A familiar face is making waves on Below Deck Down Under.
One week after Captain Jason Chambers fired Bosun Luke Jones for inappropriate sexual behavior towards fellow yachtie Stew Margot Sisson, he found his replacement in a fellow Bravo star: Below Deck Mediterranean alum João Franco.
João joined The Northern Sun's crew as second officer on the Aug. 14 episode in a surprise twist following Luke's termination. (Stew Laura Bileskalne was also let go on the Aug. 7 episode for unwarranted sexual advances towards Deckhand Adam Kodra.) But not everyone was happy to see him.
"Oh god, João," Chief Stew Aesha Scott, who previously had a rough time working with him on season four of Below Deck Med, lamented upon his arrival. "He's the worst!"
And Aesha wasn't the only crewmember who had beef with João, as Chef Tzarina Mace-Ralph quickly revealed.
"He was with one of my best mates and f--ked her over," she shared during the episode. "He's definitely a guys' guy and a womanizer. Always swore if I saw him again that I would punch him in the face for her."
Tzarina added that João's presence is "going to make it really awkward this season on the boat."
Despite ending their previous co-working relationship on a sour note, Aesha decided to clear the air for the sake of the team. "I think we both know we didn't end on great terms last time we were working together," she told João, "but I think we should just leave it in the past."
For João, he admitted to treating his former Med crewmates badly. "Take me back to five years ago, you'd hate me," he noted in a confessional, adding he hopes his new co-workers will give him a "second chance."
However, later in the episode, João privately criticized Deckhands Harry Van Vliet and Culver Bradbury's lack of professionalism after they engaged in a playful chicken fight with two charter guests on the beach.
"This is crazy," João stated in his confessional. "In super-yachting, it's a guest experience, it's not a guest and crew experience. And there's a difference between professionalism and actually trying to be a guest on the boat. That's obviously the precedent the previous person set. I'm here to change that."
And the feeling was mutual, as Culver later admitted he thought his new boss needed to "lighten up," while Harry became "ticked off" by João's work style.
"Some people lead by example," Harry explained in a confessional. "They like to be seen doing the job to get the job done, but João just seems to like delegating."
Despite initially ruffling some feathers, Aesha did have a subtle change of heart after João told the chief stew he had her back when it came to managing the interior and exterior teams.
"I am very shocked that João is approaching me for advice," she shared. "He's actually treating me like a real head of department. So, has he changed? Maybe."
Below Deck Down Under airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on Bravo and streams the next day on Peacock. Keep reading to see more of the most shocking firings in Below Deck history.
(E! and Bravo are both part of the NBCUniversal family)