Is Bugsy Going to Take Over as 'Below Deck Med's Chief Stew?
Updated June 23 2020, 1:06 p.m. ET
Warning: Spoilers for Season 5 of Below Deck Med ahead.
It's looking more and more like Christine "Bugsy" Drake might be poised to take over as chief stew of Mallorca's Below Deck Med season.
After second stew Lara Flumiani and chief stew Hannah Ferrier butted heads during the first charter, the former ended up resigning — which left the crew of the Wellington short-staffed for Roy Orbison Jr. and his family's visit.
Lara's replacement was revealed at the end of June 22's episode, and although bosun Malia White seems ecstatic to be working with her close friend, Hannah is visibly unpleased to have to work alongside Bugsy once again.
And considering Page Six reported at the beginning of the season that the Australian chief stew and now-expectant mother is set to get the boot on-screen, it seems more and more likely that Bugsy will ascend to the ranks of HBIC.
Captain Sandy has always thought of Bugsy as a chief stew.
We first met Bugsy as a second stew on the Sirocco season of Below Deck Med when the crew, which included Malia, Hannah, and even Sailing Yacht's Chef Adam, was stationed out of the French Riviera.
Most of the interior agreed that Hannah wasn't doing a great job in her role as chief stew that season, which ended up becoming a recurring theme. Bugsy, who worked directly under Hannah, called her a "lousy chief stew" at one point, a feeling that was echoed by Chef Adam, who suggested that Bugsy should take over in Hannah's role.
Captain Sandy wasn't a big fan of the way Adam stirred the pot, but agreed back in 2017 that "Bugsy's an amazing chief stewardess. She is a chief stew. She's a second stew on this boat, but she is chief stew material."
What's the beef between Hannah and Bugsy?
After Bugsy confronted the chief stew about being lousy at her job, things really came to a head on Sirocco when the second stew intercepted flirtatious texts on the yacht iPad between Hannah and a charter guest she would end up hooking up with.
"I'm not going to defend myself about reading the messages on the iPad! I found them, I showed Bobby," she'd said at the time in an Instagram post. "I will own it! The texts should not have existed in the first place. The messages were found on the boat's iPad and NOT a personal device — completely fair game."
"We are in a professional industry and we have a job to do, and that job does not include making out with or texting guests," her post continued. "Throwing your crew under the bus discussing what they felt about the tip to the primary charter guest... Now that's an invasion of your team members' privacy! I will not apologize for a single solitary thing..."
What is Bugsy up to now since the season has stopped filming?
These days, it seems like Bugsy is back at work as a chief stew on a yacht in the Exumas. On some of her recent Instagram Stories, she has shown off gorgeous tablescapes and mouth-watering cocktails.
And back when the COVID-19 lockdown started, the South African native shared an update on Instagram saying she was working as a "Chief Stewardess onboard a motor yacht," and found herself, "like the rest of the world ... in full quarantine/lockdown.. isolating ourselves in a shipyard."
We can't wait to see more of Bugs this season!
