Putting the guests’ needs and wants first is second nature to Below Deck Mediterranean chief stew Aesha Scott. But when a repeat charter guest had a difficult request in Season 10, Episode 4, Aesha had no problem putting her foot down.
“We always say that we never say no. That we are seven-star service, and whatever you want, we will provide for you,” Aesha explained in her confessional interview. “But, what they don’t tell you, is the invisible print right at the bottom says, ‘Within reason.’”
Aesha and chef Josh Bingham found themselves in a predicament in the Oct. 20 episode when primary guest Jack Freeman—who Aesha also served during Season 2 of Below Deck Down Under—wanted “a little Sichuan chicken,” after being served an eight-course meal. When Josh muttered to Aesha that he didn’t “know what to do,” Aesha stepped in to steer Jack in another direction. She suggested Jack “think of something that would only take like ten minutes” to cook since it was 1 a.m.
“So no, I’m sorry, I’ve gotta protect my chef,” she elaborated in her confessional. “He has been up for 20 hours, and he does need some sleep.”
Jack finally settled on “melted shaved parmesan” fries “with truffles.”
Back down in the galley, Josh thanked Aesha for her help with the guest. She replied, “I was just like, ‘This man is not staying up.’” Still, Josh’s effort was for nothing, as Aesha brought the fries to Jack, only to have them go untouched. “Oh my god, that looks so good, but I’m not even hungry anymore,” Jack told Aesha.
Aesha Scott describes a major guest difference between Below Deck Med and Below Deck Down Under
Below Deck fans first got to know Aesha on Below Deck Med when she was a second stew for Seasons 4 and 5, before jumping yachts to be the chief stew for Below Deck Down Under Seasons 1 and 2. She then switched back to Med to be a chief stew for Seasons 9 and 10, and opened up to The Daily Dish about how guest service differs between the opposite ends of the world.
“I feel like the biggest difference between Below Deck Med and Below Deck Down Under is that the Med is like that next level of service,” she shared in the Oct. 1 interview. “Obviously, we’re on super yachts, so we’re always giving good service. But when you’re in the Caribbean and when you’re in Australia, it is a little bit more relaxed, whereas in the Med, it’s very seven-star, high-end—the best service that you can possibly give.”
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She added another major difference is in the type of guest activities stews plan and execute. “I feel like when we’re in Down Under, we did do a lot more kinda like water excursions and stuff,” she told The Daily Dish.
As far as which part of the world she prefers, Aesha told Us Weekly in September she switched series because “it’s purely just that I love the Med—that’s where my yachting heart is.”
Aesha Scott describes another time she dealt with a difficult Below Deck Med guest
Aesha’s had plenty of practice managing difficult charter guests, including a demanding group that appeared on Below Deck Med Season 9, Episode 11. Those guests complained about everything from “eyesore” deck furniture to caviar that tasted “like a washcloth.” But it was a question about silverware that forced Aesha to defend herself.
“Why do I have a butter knife?” a guest asked, to which Aesha clarified, “That’s a fish knife. I’ve worked in service a very long time. That’s a fish knife.”
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Aesha told former Below Deck chief stew Kate Chastain she was proud of herself on the Below Deck Med After Show. “I got to like school her and tell her that it was a fish knife. And so this was the first time that I actually stood my ground a bit. And it felt really good,” Aesha said.
Aesha shared with Kate how her approach has changed as she worked her way up in the yachting industry. “Usually I’m very much the old school type of yachting where it’s like, even if a guest spits in your face, you say, ‘Yes. Thank you. Yes. Absolutely ma’am.’ And that’s how I was trained,” she explained.
Don’t miss Aesha revealing a surprise update on her wedding to Scott Dobson.