Joe Bradley Saw Luke's ‘Below Deck Med' Love Triangle and Asked: ‘How Did I Even Stay Afloat?'

Joe Bradley may have been shocked to learn that Luke Brumer and Genevieve Lillie left bosun Nathan Gallagher sleeping in the aftermath of their hookup, but watching the drama unfold also forced the Below Deck Mediterranean deckhand to take a hard look at his own romantic history.

Despite their differences, Joe felt it was his duty to tell Nathan that he had been sleeping on sheets left behind after Luke and Gen's morning hookup in his bed. Initially, Nathan took the news in stride - albeit grossed out - and laughed through his shock. But as the reality of what happened began to sink in, his reaction changed.

"When I find out, I'm utterly shocked," Joe tells Parade. "Like, that's just not what you do. And it could have been resolved in so many different ways."

While Joe was disappointed by how the situation was handled, he made it clear that he doesn't believe Luke's mistake defines him.

"He's a very hard worker and I've got to say this about Luke, he is such a genuine individual," Joe says. "He's so smart, but maybe just stuff like this, he could have done better as a mature man."

"Those decisions were dire," he adds. "He's a genuine individual and he just made a very bad decision, but it shouldn't have gone that way."

Despite Luke and Gen worrying about getting Nathan's sheets into the laundry, Joe says he never noticed Luke being distracted while working.

"He works very hard," Joe explains. "Everything I tell him to do, he gets done. Everything that filters down from Captain Sandy [Yawn] to bosun through me, he makes sure it gets done."

But seeing Luke navigate a complicated love triangle also gave Joe a surprising moment of self-reflection.

As viewers watched Luke navigate a complicated love triangle involving Gen and his feelings for chef Joy Lefaucheur, Joe found himself reflecting on his own messy boat romances.

"Normally I'm deep inside the love triangle," Joe says. Watching it happen from the outside made him question how he managed his own past situations.

"Seeing it unfold in real time with my own two eyes of what I've done in the past, I'm like, ‘How did I even do this? How did I even stay afloat?'" Joe admits. In Season 9, Joe was caught between stews Ellie Dubaich and Bri Muller, causing tension after both felt led on. In Season 10, Joe became involved with Victoria "V" SanJuan while secretly flirting with Kizzi Kitchener, leading to more fallout when V ended things after discovering the betrayal.

For Joe, the experience became a reminder that even the crew members who appear confident and carefree can learn from their mistakes. "It's dangerous waters," he says. "And you hit that storm head-on. Believe me, I've done it twice before."

As for what fans can expect from Joe for the rest of the season, he promises viewers will see a different side of him. While he's getting cozy with stew Kayley Smith this season, he says the romance is far healthier than what's transpired in the past. Joe recalls Kayley told him from the beginning she wanted nothing serious.

"The fact that we're on the same level of what we want, we just want to work hard, finish the season on a high and have a bit of a play in the interim," he recalls. "And it's mutual. And how beautiful... it was a gift. She's a beautiful individual, and I speak to Kayley, even to this day, this present day, we're friends, and it's beautiful."

Joe adds, "I am a professional at the end of the day. I take care of my position, whether it's lead deckhand, whether it's deckhand, junior deckhand, I don't care what position I'm in, I own that position."

"You will see growth," he adds. "Not only professionally, but you will see growth in terms of that I'm actually trying to do better."

Below Deck Mediterranean airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo.

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This story was originally published July 13, 2026 at 8:59 PM.