Julia And Josiah Tell All On Below Deck Med Galley Talk - Exclusive Interview

The Bravoverse loves a callback. Across the network's range of programming, from its various iterations of "The Real Housewives" to the bi-coastal setup of "Million Dollar Listing," the only thing Bravo loves more than one of its hit franchises is spinning off a hit franchise from one of its franchises. "Below Deck" begat "Below Deck Mediterranean," which begat "Below Deck Sailing Yacht," and onward to infinity. But the Bravosphere is nothing without its Bravolebrities, and it's hit on another means of showcasing some of its best-loved personalities with "Below Deck Mediterranean Galley Talk," where yachties of seasons past serve up their hot takes on the boatmances, bickering, and assorted charter dramas inherent to the latest season of the "Below Deck" string. 

Josiah Carter ("Below Deck" Season 6) and Julia d'Albert Pusey ("Below Deck Med" Season 1) form one of the "Galley Talk" chat teams, and they took some time to tell Nicki Swift a little about their experiences doing the show, a little more about the dramas of the current season (Lexi who?), and some insight into what else they've been up to, both inside and outside the network that made them famous.

So, "Below Deck Mediterranean Galley Talk" strikes me as a pretty great way to stay in the Bravo universe for some seasoned veterans, such as yourselves, from past seasons. Can you each give me a little bit of a sense of how you got involved with the show?

Josiah Carter: Yeah, of course. I think it was an idea that obviously Bravo had, and they wanted to get some people that have been on the show before, and ... because we've been involved in that before ... we know what they're going through. And we've been working on yachts, as well. So I think they wanted some previous people that obviously ... had an impact on the show to come back and do "Galley Talk." So they spoke to me about it; I thought it was a great idea to do. I think it's a really good way for other people to see what our reactions are to the show. Because people watching it know what their reactions are, but they don't know what the reactions of people that have actually been on the show, or have been working on yachts, is. So, I think it's a great concept for a show.

Right on. Julia, how about you?

Julia d'Albert Pusey: Yeah, basically I think we're like a little club. We're an ... how do you say it? Alumni?

Yeah, exactly. Alumni.

Julia: Exactly. So it's a bit like that. And I think it's great to see. ... You've been on the yacht, you're giving your reaction. And I just think it's an extension of "Below Deck," and I think it's fab. And I've been receiving DMs, saying, "I love it. I love watching you and Josiah." So it's kind of ... we're giving back, aren't we, Josiah?

Josiah: Yeah, exactly.

Well, obviously the chemistry between you is what the people are coming back to see every Friday night, right?

Josiah: Yeah, exactly.

So, let's talk a little bit about "Below Deck Med" Season 6 and its cast members. It's been going great out there. Josiah, who do you have as your favorite cast member so far?

Josiah Carter: Oh, do you know what? I actually really like a lot of them. I really like David [Pascoe] and Katie [Flood], but I think Courtney [Veale] is going to have to do the top spot for me — I think she's just hilarious, and she's good at her job, she knows what she's doing, and she's so entertaining to watch, as well. She's the whole package, really.

That's perfect. How about you, Julia? Who do you have?

Julia d'Albert Pusey: Yeah, I think we've got a pretty cute crew going on this season. The exterior, the boys, they've got a nice little chemistry going on. They seem very sweet and innocent, which isn't normal — well, isn't usual for "Below Deck." So that's really nice to see. But I love Zee [Dempers], I've got time for Zee. And Courtney, she just brings a positive vibe, which is what you need.

Looks like Courtney's the clear frontrunner, maybe, going forward.

Josiah: I think so.

So, early on this season, the Chef Mathew Shea stuff created quite a stir. And there was David making his play for Malia White, which was a little bananas.

Josiah: That's interesting.

Interesting is one way to put it. And Lloyd Spencer leading the Oktoberfest was a barrel of laughs...

Josiah: That was it.

Would you say there are some other highlights of this season that have struck you as being particularly memorable?

Josiah: Yeah. I don't know if it's memorable in a good way, but Lexi [Wilson's] definitely been one to not forget. As much as probably we all want to forget her. But yeah, unfortunately she's stuck in our minds a bit from this season. But also, I think a great memory is that the deck crew seems to be getting along really well. And they just seem to be beasting it outside. ... Everything seems to be going so well. Malia's just absolutely owning it, she's doing such a good job.

Nice. Anything stand out to you, Julia?

