Who will replace Ruan on Below Deck Med? That’s the question fans are asking after bosun Ruan Irving was gone by the end of the premiere episode.
Season 8 of Below Deck Med kicked off with a bang that made history for the hit-yachting show.
Not only were chief stew Tumi Mhlongo and stew Kyle Viljoen unable to make the first charter for visa issues, but Ruan had yachting credential problems.
After Captain Sandy Yawn was forced to leave Ruan at the dock, he called to inform he was going back to South Africa and wouldn’t be doing the charter season.
That left the captain down a bosun, so she asked Luka Brunton to step up.
The episode ended with the bombshell that Captain Sandy can’t get a new bosun for two weeks, bringing up the question of who takes on the bosun role.
Who replaces Ruan Irving on Below Deck Med?
Luka is obviously the logical choice for bosun. However, he wasn’t super stoked to be doing the position, even temporarily.
Chances are that Luka will agree to keep doing the job until a new person can come in after two weeks. However, this is Below Deck Med, so a replacement could be found sooner.
Then again, Luka could step up and agree to be bosun all season long, leaving a deckhand position open.
Once Kyle and Tumi arrive and Natalya Scudder is demoted, temp stew Brooke Boney could move out to the deck team. After all, she has a deck background, not an interior one.
Will a Below Deck alum return for Season 8?
If Luka doesn’t accept the gig or a miracle happens and someone becomes available, will the new bosun be a familiar face?
Below Deck Down Under saw that happen after Luke Jones was fired and Captain Jason Chambers called in Below Deck Med alum Joao Franco.
We already know Captain Sandy called in Natalya to fill in as chief stew when Tumi couldn’t make it in time. Perhaps she will reach out to Mzi” Zee” Demper, Storm Smith, or even Courtney Veale from Season 7.
Even Malia White would be an option, but that probably won’t happen. Malia has been busy working on her own yachting career since her last stint on Below Deck Med Season 6.
Although it would be great to have an alum return, there are already a lot of Below Deck alums on the show with Natalya, Tumi, Kyle, and Luka. So, the most likely scenario will be Luka stepping up as bosun for the season or a newbie coming in.
Speaking of bosuns, as Monsters and Critics previously reported, Ruan has clarified the issues with his credentials and shut down claims his friend’s death was fake.
Below Deck Med airs Mondays at 9/8c on Bravo. Seasons 1-7 are streaming on Peacock.