The Below Deck Mediterranean Season 11 cast combines four familiar yachties with six new crew members aboard M/Y Akira One. Captain Sandy Yawn, Aesha Scott, Nathan Gallagher and Joe Bradley return, while Chef Joy Lefaucheur, Gen Lillie, Kayley Smith, Kat Johnston, Cooper Dawson and Luke Brumer join the main crew. Max Salvador later returns following a midseason deck-team change.
Season 11 premiered June 8, 2026, and follows the crew through a charter season based in Dubrovnik, Croatia. As of August 11, the season is still airing on Bravo, with episodes available on Peacock the following day.
Who is in the Below Deck Mediterranean Season 11 cast?
Captain Sandy leads M/Y Akira One, Aesha manages the interior and Nathan oversees the deck team. The cast includes returning personalities, first-time yachties and one familiar replacement who arrives after Luke leaves the boat.
Below Deck Med Season 11 cast at a glance
| Crew member | Position | Status | Season 11 update |
|---|---|---|---|
| Captain Sandy Yawn | Captain | Returning | Active |
| Aesha Scott | Chief Stew | Returning | Active |
| Nathan Gallagher | Bosun | Returning | Active |
| Joe Bradley | Deckhand | Returning | Active |
| Joy Lefaucheur | Chef | New | Active |
| Genevieve “Gen” Lillie | Stew | New | Active |
| Kayley Smith | Stew | New | Active |
| Katrina “Kat” Johnston | Stew | New | Active |
| Cooper Dawson | Deckhand | New | Active |
| Luke Brumer | Deckhand | New | Left in Episode 8 |
| Max Salvador | Deckhand | Returning | Midseason replacement |
Meet the Below Deck Mediterranean Season 11 cast and crew
Captain Sandy Yawn, Captain
Captain Sandy Yawn remains in command of the yacht and is the central authority aboard M/Y Akira One. Her official Bravo biography lists 37 years of yachting experience, making her the most experienced person in the Season 11 crew.
The season gives Sandy a difficult start when the yacht strikes the dock during a practice maneuver in Dubrovnik. She must also manage tension between returning deckhands, train inexperienced recruits and respond to Luke Brumer’s midseason departure. Her calm but direct leadership keeps the charter operation moving even when relationships aboard the boat begin affecting the work.
Instagram: Captain Sandy Yawn (@captainsandrayawn)
Aesha Scott, Chief Stew
Aesha Scott returns as chief stew and leads the youngest interior team she has managed on the show. She assigns duties, trains the new stews and acts as the link between demanding charter guests, Captain Sandy and the galley.
Bravo lists Aesha as having nine years of experience in yachting. Season 11 also captures her balancing work with wedding planning. Her warm personality remains a major part of the show, but the competitive dynamic among Gen, Kayley and Kat requires her to make clear decisions about hierarchy and performance.
Instagram: Aesha Scott (@aesha_jean)
Nathan Gallagher, Bosun
Nathan Gallagher returns for his third Below Deck Med season and his second as bosun. He is responsible for docking procedures, water activities, deck maintenance and the performance of Joe, Cooper and Luke.
Nathan’s storyline is both professional and personal. His partner, former yachtie Gael Cameron, and their baby Kayden are living nearby in Croatia, allowing him to see his family between charters. At the same time, his damaged friendship with Joe and his anger over Luke’s behavior test his ability to lead without letting personal conflict control the deck team.
Instagram: Nathan Gallagher (@nathanjgallagher_)
Joe Bradley, Deckhand
Joe Bradley is one of the four returning Season 11 cast members. He works under Nathan on deck after previously appearing in Seasons 9 and 10. His existing history with Nathan gives the crew useful experience, but unresolved tension between the two men creates an unstable working relationship.
Joe’s Bravo bio lists three years in yachting. He also speaks Spanish and plays both guitar and piano. On the yacht, however, his main challenge is rebuilding trust with Nathan while proving that their personal disagreements will not interfere with safe deck operations.
Instagram: Joe Bradley (@joebradley_)
Chef Joy Lefaucheur, Chef
Joy Lefaucheur joins Season 11 as the yacht’s chef. Her Bravo biography lists 10 years in yachting, and she brings the experience needed to prepare personalized multi-course meals for demanding charter guests while also feeding the crew.
Joy’s season is complicated by her connection with Luke and his separate involvement with Gen. She also faces one of the crew’s most frightening moments when Cooper suffers an allergy-related health scare. The incident leaves her shaken, but she accepts responsibility and continues working under the intense pressure of the galley.
Instagram: Chef Joy Lefaucheur (@chefjoykerjan)
Genevieve “Gen” Lillie, Stew
Genevieve “Gen” Lillie is a new interior crew member from New York. With four years in yachting, she arrives with more industry experience than the other two new stews and quickly becomes part of the competition over interior hierarchy.
Gen describes herself as a direct truth-teller, a trait that can help in a high-pressure workplace but also intensifies disagreements. Her brief involvement with Luke becomes one of the season’s major interpersonal storylines, especially after he begins reconsidering his feelings for Joy.
Instagram: Genevieve Lillie (@gen_lillie)
Kayley Smith, Stew
Kayley Smith is a Sydney-based stew with one year of yachting experience. She enters the season eager to demonstrate that she can handle greater responsibility, making her a serious contender when Aesha evaluates the interior team’s working order.
