Katie Flood from Below Deck Mediterranean season 6 revealed she would work with Chef Mathew Shea again in the future. Despite Mathew being a bit of a flake, most of his crewmates enjoyed working with him throughout the season. They were able to move on from him bailing on them at the beginning of the season when the crew was forced to make the charter guests dinner and his abrupt exit that was overshadowed by the Lexi Wilson drama.
The chief stew's enthusiasm to work with the chef again is surprising, seeing as he never seemed like a stable co-worker. In the beginning, Mathew almost quit following a knee injury, which was exasperated by his anxiety from the job. Mathew, who talked about tension with the crew, was afraid the injury would impact his entire career and insisted on getting his knee checked out before heading back to work. After Mathew left the boat once again following a fight with the crew, Captain Sandy almost let him go from the rest of the season. Luckily, Mathew was able to redeem himself, and she gave him a third chance.
In an exclusive interview with Showbiz Cheat Sheet, the 29-year-old admitted she would love to work with Chef Mathew again in the near future, despite him quitting a number of times this season. "Honestly, I would work with Mathew again in a heartbeat," Katie, who felt tension with Mathew, told the publication. "He’s got his struggles too [...] He’s the kind of person he needs to be reassured [...] Obviously, the crew, like we were so lucky this season, we were all hands on deck, no matter what the role is." Katie was right; anytime Mathew needed help, the interior and exterior teams would jump at the chance to give the chef a hand. The chief stew even admitted that she suffers from anxiety just like Mathew and empathized with his struggles.
"I would rather encourage somebody as opposed to push somebody. That’s just my nature. Like, that’s who I am," Katie, who once dragged Mathew, said of her and the chef's working relationship. The chief stew and the chef got along during the season because they understood each other so well. Furthermore, Katie has her own stresses that come with the job, which would sometimes pose a challenge for her when Mathew would have his meltdowns. She explained that when she starts to feel the pressures of the job, her personality could become more hostile. Nonetheless, Katie is happy to give Mathew a bit of an ego boost as it helps him create his amazing meals. Chef Mathew also showed some appreciation for Katie, stating how "She’s so good, and she’s fair to her team," and "works as long, if not longer hours than all the other girls."
Despite some of the challenges with Chef Mathew, who complained about his job, throughout the season, Katie would jump at the chance to work with him again. The crewmates realized how similar they were and used that to their advantage in their working relationship. Perhaps season 7 could include a return of Katie and Mathew as chief stew and chef.
Below Deck Mediterranean airs Mondays at 9 p.m. EST on Bravo.
Source: Showbiz Cheat Sheet