Tumi Mhlongo Just Admitted She’s Friends With This Below Deck Villain & Fans Are Outraged..
Tumi Mhlongo receives backlash after revealing she’s friends with one of the most controversial male Below Deck franchise cast members.
SUMMARY
- Tumi Mhlongo considers Ryan McKeown a friend despite his controversial behavior on Below Deck.
- Fans were disappointed with Tumi’s choice to support Ryan and criticized her for not acknowledging his flaws.
- Tumi’s decision may indirectly harm Ryan by preventing him from addressing his issues and improving in the future.
Former chief stew Tumi Mhlongo revealed she’s still friends with a controversial Below Deck franchise star. The South African native recently appeared on Below Deck Mediterranean season 8, Mustique. She joined Captain Sandy Yawn’s yacht as the chief stew and had a dramatic journey throughout the season. Tumi befriended fellow South African Kyle Viljoen before she was featured on the show. She let him manipulate her into hating her third stew, Natalya Scudder, which eventually became a rivalry. Below Deck Mediterranean wasn’t the first spin-off Tumi joined. The 28-year-old reality star debuted on Below Deck Down Under season 1, where she boarded Captain Jason Chambers’ yacht, Thalassa, as the second stewardess.
Tumi has slowly ruined her image with her actions in recent months. She just issued a statement that made her even more unlikable. Tumi joined Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, where she had to choose between chef Jack Luby and chef Ryan McKeown’s food. Tumi preferred the latter and said, “I am actually friends with Ryan. So I am going to support my friend.”
Tumi Doesn’t Condone Ryan McKeown’s Below Deck Behavior
Chef Ryan wasn’t a good fit for the Below Deck franchise. From the get-go, he had a terrible attitude and continually disrespected Captain Jason. Ryan was also a bad cook and failed to impress the charter guests. Captain Jason had to fire Ryan after he dropped the ball while making an English high tea, one of the easiest dishes. However, even that didn’t teach Ryan a lesson, as he called the captain a “f***ing v*****” for firing him. Therefore, it was shocking that Tumi picked him and praised him during Watch What Happens Live. Tumi didn’t condone Ryan’s actions, though, adding on Twitter, “No, people are allowed to mature and grow! I support that!”
It’s understandable why Tumi picked chef Ryan, as he is her friend. However, she would’ve probably benefited more from being honest with fans and herself. Most people nowadays mistake honesty for niceness. It isn’t rude to acknowledge the truth, even if it means telling their friends the reality of the situation. If Tumi had picked chef Jack, it may have inspired chef Ryan to better himself. However, Tumi chose her friend of the two, needlessly inflating Ryan’s ego and making him think he is truly better. Ultimately, Tumi’s decision will indirectly harm her friend, as he’s failed to fix his flaws, which may result in him facing more issues in the future.
Tumi selected chef Ryan to justify that people deserve a chance to redeem themselves. However, she may have also said it to make herself feel better about her bad actions in Below Deck Mediterranean season 8. During her recent appearance on the spin-off, Tumi was terrible to some people. She was rude to Natalya and caused her a lot of stress. Tumi’s actions and her habit of gossiping with Kyle caused Natalya to quit the show. However, it didn’t stop her from spreading rumors and being sub-par at her job. It seems Tumi selected chef Ryan because she relates to him for underperforming, just like herself in the Below Deck franchise.
