Elena Dubaich gives a taste of a new, chaotic love triangle and upcoming dramas

The M/Y Mustique had barely left the dock when Elena “Ellie” Dubaich was exposed to fire. Below Deck Mediterranean Season 9. The second stewardess had a 25-hour workday during the first charter to satisfy demanding young influencers. After they asked for a midnight snack, she tried to wake up Chef Jonathan “Jono” Shillingford. Neither Shillingford nor Captain Sandy Yawn liked this, while Chief Stewardess Aesha Scott understood the circumstances behind the decision.

And as if that wasn’t enough, drama is brewing between the Slovenian and her new steward Bri Muller. A love triangle is looming as both have their eyes on deckhand Joe Bradley. Here Dubaich talks about her rocky start and that’s just a sign of what’s to come.

You appeared briefly in the series in season 7. What did you take away from that experience?

Elena Dubai: I was in a few episodes of the show, but the biggest impact it had on me was getting familiar with the production process. It made me feel good going into this season knowing that the producers are fair in portraying everyone. I felt comfortable being myself. I wanted to come back into this experience and be my authentic self, and that’s what I did, for better or for worse. I just wanted to be a real person and be honest about how I feel and how I feel about things, which will make me pretty relatable in a lot of situations that will arise.

Everyone has an opinion on whether the cook should have been woken up or not. Would you have done anything differently?

I completely agree with Captain Sandy that he didn’t want to wake the chef during the season because it’s unreasonable for him to wake up every night. In this particular situation and circumstances, I think it was the right thing to do. I stand by it. I was shocked that Jon didn’t want to wake up. I thought that was pretty selfish of him, especially because it was on the wish list. They had specifically asked for a late night food selection. They hadn’t asked for grilled cheese. This was the only chance to go above and beyond for these guests. And it was within our power to do that, so his decision not to do it showed a little bit of a lack of teamwork and team effort.

In the end, he acknowledged what happened and took responsibility. Did that help your relationship move forward?

Yes. It definitely helped when he contacted me and apologized. I’m not the type of person who dwells on things for long. As soon as someone has a fundamental regret, I’m happy to forgive them and move on. Especially in this environment, when you live in such a small space and don’t have time to hold grudges.

You want to become chief steward. What is it like learning under Aesha and Sandy?

I have been working as a chief stewardess since leaving the Mustique, but it is a smaller ship. Working with them has definitely helped me because they have been both supportive and encouraging. Aesha has also helped me grow in my role as second stewardess. She has not micromanaged me and has always encouraged me to do my best and that has really helped.

Your leadership skills have been tested by a new steward in Bri. How would you describe your working relationship and how is it evolving as you both have your eye on the same man?

This is going to be a very tricky situation for me because of all the drama going on with Joe. One thing I can say for myself is that I am not letting it affect my job. I was there for my career and that will be very clear in the future. Whatever personal issues I have with Bri, I try to remain professional in the workplace. My behavior towards Bri is not changing in relation to work.

Do you believe in the girl code?

Yes. I believe in the Girl Code. I always feel that way about it. If Aesha was interested in anyone on board, I wouldn’t go there. It’s just not worth it. You have to think about your career and professionalism first and prioritize your team before prioritizing a guy you might have an affair with. I would never jeopardize my relationship with my manager over a random guy. That’s how I feel about Bri and me.

Have you ever taken a boat trip on one of your boats?

When you’ve been in the industry for so long, it’s hard to avoid boating romances. I’ve had a few of those. Unfortunately, the type of man who is attracted to this industry is not the type of man who wants to settle down and start a family. So I haven’t really had much luck with anyone who is ready to settle down in the yachting industry. I’m starting a more land-based life in Florida, so hopefully I’ll meet the right man soon.

What do you think about how Gael (Cameron) handles things since she is in a relationship at home but still starts to develop feelings for Nathan (Gallager) on board?

She wasn’t in a serious relationship with this guy. It’s not like they were married for five years and then she left him for someone else. They dated for a few months and it wasn’t the best relationship either. I just think if Gael is attracted to someone else, that’s fine and she has the right to explore that. We’ll see what happens. Hopefully she’ll communicate with her boyfriend. From then on, she’s free to do whatever she wants.

What can you tell us about the charter guests we will see this season?

Each charter group was so different. We will have a pretty big celebrity appearance in Charter 3. This person recently became quite popular on The traitors. Trishelle (Cannatella) will be a charter guest, which is super exciting because I love The traitors. When she was on board, I didn’t know who she was. Then I saw The traitorsand say, “Wait a minute.” This will be fun.

You mentioned to Andy (Cohen) that you have an OnlyFans account. How has business been going since you started doing the show?

Business is booming. I’m happy about that. I’m even super proud to be able to say that I run it myself.

Photo by: Fred Jagueneau/Bravo

Most people there have agents and don’t take the time to interact with the people or learn how to run it. I see it as a business. Actually, it’s not that easy to run it on your own. It took me some time to figure out how to organize everything. I’m proud of that. It takes a lot of time to shoot content and then organize everything and make sure it’s a good experience for everyone. It took some time to learn that.

Where would you like to take the opportunity to appear on a popular Bravo show?

I have learned to feel so natural when filming shows because I am at a point in my life where I am unapologetic about who I am and I am happy to be open about anything. I have never felt more suited to a job than I did doing this job on a television show. I am glad I tried it. I would be more than happy to do other shows in the future. I would love to The traitors.

Would you also like to Under deck Captains?

I would love to continue working with Captain Sandy. I also like Captain Kerry (Titheradge). He is a wonderful man. We have developed a friendship, but they are all great captains.

Can you tell us anything else about the future of Greece?

This whole Joe love triangle drama is about to get so messy. I don’t want to give anything away, but there are going to be many more layers to this chaos that are about to unfold. Buckle up for a wild ride.

Below Deck MediterraneanMondays, 9/8c, Bravo