Whoever decided that it would be a great idea for Kyle and Natalya to return this season should be fired immediately. It’s been two weeks since Tumi and Natalya called a truce following their massive blow-up, but we’re already back to square one as Natalya proves she can’t move forward. The same goes for Kyle, but we shouldn’t be shocked since he can’t help himself when it comes to stirring the pot. The complete disrespect, unprofessionalism, and fakeness they’ve shown is staggering, but here, they reach an all-time high that’s genuinely alarming.
The episode opens with Natalya venting to Kyle about how she’s taken things too far with Luka and wants to go home after getting a call from her douchebag boyfriend. The next morning, she tells us she doesn’t want to be in an open relationship and implies that she isn’t comfortable with AJ hooking up with others while telling her he doesn’t approve of her also being with other people. It’s sad to watch her get treated like this. Girl, please know your worth!
At the preference sheet meeting, we learn that our next charter is a girls’ trip, meaning we’re in for some fun chaos. Sandy warns Luka and Jack to be on their best behavior since the women are young, beautiful, and single, which is a dangerous combination for yachties. Exhibit A: Cheffy admits in a confessional that he previously “crossed the line†by hooking up with the daughter of a family he worked for. Is Jack the dark horse of the season?
Down in the laundry room, Kyle asks Jessika to work service for the charter under the guise that she could use the experience. In actuality, he just wants to avoid dealing with a group of espresso-martini-loving women. Keep in mind that this is the guy who said he wanted to be Chief Stew. Jess agrees to “take one for the team†even though she’s been happy in housekeeping. But when Kyle complains about feeling drained to Tumi, she clocks that he’s trying to get out of his main duty as second stew and says he’s going to be on service whether he likes it or not. Unfortunately for us, this sets in motion a chain of events that are truly exhausting to witness.
Meanwhile, on deck, Haleigh asks Lara what her dream job is. She says “Captain Sandy’s position†because she wants to tell people to fuck off. Haleigh’s ideal gig is to give affection to baby manatees and walruses. “I don’t care how much it pays, I’ll hug walruses all day, and I’ll sell feet pics to compensate,†she tells us, followed by a photo of feet with the caption, “Thanks for supporting my work with walruses 😘.†We haven’t seen much of Haleigh this season, but I’m OBSESSED with her energy.
Natalya’s relationship saga continues when she and AJ have another excruciating argument over the phone. I need to know what this man looks like because there’s no way he’s worth all the fuss. She says she’s sick to her stomach about kissing Luka and that she’d choose to be exclusive with AJ in a heartbeat if that’s what he wanted. He seems to overreact but admits the following night that he slept with another woman after giving her all this shit. Could he be more of a jerk? Natalya tearfully confides in Captain Sandy about how she isn’t doing well, and Sandy comforts her as best as she can by telling her to prioritize doing what’s best for her. It’s solid advice that Natalya really needs to hear. However, I desperately wish she would quit just so the show can finally move on.
Down in the crew mess, Kyle mentions that Natalya is thinking of leaving but that he stopped her, to which Tumi replies that he should’ve let her go. Then, when Nat enters the room, he shifts the discussion to how “Jess and Tumi are going to run service,†and Tumi laughs. Jessika says she’s confused about whether she’s on service, and Kyle says that it’s up to their Chief Stew. This raises a huge red flag for Tumi — as it should — and makes her think he’s acting shady by putting her on the spot, which is a likely thing for him to do.
This is where things turn sour. Natalya eventually tries to get in Jessika’s head by telling her that Tumi was laughing at her earlier. Jessika is shocked and doesn’t like that Tumi is “talking shit†and making her feel like she isn’t capable of running service. Readers, I’m extremely confused. I interpreted Tumi’s chuckle as being about Kyle trying to get out of service, not Jess. Natalya is so distraught over her relationship that she’s taking her anger out on her co-workers, and I absolutely hate it.
The next morning, Jessika asks Kyle about Tumi’s laugh, and he tells her she has nothing to worry about. But then he tattles to Nat, and they both talk shit about Tumi and how it’s stupid that she isn’t letting Jessika run service. Last time I checked, Kyle was the second stew — and the self-proclaimed service queen — and Jessika was fourth, so I don’t understand why Tumi’s decision is being blown out of proportion, especially when Jessika didn’t even request to be put on service. Of course, Natalya takes this as an opportunity to remind us that she was initially “running the show,†which means nothing when Tumi was Captain Sandy’s first choice.
The guests arrive shortly after, strutting down the dock in their finest sundresses while the guys and Lara drool over them. Jack feels like he needs to restrain himself, so he puts his attention on wowing them with a seafood tower for lunch. You would think they’ve never seen attractive women before based on how they’re acting. Jack practically foams at the mouth and turns bright red whenever he speaks to them, while Max and Lara giddily bond over their mutual attraction to them.
After lunch, Jess asks Tumi if she can “clear the air†about the crew mess situation. Tumi clarifies that she laughed because Kyle was trying to avoid running service. Jess then mentions that the way Kyle said it made her feel like she’s “green†and also mentions her conversation with Natalya. Tumi immediately realizes that Nat is back to her old ways, and soon enough, they’re back to feuding again.
But first, a quick chat about dinner! Jack wants to impress the guests with a tasting menu because he thinks that hot people deserve the finest things, which, okay. Each course is inspired by a country he’s worked in, such as Vietnam, Thailand, Italy, and England. Jack also remarks that since he’s a “product of the people†he’s around, he’s decided to prioritize his professional relationship with Tumi as opposed to surrounding himself with Natalya’s negative energy. A wise decision, indeed.
The next day, Captain Sandy helps Luka carry a few kayaks on deck and accidentally trips and falls down. Like a real trooper, she acts like nothing happened and continues helping Luka toss the kayaks overboard even though she knows her wrist is injured. Ultimately, she determines that she needs to head to shore to get checked out, so the chief officer, Nikola, temporarily takes charge. Luka is absolutely mortified that he may have played a role in his boss getting injured, but I don’t think he did anything wrong besides maybe not warning her to watch her step. Fingers crossed it isn’t serious!
At the same time, Lara adds fuel to the fire by telling Natalya about Tumi saying that she would be fine with Nat leaving the boat. Natalya determines that she’s had enough and confronts Tumi about it in the stew pantry while the guests try (but thankfully fail) to eavesdrop. Tumi says she wouldn’t want someone who’s having personal struggles to remain on the boat, and Natalya responds that she thought they “hit the refresh button.†I guess that doesn’t apply to Nat since she was just talking smack about Tumi less than 24 hours ago. Tumi counters that it doesn’t mean they have to be friends because “we’re working colleagues; we’re not chums.†Natalya then accuses Tumi of not being a good leader because she didn’t check to see if she’s doing okay, and Tumi replies that Natalya can come to her if she’s having difficulties. In a confessional, Tumi expresses that while Natalya’s feelings are valid, “It’s her tone that fucking aggravates me.†I agree. Natalya is completely out of line for constantly speaking down to Tumi like this.
After the argument ends, Tumi tells Kyle that Natalya can “fuck off†if she doesn’t like her leadership and mentions how Jessika felt Kyle was making her feel like an inexperienced stew. He views this as a personal attack and runs down to the guest cabins to yell at Jess for throwing him under the bus despite him having supposedly been in her corner. Jess calmly tells him, “I don’t know why this is triggering you.†This makes Kyle fully unleash his wrath upon her, shouting that he’s the only person who has supported her. It’s giving narcissist. Who’s going to tell Kyle that the world doesn’t revolve around him and that Jess owes him absolutely nothing?