Julia: Yeah, I think the hot tub drinking escapade was a whole 'nother thing. That was interesting. And then for me, what stands out is probably Chef Mathew with his whole knee MRI. That was kind of — 

Josiah: Oh, yeah.

Julia: — out there.

Josiah: MRI, walking out, walking back on, walking out. Yeah. That's always interesting.

Julia: Definitely. So I think those two stand out, and I'm sure we've got a few more standout moments to come, as well.

Well, you mentioned her, and she's definitely the "Below Deck Med" Season 6 villain. It recently broke here, obviously, that Lexi Wilson has finally gotten the ax from the show. She had put this Instagram message out there that's since been deleted, but that left all these quotes. And she said that she was completely edited down, and that the conversation didn't happen like it had, and that she was taking shots at the executive producer of the show. Did you see any of this go down on the Internet at all? It was a pretty crazy fallout from her firing, I would say.

Julia d'Albert Pusey: Gosh.

Josiah Carter: So I didn't see any of this, but I always think it's very funny that the one that people don't end up liking or anything like that, they seem to always have a bad edit.

Julia: Yeah.

Josiah: They're not editing you to say those things. You said those things and did those things, they're just putting it on the TV. The producers didn't mime over what her mouth was moving to say those things, she actually said them. So it's always funny that the people that got the "bad edit" always say that they got the bad edit. I didn't say I got a good edit, because they edited me as the person that I am. I'm just not a horrible person, I don't think. Thanks to all the producers for giving me a really good edit.

She said that they'd taken a phone call where she was referring to other people, but not the crew members, who were asking for money — and that was interposed to make it look like she was talking about the crew. But we don't know at this point.

Josiah: Yeah. I had a conversation with the producers before we started filming, and they said, "Is there anything that you're worried about?" And I said, "Well, all these people that are the villain on shows, they're always getting a bad edit. And I don't want that, or anything like that. I don't know how... ." And they said, "Well, you can't get a bad edit if you're a bad person. We're only going to edit you to emphasize the person that you are." If you're the funny person on the show, they're going to edit you as the funny person. If you're the nice person, they're going to edit you as the nice person. And she was just not — she's just not a very nice person. So unfortunately, she now probably realizes that what she sees on screen, she doesn't like. And it's not that she got a bad edit, it's that that's the person that she is. And unfortunately, she doesn't like that. So, that's her problem.

Julia: Yeah. It's a difficult one, really, because they're taking all this footage, and they're doing snapshots of your character. So she could have a nicer side, but we're not seeing it, do you know what I mean? So we're getting all the edits of her being not very nice. So, at the end of the day, like you said, Josiah, if you're saying those things, it's going to come out like that.

I guess what it really does is set up a explosive Season 6 reunion show, doesn't it?

Julia d'Albert Pusey: Ooh.

Josiah Carter: Yeah.

Julia: Yikes.

Josiah: They're going to need to bolt the tables down, screw the chairs down, because I don't think they need to flip any tables in this season.

They're going to have to have all-plastic glassware.

Josiah: Yeah, exactly. Everything plastic, nothing breakable, nothing smashable. Then it might be fairly calm.

One other interesting thing I wanted to ask you both about that went down recently on the show was the addition of Delaney Evans into the existing crew. Ultimately, she finished out the charter, and then she was asked to not continue. But I felt like that was a pretty unprecedented thing, for her to even be added in the first place. Is that something that either of you had encountered in your careers in the yachting industry, where a crew member was added to an existing setup?

Julia: Yeah, that's pretty normal. If you're down a crew member, they'll get someone in. That's pretty normal. Have you experienced the same, Josiah?

Josiah: Yeah. So for me, sometimes when a charter is a bit harder or a bit busier, you get some people in to help out, whether it's just an extra pair of hands or something. I think what was happening was that the interior was just not — they weren't able to keep their head above water, so they needed some extra help in there. And when Delaney came in, she helped them to keep their head above water. But then eventually, what was happening is there was two people doing one person's job.

Right.

Josiah: And at the end of the day, as much as it's a yacht and you're in these amazing places, you still have to run it as a business. It's two wages going out. And also, for the crew, it's one more person to add into the tip bucket. So...

Yeah, that's true.

Josiah: Got to put that into consideration and work out whether you want to have that extra help, or whether you need that extra help, or whether it's best to get rid of one person or both people, or so on. And they obviously — they trialed it out with Delaney for one charter, and then figured out what the best option was for them.

