‘Below Deck Med’: João Franco Says He’s Team Chef Kiko
João Franco from Below Deck Mediterranean must have recently gotten up to speed on season 5 because he could only come to one conclusion about the chef situation. He’s “Team Kiko.”
“See Tom, here is the thing- your reputation isn’t ruined by the things you cannot control but rather how you react to the things you cannot control! And your reactions mate…. how have you lasted this long in yachting,” Franco recently tweeted.
Chef Tom Checketts took over after chef Hindrigo “Kiko” Lorran left the boat. His resume impressed Captain Sandy Yawn and the new addition looked promising. Although the guests seem to enjoy his food, Checketts has melted down, barked at the crew, and even snarled at Yawn. He stressed that subpar provisions and a last-minute scramble are an assault on his reputation as a chef and has made sure everyone on the boat knows that.
João Franco explains why he leans Chef Kiko
Lorran was a creative and talented chef, but he lacked the experience and organizational skills needed to succeed as a superyacht chef. He’d deliver on some complex meals but then stumble on others. However, he’d always cook with a smile on his face and a kind word for all the crew.
A viewer asked Franco how it could be hard to distinguish between tantrum throwing and passion. But Franco said having passion doesn’t necessary equate to a meltdown.
“Pure example- kiko clearly has passion,” Franco responded in the same thread. “Didn’t see him throwing anything around when things didn’t go his way don’t also mistake passion for someone who is more worried about how they look than the food they cook.”
“I can picture Tom literally in a cot and throwing all the toys out,” he added.
Chef Tom insists miscommunication led to his latest tantrum
Checketts stunned viewers when he lashed out at Yawn and stormed out of the galley kitchen when he received frozen, instead of fresh fish. He became visibly aggitated when Yawn tried to help, questioning him about the fish.
“I think it was more miscommunication,” Checketts said in the Below Deck Med After Show. “I think in that instance, I think that Sandy got involved a little too early because I had no idea what was going on with it. She called the provisioner who she thought had delivered the fish. It was the wrong person. I had sent it back and as far as I was aware they were going to bring the right fish.”
Yawn showed understanding toward Checketts and said he was exhausted. “And then when your captain comes in and asks how can I help and makes a phone call, and that doesn’t really help you,” she said. “I mean yeah he’s gonna spiral and lose his mind. Because again, he’s exhausted. He’s lost reasoning. Now I don’t know how to have the food conversations. That’s him. And if he doesn’t get the response he needs, he needs to share that with me. Otherwise, I can’t help him.”
