Below Deck Med: The Reason Tumi And Kyle's Friendship Turned Rocky

Fans fell in love with Tumi Mhlongo and her tablescapes when she first appeared in "Below Deck Down Under" Season 1, which was why it was exciting to see her return as a chief stew in "Below Deck Mediterranean" Season 8. However, her first crack as a leader wasn't such smooth sailing, thanks largely to Kyle Viljoen's pot-stirring. Mhlongo came into the boat not knowing the rest of the crew, but Viljoen and fellow stew Natalya Scudder had history from the prior season. Before the charter season started, Mhlongo revealed that Viljoen had warned her about working with Scudder.

Mhlongo and Scudder's relationship was already rocky when Viljoen created further drama between the two. He told Scudder about a text he had received from Mhlongo that read, "Nat needs to stay in her line" with a warning that she would run the third stew off the boat if she didn't. Viljoen sharing that info was the start of Mhlongo's suspicion toward him, and her lack of trust in her second stew caused their friendship to sour.

Although the "Below Deck Med" crew works on huge superyachts, the interiors can get pretty small — especially when it comes to gossip. Kyle Viljoen is no stranger to causing drama, and his loose lips caused a lot of tension during Season 8. After Natalya Scudder shaded Viljoen for sitting down with the charter guests, he later clapped back by telling Tumi Mhlongo that she should be happy not to be roommates with the native Australian (via Us Weekly). Later, Mhlongo told the cameras, "I thought they were friends but if he is talking s*** about her, he is definitely talking s*** about me."

After the episode aired, Mhlongo wrote in a now-deleted tweet that was captured on Reddit, "One thing I regret is trusting Kyle!! Point blank period. I will own that." A fan wrote, "He's a snake. Plays best friend with Tumi before the boat, blasting Nat. Yet acts as if Nat and him have the best relationship and tells her all the s*** Tumi had been saying. He's the worst type of person." It seems that the feud has continued off the boat, and although filming has long ended, Mhlongo and Viljoen continue to go after each other.

It looks like things are still rough between Tumi Mhlongo and Kyle Viljoen. When appearing on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen," the chief stew was asked if she regretted confiding in Viljoen, and she replied, "Hundred percent. I'll own that." She continued, "Kyle just wanted my job, though. There's nothing that Kyle wanted more than to be a chief stew, so he was going to do anything in his power to make it uncomfortable."

Viljoen had previously shaded Mhlongo a week prior when he visited "WWHL" and told Andy Cohen that he thought Season 7's Natasha Webb was a "better communicator" than Mhlongo. Despite their back and forth, the former "Below Deck Down Under" stew shared on "The Entertainment Hotline with Anita Anabel" podcast (via Chattr) that she would choose Viljoen over Natalya Scudder as the second stew. "I'd have Kyle as second because he's not passive-aggressive in the way that he communicates." 

She added that she would choose Scudder if they were able to communicate better, as she respected the third stew's work ethic. "I felt like Kyle is just easier to manage. Even though he's hyper-emotional, he's much easier to manage [than Natalya]," Mhlongo stated. Perhaps if they're paired up again for Season 9, the two "Below Deck Med" stars' rocky past will be water under the bridge and things will be more drama-free.