Julia: You see, I think if they'd started with Delaney, they would've kept Delaney. But at that point, you're kind of ... Katie [Flood's] probably a little bit like — she's exhausted, she doesn't know what decision to make, she's a little bit indecisive. And I think she's gone, "I don't want to carry any dead weight. Me and Courtney [Veale] can take this and we can do it, we can handle it." So, she's just made that decision.

So Julia, let me ask you this: You recently told Express that "Below Deck" crews have become "wilder and b**chier" over time.

Julia d'Albert Pusey: Yeah.

I guess there's maybe a reference in that to Lexi Wilson a bit?

Julia: I don't know if that was before or after the interview, but I do feel like the crew are getting, maybe they're getting younger and wilder. I think there seems to be a lot more partying, a lot more drinking, which can always add to the boiling pot. How does it compare to yours, Josiah? I feel they're wilder.

Josiah Carter: Yeah so, I think the thing is, as well, is we've all gone through a very similar thing over the last two years, of being locked up in our own homes.

Julia: Right.

Yeah.

Josiah: And so, they've gone to this season and they've almost broken free from lockdown and themselves. They want to go out, they want to have fun, they want to party with people of their — some of these people might be locked up with their parents and, as much as I love my parents, I would not want to spend any more than three weeks with them locked up in a house, no matter how big the house is. So some of them have probably been in that sort of situation. So I would be the same, if I went onto a yacht, I would want to party and get mad and get drunk. And I think they were all just a bit excited. I don't know if it compares to my season; it's different when you're involved in all of the drinking and everything. And when you're sitting on the sofa and watching it, it could look totally different. But I'm sure both our seasons were probably quite crazy. But this one probably seems a bit more crazy, because no one's been used to doing anything over the last two years.

Julia: Well, maybe that's it, as well. We're seeing it from a point of view of going, "Oh my gosh, they're wild." But we are all locked up. So...

Josiah: Yeah, exactly. I'm just jealous. I want to be out there getting wild.

Please invite us next time. Right.

Josiah: Yeah, exactly. How rude.

So Josiah, speaking of your time on the boat, you were Kate Chastain's favorite stew — I think we can all agree on that, right? Is it safe to say that that was because of your professionalism and your compatibility with her, or did you know that you would get along so well with her before you got on the show?

Josiah Carter: No, I didn't. Weirdly, I actually never watched the show before I went on it. So I didn't really know who — I knew of her, but I didn't really know who she was as a person or anything like this. I always go into a job not expecting to make friends, not that I don't want any friends, but you go there not expecting to make loads of friends. I'm sure you'll get along with everyone, but you don't always make lifelong friends. But from the get-go, Kate and I just got along so well and we almost read each other's minds, as silly as it sounds. We knew what we were doing, we just had the same sort of funny thoughts and stuff like that. And it just, I think that also helps you get through the season, being able to get along with someone so well. 

So no, I genuinely didn't know if I was going to get along with her at all, or if I was going to like her, or if we were just going to be really good friends. And luckily for both of us, we got along really well, because I don't think it's good — it's never good, butting heads with the chief stewardess.

Julia d'Albert Pusey: Don't think I'd want to get on the wrong side of Kate, either.

Josiah, you were back on a charter recently, but that was not a "Below Deck" thing, correct? That was just you filling in for a friend on a charter in Spain?

Josiah: Yeah. So I was just filling in for a friend that was away for a few days. ... So throughout the summer, I've just been doing a bit of on-and-off temporary work. So a week here, or a few weeks there, or a couple of days there kind of thing. Which I've just been really enjoying, getting back out on the water and getting back out on the yacht, it's been ... I love it. It's so nice for me to be able to dip in and out of it, really.

So, barring "Below Deck Med Galley Talk," what's next for you professionally? Are you going to reenter the full-time yacht life?

Josiah Carter: I think for me, it's really hard to be full-time, because you'll be away for potentially 10 months of the year — away from family and friends, and I really enjoy a nice big bed, and my own space. But yeah, so I'd absolutely do a season here, a season there. Absolutely. I really enjoy it. For me, it's such a fun thing to do. It's very tiring and it's very time consuming ... but the rewards are great. You're away from your family and your friends, but you get to go to these amazing places. So yeah, I'm going to keep going on yachting for a few more years, see how I feel. And yeah, just go from there, really.

