joe bradley it has shined a lot Below Deck Mediterranean. The guy once decided to work hard, but Sheets is finally showing some growth by working even harder. He’s admitting his mistakes, (mostly) handling the drama better, and proving that he can actually be a decent person. But has Joe really left his dirty days in the courtroom behind?
After two seasons of bad boats and questionable life decisions, it made sense when Nathan Gallagher shuddered at the thought of working with Joe again. As Nathan explained in Episode 1, “At the end of last season, the way (Joe) was treating women was bullshit,” so “I haven’t talked to him since.” Nathan ignored Joe when they first came face to face. And, for the most part, fans understood why.
Joe ignored Nathan’s rudeness, but made several sarcastic comments whenever Nathan staggered onto the deck. It seemed like business as usual for Joe, but as the weeks progressed, something strange happened. Joe starts winning people over, except Nathan, of course. This begs the question: Does Nathan’s current fall from grace make Joe look better by comparison, or has Joe actually done enough to redeem himself on Below Deck Med?
Joe Bradley has finally put his Below Deck Made Boatmen on the shelf
Honestly, if there was one consistent priority for Joe throughout his first two seasons on Below Deck Med, it was chasing tails. In season 9, he flirted with Elena “Ellie” Dubich and Bree Muller. The women immediately turned on each other and the internal team ultimately paid the price. However, Joe remained unmarried.
Gail Cameron called Joe a “p*ck” for all of the above. She saw him again in Season 10 when he returned to “his old tricks”. Gayle was not wrong. But Nathan shared his stance, and then entered Season 11 with an extreme resentment against Joe.
However, thankfully, Joe’s multi-Botmans storyline is on the back burner this season. Who is now pursuing a woman, Kaylee Smith. Kylie and Joe share an easy, no-strings-attached style of boatmanship. They also share an equally strong work ethic, so their night out fun has never interfered with their day-to-day functioning, except for a quick nod or two.
Signal a major change in the pace of Joe’s story. The days of restless nights and regretful mornings are over. Yes, the women are still fighting to some extent, but Joe, for once, has nothing to do with it. Instead, he is very busy working on the deck, trying to show Captain Sandy Yawn what he can do.
Joe Bradley’s work ethic is finally taking the spotlight
Nathan probably won’t be impressed with Joe. But Captain Sandy is sure. With Nathan temporarily unavailable due to a back injury, Joe stepped into the acting Bosun position. He took this role out of Marina.
Who immediately moved forward. He made a clear schedule of anchor sightings, organized the lockers, walked Cooper Dawson through quick boat repairs on the walkie-talkie, and saved the yacht with a quick-thinking plan during weather emergencies, all while leading with a firm but always kind hand. Nathan never could. But Team Josun definitely did that.
This made it even more frustrating when Nathan tried to take credit for some of Joe’s victories. But Captain Sandy was not born yesterday on the pier. He and every fan watching knew that Joe alone deserved that accolade. So, when Nathan retaliates by giving Joe more time than usual on anchor watch, Captain Sandy pushes Joe forward in real time and asks Nathan to find Joe’s schedule and implement it as quickly as possible.
Joe knows his stuff, and it’s been really cool to see. The production seems to agree. Rumor has it, Joe is our Season 12 Bosun.
Joe Bradley’s feud with Nathan Gallagher could make or break his Redemption era
Of course, there remains one big problem cementing this season as Joe’s full redemption era: Nathan. On the one hand, Joe has demonstrated growth in many areas. He’s worked hard, kept his head down, hasn’t broken anyone’s heart (yet), and has shown more desire to establish himself professionally. But when it comes to all things Nathan related her mouth has betrayed her a time or two.
Whenever Nathan messes up, Joe stops him. And whenever Nathan reacts with an awkwardly tough stance, Joe counters by smiling and saying things just to cover himself. Is this Joe’s mature? No, but honestly, Joe can do a lot more here, so we can give him due credit.
But it seems Joe doesn’t want to do anything else. In episode 17, she also tried to make peace with Nathan. In front of them, Nathan agreed to complete the season without any further drama. But in his confessional, Nathan’s mask falls away.
Is Nathan’s inability to control his emotions Joe’s fault? No. But Joe’s feud with Nathan could still make or break his redemption era. With only one episode left, our non-existent tip amount is riding on the first one.
Below Deck Mediterranean Streaming on Peacock.