Below Deck’s Aesha Scott Blocked João Franco After ‘Below Deck Med’ Season 4 ‘Russian Prostitute’ Comment
New Below Deck Down Under bosun João Franco got a less than thrilling welcome from chief stew Aesha Scott because they majorly clashed the last time they worked together.
Franco will replace fired bosun Luke Jones and while he and Scott don’t totally hate each other, she blocked him on social media after they worked together on Below Deck Mediterranean Season 4, especially after Franco referred to Scott as looking like a “Russian prostitute” during the season.
Aesha Scott said João Franco used to flirt with her ‘all the time’
Scott wanted to confront Franco at the Below Deck Med Season 4 reunion, but they didn’t film a reunion that season. At one point Franco made a derogatory comment about Scott’s outfit when the crew was out on the town.
“He calls me a Russian prostitute but he also says I remind him of his mum,” Scott said during the Below Deck Med After Show. “They really don’t show it much but Joao used to flirt with me like all the time.”
Franco admitted he was attracted to Scott. “There was a moment with Aesha where I thought she’s awesome, she’s a really nice girl,” he remarked. “Then she got a little too outgoing and then it was … wow.”
Deckhand Jack Stirrup, who dated Scott during season 4 wondered if Franco was simply jealous. “Maybe he was a little bit jealous or whatever,” he said.
Why didn’t João Franco and Aesha Scott get along last time?
Scott was second stew on Below Deck Med Season and Hannah Ferrier was the chief stew. Franco was the bosun and Scott felt as though he constantly needled her, sometimes getting too involved and constantly sharing his opinion, especially when it came to her romance with Stirrup.
By the time Below Deck Med Season 4 aired, Scott had blocked him on social media. Franco didn’t understand why.
“I noticed when he was last on Watch What Happens Live when he mentioned like, ‘Oh, I don’t understand why Aesha blocked me. We left such good friends,'” she said on a 2019 WWHL appearance. “The reality is he bullied me every single day onboard. He never stopped judging me and criticizing me. When we left, you’ll notice on the last episode tonight, I didn’t even hug him goodbye. I was so sick of him treating me like crap. So I don’t know where he gets this from that we left such good friends.”
‘Below Deck Med’ Season 4 was João’s redemption season
Franco was a deckhand on Below Deck Med Season 3 and had an extremely negative relationship with Ferrier. He also flirted with stew Kasey Cohen while dating stew Brooke Laughton and butted heads with bosun Conrad Empson.
Franco reluctantly returned to the series, but this time as bosun. He and Ferrier patched up their working relationship and the season started strong for Franco. But he ultimately clashed with not only Ferrier and Scott but also stew Anastasia Surmava, especially when she moved into the chef role.
He was especially critical of Surmava, which also damaged their working relationship.
Scott and Franco left season 4 with plenty of unresolved conflicts. Will old wounds re-open on Below Deck Down Under even though years have passed?
Below Deck Down Under is on Monday at 8 pm ET on Bravo.
