Despite not performing his duties efficiently as a chef on the yacht, Johnathan Shillingford hasn't been fired from Below Deck Mediterranean season 9 yet, suggesting that the producers intentionally cast him to create problems with other crew members. Johnathan started his professional journey as an architect but changed careers when one of his friends offered him the opportunity to prepare meals on a superyacht. While self-taught, Johnathan has since worked as a chef on different luxury yachts. He joined Below Deck Mediterranean season 9, and his performance was shaky throughout the season.
Captain Sandy Yawn had high expectations from Johnathan as she looked forward to providing exceptional hospitality service to her friend and professional tennis player, Gigi Fernandez, during the second charter. However, Johnathan didn't meet Sandy's expectations and disappointed the guests with his culinary choices and skills. He ignored the guests' preference sheet and served food that could harm them. Shockingly, Johnathan didn't show genuine remorse for his significant culinary errors. Despite committing a fireable offense, he surprisingly remained on for the remainder of the season as no other chef was available to replace him.
Chef Johnathan Almost Killed A Charter Guest
Captain Sandy Almost Fired Chef Johnathan
Chef Johnathan has made several mistakes over the weeks. However, his most unprofessional error occurred when he failed to review the preference sheet and prepared a meal that could've been deadly for one of the guests. Chef Johnathan thought seafood was a good idea for the anniversary dinner without realizing that one of the guests had a medical condition that prevented them from consuming raw fish due to iron overload, which could be fatal. When the guest received her plate of raw seafood, she pointed out the error. She expressed her concerns to Sandy, who was embarrassed by the incident.
Captain Sandy immediately reprimanded Johnathan for his unprofessional behavior. She informed him how he nearly killed a guest, but he didn't truthfully apologize for his mistake. Instead, Chef Johnathan attempted to downplay the seriousness of the situation by explaining that he used lemon on the raw seafood, believing it would cook it. Captain Sandy didn't accept Johnathan's excuses. She admitted to the cameras that Johnathan committed a fireable offense. She said, "I am really fu**ing p**sed. Never in my 35 years at sea have I had a chef feed a guest something that could actually kill them."
Chef Johnathan Is Making Aesha's Job As A Chief Stew Difficult
Aesha Deals With The Consequences Of Johnathan's Cooking Experiments
Chef Johnathan's actions have negatively impacted his reputation on the boat and have also damaged Aesha Scott's image.
Aesha is an excellent chief stew with a commendable track record of handling numerous charters and challenging situations with other stews. Unfortunately, Below Deck Mediterranean season 9 hasn't been favorable for her career due to Chef Johnathan's work as a chef. Aesha is responsible for serving the food to the guests. However, Chef Johnathan's constant mistakes have affected her reputation, leading others to question her attention to detail. The recent life-threatening incident was particularly embarrassing for Aesha.
After nearly killing the guest, the chef once again disregarded the preference sheet and served a ridiculous dessert. He placed ice cream on top of a cookie, leaving Aesha to deal with the aftermath. As expected, the guests immediately called out to Aesha after she served them the chef's creation. The guests expressed their dislike for the dessert and requested dishes like crème brûlée. Aesha was at a loss for words and simply nodded to her guests, facing the embarrassment on her own.
Chef Johnathan May Be A Producer Plant
Chef Johnathan's Flair For Dramatics Outshines His Passion For Cooking
Rumors suggest that Bravo star Chef Johnathan is a producer plant, which may explain why he hasn't been removed from the boat despite his unforgivable offenses. His mannerisms and social media posts are simply attention-seeking, indicating that he likely got cast for reasons beyond his culinary skills. The fact that Chef Johnathan rarely discusses his personal life raises suspicions that he's hiding his true history from Below Deck Mediterranean viewers. It might be to prevent them from realizing that the producers planted him as a crew member for drama and chaos during the season.
Chef Johnathan's lack of fear of being fired suggests that he's likely confident in his job security on the show. He may also feel fearless because he lacks passion for his work, as shown by his disregard for preference sheets and guest requests. Chef Johnathan enjoys causing drama and making things difficult for his co-workers. He makes an effort to appear entertaining on camera and keeps his distance from his team members. Captain Sandy not firing Chef Johnathan also indicates the producers likely supported him after the near-fatal incident.
Chef Johnathan Doesn't Seem To Care About The Quality Of All Of His Meals
Chef Johnathan Lacks The Finesse Of A Skilled Professional Chef
Although Chef Johnathan enjoys cooking, he doesn't appear to make an effort to showcase his culinary skills by serving something unique and delicious to his guests.
Chef Johnathan is frequently seen preparing mediocre dishes that don't meet the standards of a luxury yacht. He recently disappointed the guests by serving them cookies instead of chocolate soufflé. He also chose to sleep and ignored the guests' requests for a late-night dish. Chef Johnathan's lack of attention to quality is a warning sign he may not be fully committed to his profession.
Most of his creations lack taste and visual appeal, appearing dry, unappetizing, and overcooked. At this point in the season, Chef Johnathan has become a meme. While he may have survived this season, Captain Sandy should ensure that crew members like him aren't hired to work again on the yacht. She should only hire the best crew members for Below Deck Mediterranean who appreciate their jobs and the chance to work under her leadership.
