Below Deck Mediterranean’s Natalya Scudder has some choice words when it comes to describing her costar Kyle Viljoen.
“He is the devil,” Natalya exclusively told Us Weekly on Friday, November 3, at the first day of BravoCon 2023 in Las Vegas, adding that she and Kyle are currently not in a good place.
The two have been at odds ever since Kyle inserted himself into Natalya’s season 8 drama with costar Tumi Mhlongo. Natalya fulfilled the role of chief stew for the season’s first charter after Tumi got stuck in immigration. Upon her arrival during the show’s October 2 episode, the ladies butted heads after Natalya criticized Tumi for poking fun at the boat’s setup and décor.
“I am giving you my opinion though. I am telling you how I feel,” Tumi told Natalya during episode 2. “Don’t get defensive. All I am saying is that naturally … you are getting offended. I am not offending you.”
Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images Bravo made sure to “mention it all” at BravoCon 2023, dropping show teasers and more bombshell revelations. The third annual convention kicked off in Las Vegas on Friday, November 3, with more than 150 Bravolebrities appearing at Caesars Forum throughout the weekend. “I predict chaos. I predict people overdrinking and being overserved […]
Their feud got so intense that Captain Sandy Yawn threatened to kick them both off the boat one episode later before taking a step back to let the pair work things out themselves.
Kyle entered the picture during episode 5 on October 23. Tumi began to question her friendship with Kyle after he made shady comments about Natalya. His gossip made her realize that he could be talking behind her back as well. “I thought they were friends, but if he is talking s—t about her, he is definitely talking s—t about me,” Tumi stated in a confessional.
On Friday, Natalya told Us that she thinks Kyle “succeeded” in his “intentions to definitely stir the pot.” She continued: “[It’s] annoying ‘cause he set me and Tumi up [for] a very bad start of the season.”
Natalya Scudder, Kyle Viljoen. Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images; Rich Polk/Bravo
Luckily, Natalya said she and Tumi have managed to mend things post-filming. “Tumi and I are on a good page now,” she revealed. “We do agree there was one person who definitely caused the drama, but we are good now.”
She went on to praise Captain Sandy for handling her and Tumi’s conflict “really well,” stating, “She listened to both of us. She was there for both of us equally.”
Can’t come back from that! The Below Deck franchise has had its fair share of chaos over the years, but there were some moments that stood out more. During season 7 of the Bravo show, chief stew Kate Chastain and bosun Ashton Pienaar had a scary confrontation when the latter was drunk after a night […]
As season 8 continues to air on Bravo, Natalya joked that it can be hard to watch the series back. “I watch it with a blindfold,” she told Us. “I mean, my parents watch this, and I’m like, ‘I was drunk. Don’t judge me.’”
While her cast mate Luka Brunton thinks it’s “pretty interesting” to see things they missed while filming the show, his girlfriend has not been tuning in. “I don’t think she’s watching it, so yeah, it’s probably good,” he shared on Friday.
Kyle Viljoen, Tumi Mhlongo. Rich Polk/Bravo; Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images/Getty Images
Natalya and Luka have sparked a bit of a boatmance on season 8 so far. However, Natalya clarified that they did not pursue their romantic connection after leaving the Mustique.
“We’re just good friends now,” she told Us, noting that she is “single AF.”
She added: “He lives in Indonesia, I’m in America, so we keep in contact just through, like, Bravo photos and posts and kind of communicating about the season.”
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi