In every thrilling season of Below Deck Mediterranean, there’s a certain kind of cast member who stands out—and Kayley Smith is precisely that. Originating from the vibrant cityscape of Sydney, Australia, Smith made a powerful first impression on both Captain Sandy Yawn and Chief Stew Aesha Scott. Her effervescent personality, steadfast kindness, and relentless work ethic set her apart. Working under a female captain for the first time, Smith was particularly impressed by Yawn’s leadership style, noting how she gracefully commanded the ship.
“Captain Sandy was ever-present,” Smith remarked. “Her hands-on approach was a refreshing and motivating experience for me.” These words reflected Smith’s admiration as she navigated her new environment.
Smith quickly bonded with her supervisor, Aesha Scott, developing a rapport that swiftly translated into professional trust. This trust was so significant that Scott entrusted Smith with the responsibilities of a second stew. Although this role was unfamiliar territory for Smith, she embraced the challenge with enthusiasm.
“Aesha’s unwavering confidence in me made me believe in my own capabilities,” Smith expressed, highlighting the positive impact of Scott’s faith in her abilities.
Yet, the journey wasn’t entirely smooth. Among the interior team, tension simmered as Genevieve “Gen” Lillie harbored envy towards Smith. Lillie’s critiques and unkind remarks about Smith were a constant in private interviews and exchanges with fellow stew Kat Johnston. Notably, however, Smith never reciprocated this negativity, choosing to maintain her professionalism and dignity.
“I am proud that I was never mean back,” said Smith. “I just put my head down and got my job done.”
Smith also struck up a bromance with Lead Deckhand Joe Bradley, despite Scott’s warning.
“I didn’t know that he had the reputation that he had,” said Smith. “I trust myself a lot when it comes to men because I can see a red flag.”
However, Smith didn’t appreciate it when Bradley decided to “test” her during a night out by talking with other women.
“It’s just male ego at its finest,” laughed Smith. However, she did accept Bradley’s apology when he thought more about his behavior that evening. “We moved on fairly quickly, but it was a bit of icky behavior,” admitted Smith.
Smith spoke to DECIDER via Zoom to talk about the new season, reveal whether she needs closure with Lillie, and tease Below Deck Med alum Hannah Ferrier’s upcoming appearance on the show.
DECIDER: Had you watched the Below Deck franchise before joining the show?
KAYLEY SMITH: I’d seen a couple of episodes, but I had never followed the show religiously. My sisters actually loved the show and encouraged me to get into yachting in the first place. When I came home to visit Australia, they showed me a few episodes with Hannah—whom I love. So, when I got into yachting, the show was always in the back of my mind.
Often, I find that Captain Sandy is the first female captain for many yachties. Was that true for you as well?
Absolutely. I’ve only worked for males, and I can say that females, definitely, are on top for me.
What was your favorite part about working with her?
She just led with grace. For example, if somebody wasn’t living up to her expectations, she knew all the right ways to push them and make them better in whatever role they were in. She’d give them every bit of education, advice, space, and time to learn to be the best. She was always there. She was always in the pantry or in the galley or on deck helping out. She’d be cleaning dishes or handing a guest a towel, whatever needed to be done. She was very hands-on, and that was very new and inspiring to me.
You and Aesha clicked instantly. What’s the biggest lesson you learned from her during the charter season?
How she holds herself. She can relay feedback—whether positive or negative—and finds a way for it to always land in the best way possible. She always manages to uplift the person. It’s not an easy task to deal with different personalities in yachting, and she handles it so well.
I know Gen might have been surprised, but I wasn’t shocked when Aesha decided to make you her second stew. Do you feel like you were ready for that role?
Probably not [laughs], but Aesha had so much belief in me that I believed in myself. She is the most amazing chief stew I have ever worked with. There was no way I was gonna let anybody get in the way of me proving Aesha right. I did my absolute best to live up to her expectations.
I know everyone is saying this to you, but I really must applaud you for how you’ve handled Gen this season. Are you proud of how you dealt with that situation?
I think so. I’ve never been in a situation like that before. It was definitely new territory for me. I just put my head down and got my job done. However, I do wish that I had said something earlier and been clearer with the boundaries. In the end, Kat ended up having to take on a lot of that negativity, and that wasn’t fair to her. It did actually impact the interior, which in turn affected the guests, the charter, and the team. Knowing now what I know, I would have approached the situation a little bit differently. I am proud that I was never mean back, but that’s not really my nature.
I watched Gen on WWHL, and she still didn’t have the nicest things to say about you.
I know! I would love to know what I’ve done to her. You’d think I’ve damned this girl to hell! I think sometimes personalities don’t mix, and that’s unfortunate. It’s best that we don’t breathe the same oxygen.
Do you want to try and hash anything out with her, or is closure not something you need?
Now that time has passed, I’ve wanted to maybe reach out and have a conversation to figure out what I had done so wrong for her to feel such anger towards me. I did try to talk to her on the boat, but she preferred to talk behind my back. Anytime I tried to talk to her face to face, she would change her tune. Unfortunately, I don’t think anything would be gained from another conversation.
I know Aesha tried to warn you about starting something with Joe Bradley. Why, oh why, didn’t you listen to her?
I didn’t know that he had the reputation that he had. I trust myself a lot when it comes to men because I can see a red flag. As long as they’re honest with me and we’re communicating, I like to have a little fun. When things got to be too much, I took a step back. When I was okay, we could step back into it. I knew I could handle myself.
Did Joe ever vent to you about his troubled relationship with Bosun Nathan Gallagher?
He never vented to me in a malicious way. He never wanted to change my opinion of Nate. He would just express his frustrations because it was a really frustrating situation. There were definitely times where Joe needed to lean on someone, and I was that person for him. In turn, he was the same for me when I needed to talk to someone about Gen.
Do you think there’s a future in which Joe and Nathan could be friends again?
I don’t know enough about the situation, but I think it’s too far gone, to be honest. I don’t really think there’s anything to be gained from rekindling that friendship. You know, I have gone back and watched past seasons when they worked together. They had a really great bond. It is sad to see how it’s turned out, but you live, and you learn.
On last week’s episode, Cooper’s behavior towards Kat on the crew’s day off really disappointed me. Do you think that was Joe’s influence or just the pressures of a boatmance?
I can’t say that Joe didn’t have any influence over the situation because they were roommates and would talk about Kat. Though, I do think the pressure did get to Cooper . He’s pretty green in yachting, and we did try to warn him that things get serious pretty fast—whether you mean for them to or not. It’s really tough to watch back now. Kat is so beautiful, and she had her heart on the line. She didn’t deserve how he treated her. I hope Cooper will learn from this and never do it again.
I also couldn’t understand why Joe felt the need to “test” you by talking to other women. Were you as baffled as I was?
It’s just male ego at its finest [laughs]. That wasn’t his best moment. I didn’t love it. He apologized pretty soon after it happened, and I forgave him. We moved on fairly quickly, but it was a bit of icky behavior.
You mentioned you were familiar with Hannah earlier, so what can you tease about her upcoming appearance on the show?
Oh, she is so much fun! Aesha had no idea she was coming, so it was nice to see her reaction. Her popping up was really such a shock for everyone. Their friendship is so special. For Hannah to fly out all the way from Australia—I know how hard that flight is—was crazy. I’m really excited for you guys to see what’s coming.
New episodes of Below Deck Mediterranean air on Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo, with next-day streaming on Peacock.