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Below Deck Med charter guest Athena Lucene defends low tip amid viewer backlash, praises chef Mathew Shea

Athena Lucene from Below Deck Med speaks out on low tip and her love of crew.
Athena is taking on the haters over her recent Below Deck Mediterranean appearance. Pic credit: Bravo

Below Deck Mediterranean charter guest Athena Lucene has defended the low tip she left amid viewer backlash and has praised chef Mathew Shea.

Athena and her group were ready to relax from the moment they stepped aboard Lady Michelle. The success coach went to great lengths to ensure her clients had a great time on the luxury yacht.

Her actions at times were a bit overbearing, leaving both chef Mathew Shea and chief stew Katie Flood baffled at times. Athena was also baffled at times, especially when it came to the less than appealing cakes chef Mathew served.

Below Deck Med charter guest Athena Lucene defends low tip

When the charter ended, Athena expressed her thanks for the enjoyable trip. However, at the crew tip meeting, Captain Sandy Yawn revealed Athena left $15,000. Lexi Wilson and Courtney Veale showed their frustration with the amount.

Viewers called out Athena on social media for leaving a low tip but being such a demanding charter guest. She decided to set the record straight in the comments section of one of her Instagram posts promoting her Below Deck Mediterranean appearance.

“Thanks for watching the show and for your comment. Yes, the charter was cut short with no refunds due to bad weather. Had it been a longer charter, tip certainly would have been a greater amount. The crew and everyone were amazing,” Athena wrote.

The response did little to stop the hate. Comments of frustration with Athena, her behavior, and the tip continued to pop up on the Instagram post.

Below Deck charter guest Athena Lucene praises chef Mathew Shea

In another social media message, Athena gave a special shout-out to chef Mathew remarking that she had no idea she made him so nervous. Athena revealed the chef’s cuisine was delicious.

It didn’t take long for chef Mathew to respond with a thank and reply that he’s always nervous, which viewers know from Below Deck Med Season 6 Episode 1.

“@mathewshea As talented as you are, no need to be,” Athena responded to him.

Chef Mathew response to Athena praise
Pic credit: Athena Lucene

Malia White and Courtney also replied to Athena’s post about chef Mathew with clapping and heart emojis.

There is no doubt that charter guest Athena Lucene was a challenging one for the Lady Michelle crew. She most certainly won’t be the last demanding guest for the season.

To be honest, Athena wasn’t even close to being as bad as Barrie Drewitt-Barlow on Below Deck Sailing Yacht. Barrie had more people, a longer charter, and left the same tip as Athena.

What did you think of Athena’s tip?

Below Deck Mediterranean airs Mondays at 9/8c on Bravo.

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Anonymous
Anonymous
3 years ago

Her demeanor of superiority left a bad taste. Why did she feel the need to have THEM move her dinner service 6 inches to the left… to the HEAD of the table? Superiority. It was not the crews fault if the charter was called due to bad weather, their service was what was superior. and Mathew is a chef not a baker and the cake tasted good.

Anonymous
Anonymous
3 years ago

Ms. Lucene didn’t need to focus on making the charter exceed her guests’ expectations. The crew would have done that; it’s what they are trained to do. Maybe she should have watched a few episodes of Below Deck to see how things work.

Deb
Deb
3 years ago

They get DEEP DISCOUNTS for appearing on the show. To show this behavior proves money doesn’t buy class and lowballing a tip because the trip had to be canceled due to weather shows she is always gonna be “classless”.
WTG on national TV

Anonymous
Anonymous
3 years ago

I actually liked her, she was polite, classy .

Anonymous
Anonymous
3 years ago
Reply to  Anonymous

Surely you jest.

Joel PILSITZ
Joel PILSITZ
3 years ago

She was a complete B. I would have kicked her off with my foot in her back! Hope karma catches up with her !

Lisa Zitek
Lisa Zitek
3 years ago

She really should regret and apologize for her poor behavior. If this is how she behaves when she knows she is being watched I wonder how she is if she knows she isn’t. No one is better than anyone else hun, someone should have taught her that. Many have more than others and many have less. But all deserve to be treated decently. I’m embarrassed for her.