Chef Johnathan “Jono” Shillingford showed signs throughoutBelow Deck Mediterraneanseason 9 that he may not be a real chef. The ninth season of the popularBelow Deckspin-off tapped Captain Sandy Yawn to lead the crew. The success of the Mediterranean-based yachting series had been on a downward spiral since Captain Sandy infamously fired Hannah Ferrier in season 5. However, Aesha Scott returned to the show as Chief Stew after debuting in the franchise during seasons 4 and 5. While she certainly improvedBelow Deck Medseason 9,viewers still critiqued the show.
Much of the cast brought a fresh vibe to the franchise staple.Gael Cameron and Nathan Gallagher’s boatmanceintrigued the audience as Gael started the season with a boyfriend. On the contrary, Bri Muller and Elena “Ellie” Dubaich spent the charter season feuding among themselves over lead deckhand Joe Bradley. Aside from drama-related storylines,Iain Maclean and Chef Jono were critiqued for seemingly faking their poor performancesto create drama. Chef Jono has been accused of being cast to stir up drama, but he may not be the onlyproducer plant onBelow Deck Medseason 9.
Chef Johnathan Hasn’t Been Fired Despite Poor Performance
Captain Sandy Didn’t Fire Him After Multiple Mistakes
Even though the chef has underperformed throughout season 9, he wasn’t fired for his mistakes. Chef Jono began the charter season on a high note but quickly fell from grace when he failed to impress Captain Sandy’s dear friend. He notoriouslyserved the charter guests chicken and deconstructed sponge cake. After a rough dinner, the captain encouraged him to improve but chose to give him another shot at improving. Captain Sandy was admittedly disappointed with him but didn’t axe him from the crew right away. However,Chef Jono’s near-fatal mistakemay have permanently damaged his reputation.
During one of the final charter trips ofBelow Deck Medseason 9, the chef served a guest with “iron overload” raw seafood.
When the guest was presented with the dish, tuna carpaccio with pineapple caramel, she admired it but reiterated that she couldn’t eat it or she could die. After Captain Sandy heard thatChef Jono had prepared guest food that could potentially kill them, she was furious. She immediately went to the galley, questioned him, and requested a new chef. However, because she couldn’t find a replacement in time, they kept Jono on board.
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If Captain Sandy had early doubts about Chef Jono,Sandy should have fired himafter he served the guests chicken and sponge cake. If she fired Chef Jono earlier in the season, the near-fatal accident could have been avoided, but that doesn’t shift any of the blame for the mistake onto anyone else except for him. WhenCaptain Sandy finally had enough, it was too difficult to find a chef who could step into his place.
Chef Johnathan’s Meals Are A Hit Or Miss
His Dishes Aren’t Consistent With The Guests
Jono’s meals have been a hit or miss with guests throughout his tenure as aBelow Deckchef. He impressed the guests on the first charter when he was forced to work with limited provisions. However,Chef Jono had a rocky track recordand disappointed many of the other groups of guests. His chicken and sponge cake dinner was probably his worst showing of the season, apart from serving a guest raw seafood who had a severe allergy to the dish.
Chef Johnathan Doesn’t Seem To Know How To Work Like A Real Chef
He Was An Architect Before He Became A Chef
Chef Jono admitted he was an architect before he pursued a career in the culinary industry. Part of his success as a chef was his ability to blend his passion for food and architecture into one craft. However, his lack of experience showed at times. Throughout the charter season,he failed to prepare luxurious desserts.When a group of guests requested a high-end final dish and were served a chocolate chip cookie, they were upset. With a little bit more experience under his belt, Chef will be a fully rounded chef.
Chef Johnathan Is There For Entertainment Purposes
He Brought The Entertainment On Below Deck Med Season 9
Chef Jono has brought the entertainment toBelow Deck Medseason 9. While he hasn’t been involved in the drama amongst the crew,he brought a fresh energy to the cast. WhileBri and Ellie argued about Joe, he offered his unsolicited opinions on their conflict in his confessional interviews. There’s an improvement to be made in his work as a chef, but his personality was captivating, which led some viewers to believe he was a producer plant in the cast, though he likely wasn’t.
Jono was quite the chef onBelow Deck Mediterraneanseason 9. He made several mistakes on the show but managed to maintain his job working for Captain Sandy. Chef Jono’s faults even led some fans to speculate he was a producer plant for the show.
Below Deck Mediterraneanairs Mondays at 9 p.m. EDT on Bravo and is available to stream the following day on Peacock.
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.
