Chef Johnathan Shillingford expertly twerked his goofy self through the galley during Below Deck Mediterranean Season 9. Personality-wise, this man ate.
Onboard, Johnathan rarely got involved in the drama. Instead, he played the role of a sarcastic commentator and empathetic friend, which we loved. As a bonus, his friendship and dance sessions with Aesha Scott were spot-on, making us love their combined scenes even more, except for that one time she criticized his dessert options.
Luckily for Chef Jono, those questionable sweet treats were still a hit with several of his charter guests, who pulled him aside to praise his efforts after complaints arose onboard.
But is Johnathan returning to this series? This answer remains unknown. However, if he is asleep when the network makes this decision, we hope no one wakes him up until his rest time is over. IYKYK.
However, we have kept in touch with this ridiculous human since his cameras last went down on BDM. And as Johnathan explained to Reality Tea, he is ready to give this whole thing one more go. So, what say you, Bravo? Can you help our guy out?
Chef Johnathan Shillingford compares filming on BDM to a roller coaster
Like all chefs in the Below Deck franchise, Johnathan faced a few struggles in the galley. Therefore, we asked him how he felt when watching his inaugural season as it aired on Bravo. According to Jono, he felt like he was on a roller coaster during Season 9.
“I feel like I nailed the first charter. It felt very good food-wise,” Jono began, adding, “A lot was going on behind the scenes that viewers didn’t get to see. And in addition to no provisions, it was chaos.” Yet, Jono felt, “Maybe I’ll get a good edit because they’re showing me as calm and professional, which is how I see myself.”
“But then fast forward, there was the second charter, which was terrible. It was like, literally, I was in fumes. I feel like the whole time, it was just like issue after issue. Then I got a streak of great charters. Then there were more issues. So it was just kind of, overall, a roller coaster,” Jono explained.
Thankfully, Jono experienced many kind interactions with his clients, which kept him from spiraling. “I had some great guest interactions where guests pulled me aside, and they said, ‘I love this.’ Or they were encouraging as well towards me with other people in their group, like, oh, I’m sure she would have loved that dessert if she tried it, as we loved it,” he further noted.
“So yeah, I feel like it was a roller coaster, but I lived through it. You live, and you learn, and you have some tough times. You let it go, let it go,” Jono quipped in a singsongy voice, which saw us both starting to sing along to this fan-favorite song from Frozen.
If given another shot on BDM, Chef Johnathan Shillingford would improve his communication skills
When recalling mistakes in the galley, Jono knows where he messed up. Now, he is ready to fix his blunders made should the powers that be call him back to Below Deck Med. And yes, he would also pay strict attention to all preference sheets moving forward. But his main area noted was communication.
“I learned communication is key. Being a yacht chef is a high-pressure job already. Being on camera made it even higher pressure. I think the stress of filming was tough,” Jono reflected.
For Jono, his first season on BDM “felt like a dress rehearsal, just getting used to the cameras and the pressures of being on a yacht where” he is not the sole chef. Before filming, this yachtie “was a head chef with a sous chef,” Jono recalled, noting that this extra set of hands made his job much easier in the galley.
Therefore, it was difficult for this culinary architect to act like a solo entity. Thankfully, Jono is now well-versed in this assignment.
Should Jono return to right this ship, we would see him improving his “communications with the interior.” Likewise, he promises to display better time management skills while prepping as needed before each meal, he explained.
He would also try to avoid self-pity sessions following each scene, depending on how the edits made his storylines out to be. “I’ve learned this is showbiz, and that’s what it’s about. And I am here for it,” Jono stressed.
As are we, Chef.
Chef Johnathan Shillingford spills the tea on who he still communicates with from Season 9, and who he would be open to filming with in the future
Now that Below Deck Med Season 9 is over, we grew curious about who Jono was still in contact with. “I’ve been in touch with Aesha a bit. We saw each other and hung out post-filming not too long ago,” Jono recalled.
“I also chat with Bri [Muller] quite a lot, and I ran into Iain [MacLean],” Jono said next. With Iain, their “boats were next to each other over the summer,” so they had plenty of time to catch up.
Jono has not spoken much to Captain Sandy Yawn, but there is zero bad blood here. “I have a huge amount of respect for Sandy. I think I learned so much working with her,” Jono gushed.
Next, we asked Jono to create a dream list of crew members he would like to work with.
“I think any opportunity would be awesome,” he answered. But then, we specifically asked if he would enjoy working alongside Captain Jason Chambers, to which Jono joked, ” Oh my god, does anyone hate Captain Jason? That would be…” and then we both trailed off, imagining all the things while declaring our loves for our current partners.
Jono would also choose Aesha, as they had “great chemistry. There were a lot of funny moments. Even when we went on a crew night out, we danced so much together,” Jono explained.
But if Aesha is busy, Jono will take Fraser Olender, who he has “a low-key crush on.” If you are reading this, Jono’s man, YOU READ NOTHING.
Work-wise, Jono would love to gain a sous chef with a mixology background. He is open to working with anyone on the former cast of Vanderpump Rules because who doesn’t love a Bravo crossover?
Bring him back for another season of Below Deck Mediterranean, asks Chef Johnathan Shillingford
Chef Johnathan is ready to return to Bravo, taking over the galley on any ship in this franchise. And honestly, we like the sound of this. This franchise used to have several recurring chefs, but now, it has none. So, we asked Jono to make a pitch to the network, and holy seasonings, he delivered.
Standing from his seat, Jono twerked and presented us with a monologue of all times. And, if you do not read the following in his voice, you can scram.
“Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh. Bravo producers, clock in, honey. [Do] you want ratings? [Do] you want amazing one-liners? You better get Chef Jono back on Below Deck.”
Shaking his backside, he added, “Okay, I’m not even playing with you. I need my own yacht. I need my own show, baby. I’m not asking you. I’m telling you. The people want Chef Jono, okay, so give them what they want.”
Shaking for his supper one final time, Jono pleads, “Give the people what they want, honey. A little bit of this [and] a little bit of that. That’s all you need, okay? I’m ready to take Below Deck to the next level, okay? So let’s give the people what they want, and period.”
And scene. Our man wants another shot on Below Deck. So, remember his name, production teams. Chef Jono is waiting and ready to tackle an entire season or even work as a replacement chef should you ignore his pleas and hire a bust.
Below Deck Mediterranean is streaming on Peacock.
TELL US – WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE A REFORMED AND READY CHEF JONO ON BELOW DECK MED? WHO COULD YOU SEE CHEF JONO WORKING ALONGSIDE IF SO?