Things are heating up on “Below Deck: Down Under.”
While there’s been a simmering flirtation between Chief Stew Daisy Kelliher and Second Officer João Franco, galley hand Ellie Dubaich has also set her sights on João, and made her move on the April 6 episode of the Bravo series.
But with João confirming during the same hour that he also has stronger feelings for Daisy, it’s starting to feel like a proper love triangle.
Ellie Makes Her Move on Below Deck: Down Under
After Ellie previously made it known she has eyes for João, this week’s episode saw her take things to the next level by offering him a massage. According to Ellie, she used to work as a massage therapist and has “a lot of pride” in her skills.
Later in the hour, she also visited João’s bunk, where the two were seen kissing.
He, however, told other crew members he actually had feelings for Daisy, something Alesia Harris relayed to Kelliher herself at the very end of the episode. “I heard through the grapevine he doesn’t like her, he fancies you,” Alesia told her, before suggesting he become Daisy’s “love interest.”
“João is with Ellie. Ellie would stab me in my sleep,” joked Daisy, as Alesia remembered the pair shared a cabin.
João, Ellie and Daisy Speak Out
While that’s where the episode ended, the three spoke about the new developments on the Below Deck: Down Under After Show.
First, addressing the massage, João insisted it was strictly “professional,” before adding Ellie is “great with her hands.” Ellie, however, admitted she thought “it would be a good step forward in maybe having a bit of a fling with João.”
Though Daisy has admitted to having an interest in João, she also said she got a kick out of the massage situation.
“I knew the massage was happening. She made sure everyone knew she was giving João a massage. I was here for the massage. It gave me a lot of joy,” she quipped.
When asked about Alesia telling her that João “fancies” her, Daisy said she could see that coming.
“I can see João staring at me, like, a lot. So I’m not that surprised,” she said in the After Show. “I walk on that boat, and I’ve got an aura around me that just says, ‘Love me.’ I don’t know what it is. The salty sea air. I thought him and Ellie had something going on. I don’t really want to get involved in that; she’s my roommate.”
Both João and Daisy also admitted that they didn’t have feelings for each other right off the bat, with João saying they grew over time. When asked whether she pegged João as a romantic interest, Daisy said she doesn’t “do that with anyone.”
“I don’t walk into a situation like, ‘He’s gonna be in love with me in three weeks,'” she shared. “I’m quite bashful, I don’t give out that energy.”
She added that, unlike some of the other women on the boat, she doesn’t think of herself as “overly sexual.”
“Sometimes the other girls, they walk on, they look beautiful. I think they sometimes make it shown they’re quite open to a love interest,” she continued. “I think I do the opposite. I think I give off man-repellent vibes, which I love. I’m totally into that. But it doesn’t really surprise me because I do think men find women in authority very sexy. I give off very big boss energy when I’m working. So I certainly wasn’t looking that way or expecting him to be looking my way.”
João was also asked by a producer in the After Show why he was moving so slowly with Daisy, before they both spoke about approaching a “Boatmance” between them with caution.
“If you’re gonna do it, make sure you’re doing it right and make sure you’re doing it with absolute intention,” said João. “If Daisy and I have a problem, then the entire boat will feel that right from the top. And that is probably the biggest point, at least one of us will have to leave. That’s how it works on boats.”
Of relationships between more senior staff, he added, “they have to be taken seriously, otherwise nobody will take them seriously.”
Daisy also said, “Obviously, I approach it with caution.”
“It’s not something I’m going to run into,” she shared. “I don’t want to set a bad example for the crew. I don’t want to cause problems. I don’t want to have any sort of negative drama. So I approach, but approach with caution.”
Viewers will see how this love triangle plays out as new episodes of “Below Deck: Down Under” air Mondays on Bravo.
