heraffinity for conflict hints she may have been cast as a producer plant. Captain Sandy Yawn returned to lead the Mediterannean-based yachting show for her eighth season alongside franchise alum Aesha Scott. Once regarded as the best series in the franchise, the show lessened in popularity after Hannah Ferrier was fired duringBelow Deck Medseason 5.
Aesha was the saving grace of season 9, which had many newbies. New additions like Gael Cameron and Nathan Gallagher enticed the audience with their scandalous boatmance that began when she was in another relationship. The season alsoreintroduced Ellie to theBelow Deckaudience after a brief appearance years beforeshe became an original crew cast member. Despite her lack of experience on the show, Ellie brought the heat on-camera, which has led some viewers to believe she may have been cast to stir up drama among the cast and become the villain ofBelow Deck Medseason 9.
Ellie Was Briefly On Below Deck Med Season 7 Before Season 9
Production Saw Something In Her To Bring Her Back For Season 9
Ellie’s first appearance in the franchisewas duringBelow Deck Medseason 7. She stepped onto the crew to fill in for Kyle Viljoen after he suffered an injury. Ellie was only present for one chapter, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t develop a relationship with production during her brief time on the show.
Oftentimes, replacement crew members who step in for a short period don’t end up appearing in another season, though Ellie was an exception.
They must have developed a liking for her andsaw the potential in her to bring her back for another shot.Oftentimes, replacement crew members who step in for a short period don’t end up appearing in another season, though Ellie was an exception.
Ellie Announced Her Retirement From Yachting But May Have Unretired For Below Deck Med Season 9
Ellie Seemingly Came Out Of Retirement To Film
DuringBelow Deck Medseason 9, Ellie spoke about working to be a Chief Stew. She expressed her interest in growing in the yachting hierarchy on the show but expressed a different sentiment online. On August 07, 2025,Ellieannounced she was “officially retiring from my yachting career” after working in the industry for nearly seven years. It’s unclear when season 9 was filmed, but it’sassumed the show picked up cameras in the summer of 2023, hinting she may have unretired to film.
Aesha Scott left and became chief stew on Below Deck Down Under.
It would make sense that she left her career as a stewardess but decided to appear on the show if she was a plant producer. When Carrie O’Neill was added to the crew, and Aesha used her as a floating stew, the second stew grew worried that she was going to replace her in their hierarchy.Ellie was vocal in her desire to maintain her rank as a second stew,though she admitted she was done with yachting on Instagram months before the series.
Ellie Feuded With Bri Over Joe The Whole Charter Season
Ellie Was At The Center Of The Drama
Upon joining Aesha’s interior team, Ellie was the second stew. She was incredibly excited to work alongside Aesha and appreciated her newfound rank on the Mustique. As the season began, Ellie mentored Bri Muller, the third stew. She notably struggled with her daily tasks, though her major faults were mostly in the laundry room. Bri and Ellie roomed as bunkmates andhad a good relationship until the third stew hooked up with lead deckhand Joe Bradleyafter a night out drinking with the crew.
Before their hook-up, Ellie told Bri she was interested in Joe and was excited to get to know him.
However, when they shared a kiss in the hot tub, the crew was fresh and hadn’t known each other for too long. Bri thought Ellie had no right to reserve Joe for herself, but she couldn’t have guessed the backlash that would come her way because of their kiss. After their steamy night together,Ellie began treating the third stew differently. They clashed in every instance and nearly lost their jobs working on the Mustique because of their feud.
Bri and Ellie’s drama was unwarranted. Neither of them knew Joe or had any loyalty to him. It was wrong of Bri to disregard Ellie’s feelings, but her punishment didn’t fit her crime. In a heated moment, Bri thought the second stew didn’t finish cleaning the cabins on a hectic day to pass more work onto her. They got into a heated exchange, andEllie attempted to use her status as the second stew to assert power over Bri.
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In the end, they squashed their beef after she overheard Joe singing about which stew he was going to pick. Bri and Ellie both had enough of Joe’s antics by the end of the season, butit’s a shame they couldn’t put their differences aside earlierinBelow Deck Medseason 9. The conflict between the interior team was blown entirely out of proportion, likely for storyline purposes.
Ellie Even Clashed With Aesha
Aesha Is One Of The Easiest Crew Members To Get Along With
If there’s one crew member the second stew shouldn’t pick a fight with, it’d have to be her Chief Stew. Aesha was incredibly compassionate to Bri and Ellie’s feelings throughout their season-long feud. She made sure not to pick sides and played devil’s advocate for both women. However,Ellie picks a fight with Aesha after Carrie joins the crewas a new stew. She didn’t understand why the interior team needed another set of hands, though Aesha argued she had little to no help all season from Bri and Ellie.
The show is filmed over six weeks with nearly non-stop filming to capture the daily lives, work, and interactions of the crew and guests, resulting in a lot of behind-the-scenes drama that doesn’t always make it to air.
Aesha didn’t give Carrie an official rank when she joined the crew, but she admitted in her confessional interviews that she easily outranked the other two stews with her experience. Instead, she used her as a floating stew and asked her to help with service to gauge her working style.Ellie felt somewhat threatened by Carrie and told Aesha she felt like their third wheeland didn’t want to be demoted because of the new hire.
When confronted by the third stew, Aesha was firm with her and explained if she was going to shift her down to the third stew, that was her decision to make. Ellie wasn’t expecting that reaction from her and admitted she believed she had earned her rank as a second stew. However, Aesha was right; she knew Ellie wanted to be a Chief Stew, butfighting with her boss was a bad call to makeso late into the season.
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Ellie’s behavior has indicated she may have been a producer plant onBelow Deck Mediterraneanseason 9. She joined the cast of season 7 for one charter, hinting she had a pre-established relationship with production. Ellie also started more drama than was necessary, though that may have been her job all along.
Below Deck Mediterranean
Cast
Below Deck Mediterranean is a Bravo reality television series that follows a crew that works aboard a gigantic superyacht during the busy season. The show highlights the challenges of the crew as they serve their high-end clientele. Each season tackles new locations, such as Greece, Croatia, Italy, and France, with some repeating.