Her confidence and competitive drive shape her early story. Kayley’s challenge is to turn that ambition into consistent service while working with Gen and Kat, whose personalities and experience levels create a complicated team dynamic.
Instagram: Kayley Smith (@kayley_hannah_smith)
Katrina “Kat” Johnston, Stew
Katrina “Kat” Johnston is a new stew from Nova Scotia, Canada. Bravo lists her as having one year in the yachting industry. She brings a lighter personality to the interior but still has to keep pace with the exacting standards of luxury charter service.
Kat also develops a connection with Cooper, adding another relationship to a season already crowded with boatmance drama. Their storyline starts more quietly than the Luke, Gen and Joy triangle, although later episodes test whether their interest can survive the pressures and mixed signals of crew life.
Instagram: Katrina Johnston (@katrinaajohnston)
Cooper Dawson, Deckhand
Cooper Dawson joins the deck team from Charleston, South Carolina. Season 11 is his first job in the yachting industry, so he must learn technical procedures, guest safety and the pace of charter work while being filmed.
His athletic background helps him adapt to the physical side of the job, and his developing relationship with Kat gives him a personal storyline. Cooper also experiences a serious peanut-allergy scare during Episode 7, creating an emergency that affects Joy and the rest of the crew.
Instagram: Cooper Dawson (@cooper15dawson)
Luke Brumer, Deckhand
Luke Brumer is a South African deckhand with two years in yachting. He initially joins Nathan’s team alongside Joe and Cooper, bringing fitness experience and practical deck skills to M/Y Akira One.
His time aboard becomes dominated by a love triangle involving Gen and Joy, followed by a serious breach of trust involving Nathan’s cabin. Luke decides to leave during Episode 8. Captain Sandy accepts the decision and later says that she had already been considering whether his behavior was affecting the entire crew.
Instagram: Luke Brumer (@lukebrumski)
Max Salvador, Returning Deckhand
Max Salvador is not part of the original Season 11 cast announcement, but the midseason preview confirms his return after Luke’s departure. The French deckhand previously appeared in Seasons 8 and 10, so Nathan and several returning crew members already know his working style.
His return changes the deck team from an all-new training challenge into a mix of experienced and inexperienced yachties. It also gives the final episodes another familiar personality as the crew approaches the end of the Croatia charter season.
Instagram: Max Salvador (@maximilien_salvador)
Which cast members returned for Season 11?
Four main cast members return at the beginning of Below Deck Mediterranean Season 11: Captain Sandy Yawn, Aesha Scott, Nathan Gallagher and Joe Bradley. Their shared history creates continuity with the previous seasons, but it also carries unresolved tension into the new charter.
Max Salvador later becomes another returning face when he rejoins the deck team. Gael Cameron appears as part of Nathan’s family storyline rather than as a working yachtie, and former chief stew Hannah Ferrier is also teased for a guest appearance.
Who are the new Below Deck Med Season 11 crew members?
The six newcomers are Chef Joy Lefaucheur, stews Gen Lillie, Kayley Smith and Kat Johnston, and deckhands Cooper Dawson and Luke Brumer. The new yacht, M/Y Akira One, also gives the returning leaders unfamiliar systems and a challenging first docking.
The new cast creates two very different management problems. Aesha must organize a competitive interior team, while Nathan must train deckhands with sharply different levels of experience. Those workplace pressures feed directly into the season’s relationship conflicts and safety concerns.
Why did Luke Brumer leave Below Deck Mediterranean Season 11?
Luke Brumer leaves in Episode 8 because his relationship drama and the incident involving Nathan’s bed damaged trust across the crew. He tells the team that leaving is the right decision because his presence is creating too much tension.
Captain Sandy supports the decision. Bravo’s account of the episode explains that she had already begun considering a replacement because the disruption was affecting morale and work aboard the yacht. Max Salvador subsequently returns to reinforce the deck team.
Where was Below Deck Mediterranean Season 11 filmed?
Season 11 was filmed around Dubrovnik, Croatia, on the Adriatic Sea. The crew works aboard M/Y Akira One, a different vessel from the Bravado used during Season 10.
Dubrovnik provides both the luxury-charter backdrop and several practical complications. Busy waterways, loud party boats, difficult docking conditions and changing weather make the location an active part of the season rather than a simple scenic setting.
When and where can you watch Season 11?
New episodes of Below Deck Mediterranean Season 11 air Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo and stream the following day on Peacock. The season premiered on June 8, 2026. Viewers should check the official Bravo schedule because broadcast availability can vary by region and provider.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Captain Sandy Yawn is the captain of M/Y Akira One in Season 11.
Aesha Scott returns as chief stew and manages the interior team of Gen Lillie, Kayley Smith and Kat Johnston.
Joy Lefaucheur is the Season 11 chef. Bravo lists her as having 10 years of yachting experience.
Yes. Luke voluntarily leaves the yacht during Episode 8 after crew tension and a breakdown of trust.
Returning deckhand Max Salvador joins the Season 11 crew after Luke’s departure.
The season was filmed in Dubrovnik, Croatia, aboard M/Y Akira One.
Episodes air on Bravo on Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT and stream on Peacock the following day.