Chef Mathew Shea from Below Deck Mediterranean recently opened up about the tension between him and his fellow crew members, which caused him to leave the boat on the July 26 episode. After the charter guests departed from the boat, Chef Mathew couldn't wait to blow off some steam during the crew's night out. However, things took a turn for the worst, and Mathew left the dinner so angry that he packed up his stuff and left the vessel behind.
Since the viewers first met Mathew on the premiere episode of the season, he has always been a bit of a wild card. He joined the boat excited to get to work and create new dishes for all of the charter guests coming on board this season. After Mathew bumped his knee, he started to get in his head and his anxiety kicked in. He began worrying about the state of his knee, which made his mood spiral. He eventually left the boat to get his knee checked out, leaving the crew without a chef. Thankfully, Mathew was only away for one dinner and got right back to cooking when he returned.
On the most recent Below Deck Med episode, Chef Mathew left the boat after some tension with the crew at dinner. "They can find some f**ker to do their s**t. Good luck. You’ll have some f**king a**hole chef now," he said to the chief officer while also hitting several production cameras on his way out (via Us Weekly). The outburst took place after Mathew found himself at odds with Courtney Veale, Malia White, and Katie Flood when they reached their breaking point with his oversharing at dinner. The chef went back to the boat, packed all of his stuff, and left. The crew noticed his bed was empty but did not realize he left, as the rest of the crew had their own individual fights with the second stew, Lexi Wilson.
In an exclusive interview with Us Weekly earlier this month, the chef revealed leaving the boat during the first episode "was the best thing I could have done for my mental health." He added, "I was in pain and having a full-blown panic attack, you know? And there were cameras in my face. It just [was] a lot." When he returned, however, Mathew felt the tension growing between him and his castmates. He knew they had issues with him and the dinner fiasco was the icing on the cake. "I abandoned the first day … and then, like, I obviously bothered them at this dinner," he explained. "There was a lot of tension [...] and sometimes you just need to remove yourself from bad situations." Even though Chef Mathew jump shipped twice, he still considers the crew a group of "really lovely people."
While it is still unclear whether or not Mathew will return to the ship, it seems the crew has a bigger issue on their hands. The Lexi versus everyone else fight came out of nowhere after the crew returned to the boat and completely took the focus off of Mathew. Nonetheless, next week's episode will likely address whether or not both Mathew and Lexi will still be part of the crew.
Below Deck Mediterranean airs Mondays at 9 pm ET on Bravo.
Sources: Us Weekly