Great. Well, Julia, you've left the yacht life behind, largely. Your entrepreneurship with Myrtle & Maude, it seems to be going great. What do you think the pros and cons are of having left yacht life and remade yourself as a small business owner?

Julia d'Albert Pusey: Yeah. Do you know what? It's a weird one, when you work in yachting. I was never fully committed to yachting, where I had a long career in it. I was very much — I dipped in and out. But I do find that people find the transition quite hard. And it is quite hard, it's just such a different lifestyle, to being on land [compared] to on sea. So I know people do find that quite difficult. 

But yet, I've got husband, I've got a dog now, so I've got my two feet firmly on land. But yet, business is going well, [I] absolutely love doing that. It's very stressful, [a] different kind of stress to yachting. But I do miss yachting. Watching "Below Deck," me and Josiah are like, "Aw no, kind of making me jealous." But it's one of them games, where it's good to get into when you're younger, exhaust it, and get out. But yeah, very much do miss it. I miss the sunsets, I miss sleeping on a boat, because you get such a good sleep, I can't even explain to you. ... I think it's because of the rocking motion. So you don't have trouble sleeping, basically. I miss getting up in the morning, making my little coffee, sitting on the bow. Very much miss all of that. 

If I was younger, I definitely would've gone on with my husband, because he also has worked on yachts before. He's worked on Abramovich's boat before, as well, so if I was younger, I would've definitely gone in with him, as a couple. But [it's] not meant to be anymore, I don't think.

I've gotta be honest, those beds — they look like they're triangles. They do not look like they're comfortable to sleep in at all. But I've never been on a super yacht, so I don't know.

Josiah: They are actually surprisingly comfortable.

Julia: They are comfortable, but they do look like a prison bed.

Well, let me ask each of you this: There's probably something you don't miss, which is nightmare guests, right?

Josiah Carter: Mm-hmm.

Can you each give me a quick example of a situation that you might have handled differently now, in retrospect, with a certain one or other guest that you encountered in your travels? Julia?

Julia d'Albert Pusey: Yes. I think now I'm a bit older, I think I would speak my mind a bit. But you do have to be careful with guests, you just have to go, "Yes, sir. No, sir. What can I get you?" But I think now I'm a bit older, I would speak my mind a little bit if I felt a bit disrespected.

That's a good point, yeah. The toxicity that sometimes appears in those interactions ... it seems like maybe nowadays, they would be handled a little differently.

Julia: Yeah.

Josiah, how about you?

Josiah: Well, I think similar to Julia, really, because sometimes the way that people treat you is obviously not the nicest in the world, and it's what we're used to. And it shouldn't be what we're used to do. So, I think I would probably change, potentially, pulling a guest aside and saying, "Look, maybe let's not speak to people like that." Or, "Let's not treat people like that, because if we treat people in a much nicer fashion, we are more likely to do much more things for you." I would much rather do the bare minimum for someone that's not treating me very well. I'd rather, if they're treating me nicely, I'd rather go over, above, and beyond for them. So yeah, I think speaking up a little bit more and speaking your mind a little bit more would be definitely one to keep in the mind.

In terms of the show, do each of you feel like there's another shoe still set to drop this season? The Lexi Wilson thing is obviously a huge deal, but now that she's out of the picture, what do we expect to be the next giant moment from "Below Deck Med" Season 6?

Josiah: Well, I think one thing that we've got to realize from "Below Deck" is when you think the shoe's dropped —

Julia: Yeah.

Josiah: — there's another one behind it, very close. So yeah, always expect the unexpected is what I've realized from filming "Galley Talk" and watching the shows and even being on my season. ... There is always something bigger and better, or potentially worse, coming up behind it. So yeah, just keep your eyes peeled, because I think it's a good season.

Julia: I think, at this point, people are getting tireder, they're getting more irritated with people's behavior. They are ready to lose their rag. So things are just boiling. This is when people's true colors start showing. So yeah, definitely. Watch out.

We'll be watching alongside both of you in spirit, because we're all out here reacting to the same stuff now.

Josiah: Yes, exactly.

New episodes of "Below Deck Mediterranean" air on Mondays at 9pm ET/PT on Bravo, and episodes drop one week early on Mondays on Peacock. New episodes of "Below Deck Med Galley Talk" air on Fridays at 8pm ET/PT on Bravo.