Third stew Cathy Skinner just joined the Below Deck Mediterranean Season 10 yacht. She is highly experienced. Yet, Cathy still chose to accept this lesser position, simply because she had the time. And now that she is here, Cathy is already making waves within this crew.
Not rogue waves, necessarily. Instead, Cathy is coming in strong and doing all the right things. However, the men, and at least one woman, have all taken notice of her presence. And as a result, several new storylines are beginning to take shape.
So, who is this new stew, and what does her resume reveal about her past experiences in the yachting industry? Likewise, what troubles might lie ahead this season, now that Cathy has come aboard? And how did she present during her debut episode on Below Deck Med? Here’s the tea.
Who is Below Deck Med Season 10’s new stew Cathy Skinner?
Photo Credit: Fred Jagueneau/Bravo
According to her Bravo bio, Cathy has 5 years of experience in the yachting industry. Yet, as she explained to Josh Bingham, yachting was not her first career choice. Instead, Cathy started working as a surgical dental nurse. But when an unexpected injury literally laid her out, Cathy shifted gears and began working on yachts.
During Episode 7, Cathy explained that she went “to football practice and I stepped on the football pitch, and something just went ping.” She immediately went to the hospital, where her physicians ordered an MRI. “The nurse said, ‘Two of your discs are touching and severing your spinal cord right now.’” Cathy then learned that she needed “emergency surgery,” and even with this operation, she only had a “20 percent chance of walking again.”
“I woke up about eight hours later,” Cathy said. “I was focusing so hard, and I wiggled my toes. And I’m so lucky to be given a second chance, really.” And now, she is making the most of her life on yachts, because she “just couldn’t [stomach her old surgical gig] anymore.”
As for her first run on Bravo, Cathy calls it “Truly life-changing” in her bio.
Cathy could be trouble for the boys on Below Deck Mediterranean
Photo Credit: Fred Jagueneau/Bravo
When Cathy exited her sprinter van on the pier, she immediately made deckhands Joe Bradley and Max Salvador’s heads swivel. Cathy is “absolutely stunning,” said Joe. Max agreed. Cathy is “gorgeous,” he stressed.
Before Cathy arrived, Max had his sights set on another stew, Kizzi Kitchener. So did Joe. But Joe also likes Victoria San Juan. Now, Cathy is his third crush of the season, since “She reminds me of, like, a little, young Mary Poppins,” Joe said to a producer, noting, “She needs, like, a spoonful of sugar.”
Cue production inserting animated birds and sparkles throughout her first episode. But who does Cathy like? Max. There’s just something about Frenchie that Cathy enjoys, from his looks all the way down to his personality.
However, both Max and Joe literally dropped their deck duties to race downstairs and meet Cathy on the dock. So, we can already see a potential new love triangle forming here. But, will Cathy fall harder for Joe, or will she go all-in with her initial crush, Max, who, like Joe, also enjoys flirting with Kizzi? Whatever she decides, her presence could soon spell out trouble for these men.
Will Cathy steal the Below Deck Med spotlight?
Photo Credit: Fred Jagueneau/Bravo
The men are not the only ones watching Cathy. As Kizzi is quickly realizing, Cathy is going to be her main “competition” this season.
Cathy broke into this industry via several “friends in yachting.” On her first boat, Cathy “came in really strong-minded. Like, I’m really career-driven and money-driven, and I came in with like, ‘I’m gonna be a chief stew in two years.’ And I’ve done it,” she explained on Below Deck Med.
Cathy then described herself as “the epitome of a yacht stew,” because she is “bossy,” “organized,” and “a clean freak.” However, she is also “super glamorous. With me, it’s extra, or nothing at all.” Proving her point, Cathy immediately went to work in the crew mess, the laundry room, and the cabins, noting how clean everything needs to be on her watch.
Aesha Scott loves everything about Cathy so far. But Kizzi feels the opposite. She might get stuck in laundry a whole lot more now. So, cue Kizzi, purposely failing to alert Cathy to a noticeable tear down the back of her skirt.
Thankfully, Josh filled Cathy in. Regardless, her work ethic is so strong, Cathy continued working, rip and all. But in her confessional, Cathy realized that Kizzi likely saw her torn skirt and refused to say anything. So now, she is watching Kizzi.
From the Temu Romeos to Kizzi, all eyes are watching Cathy right back. Unless her shiny newness wears off, Cathy might soon take over the Season 10 spotlight. And I am here for it.
Below Deck Mediterranean airs on Mondays at 8/7c on Bravo. You can stream it the next day on Peacock.
TELL US – ARE YOU ENJOYING CATHY SO FAR ON BELOW DECK MED? WHAT PREDICTIONS DO YOU HAVE FOR CATHY?

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