On the August 5 episode of Below Deck Mediterranean, Ellie Dubaich is navigating a complicated love triangle involving Joe Bradley and Bri Muller, while revealing that she has high-profile suitors in her DMs.
During the episode, Ellie overheard Joe joking about their love triangle with Bri. Joe sang a tune suggesting he had already been involved with Bri and was planning to pursue Ellie next.
Bri later approached Ellie, apologizing for the situation, saying she was aware of Joe’s behavior. Ellie reassured Bri, saying, “No, he was just making fun of both of us. I didn’t want to say anything to you to avoid upsetting you.”
When Bri questioned Joe’s attitude, Ellie responded with a candid remark about her own dating life: “Exactly. I was like, ‘I get NFL players in my DMs!’” This comment highlighted that Ellie has other options beyond Joe.
The drama unfolds as Season 9 depicts Joe’s initial interest in Ellie, which soon involves flirtations and a kiss with Bri, complicating the dynamics between the three.
In an exclusive interview with Us Weekly in June, Ellie Dubaich explained that early miscommunication contributed to the tension between her, Bri Muller, and Joe Bradley. “Bri was attracted to him but didn’t really express it to me,” Ellie said. “I think I was more upfront about my feelings in our conversations.”
As the situation unfolded on screen, Ellie placed much of the blame on Joe. “Yes, 100 percent [he is at fault],” she said. “I realized that Joe might have been playing both sides. Watching episode 2, where he was going back and forth, made it clear that he was leading Bri on more than I initially understood.”
Ellie continued, “I heard that Bri was interested in Joe and that Joe was supposedly only interested in me. It seemed like Bri was throwing herself at him, but I later saw that Joe might have been encouraging it too.”
Joe responded to the situation a month later, acknowledging that he could have handled things differently but did not believe he was disrespectful. “I could have played it a bit differently,” Joe admitted to Us Weekly. “But my intention wasn’t to be disrespectful in any way. I don’t think I was.”
Joe also defended his actions, saying, “I’m just exploring. It’s the early days, and I’m getting to know people. I’m only having conversations and flirting. Where I’m from in Liverpool, flirting is quite direct. Maybe Ellie isn’t used to that, but I don’t agree.”
During the Monday episode, Joe apologized for his behavior, admitting he had acted poorly. He told Ellie that his actions made him “a prick,” and Ellie accepted his apology. In a confessional, she reflected, “I’m able to forgive Joe because he seems remorseful. He might be a bit immature and let his ego get carried away, but I don’t think he meant any harm. I’m ready to move on from this situation.”
The episode concluded with a midseason trailer — which Us Weekly exclusively previewed earlier on Monday — hinting at increased drama with the introduction of new stew Carrie O’Neill. The trailer suggests that Joe will pursue Carrie, which causes tension with Bri.
“I’ve already been involved with two stews. I’m not interested in more,” Joe told his deckhand and friend Nathan Gallager. Meanwhile, Bri voiced her frustration with Joe, saying, “I was the starter, Ellie was the main course, and now Carrie seems to be the dessert.”
Catch new episodes of Below Deck Mediterranean Season 9 on Bravo Mondays at 9 p.m. ET, with episodes streaming the following day on Peacock.