Summary

• Natalya Scudder addresses the “horrific” online bullying she’s faced, admitting that it has been a problem for the entire cast of Below Deck Mediterranean.
• Natalya shares that she has participated in online bullying herself, but is now committed to walking away and not engaging with negative comments.
• Natalya’s decision to leave the show was influenced by various factors, including conflicts with other cast members, a failed boatmance, and personal struggles with her mental health.

Below Deck Mediterranean star Natalya Scudder is addressing the “horrific” bullying she’s faced online while revealing details of her heartbreaking past. Natalya joined the reality TV show with season 7 as a second stew. The Western Australian native butted heads with chief stew Natasha Webb and her fellow stew Kyle Viljoen. While season 8 looked promising for Natalya and Kyle’s friendship, his gossiping habit created tension between Natalya and Tumi Mhlongo. Adding to her woes was her open relationship with her boyfriend that she wasn’t comfortable with. Natalya gave Captain Sandy Yawn her resignation after a dramatic showdown with Kyle in episode 9.

Natalya admitted she didn’t want to be on a team that didn’t feel valued or appreciated. Upon her exit from season 8, Natalya posted an Instagram video saying she was reliving her “worst nightmare” while the show was airing.

She said the show never really shared “the full story” but accepted that she “signed up for it.” Natalya added, “The online bullying has been horrific not just for me, like, across the cast.” She asked why people don’t just watch the show and “turn it off.” Natalya continued, “It’s it’s TV, it’s entertainment.” She also took “accountability” for the fact that she also “participated” in online bullying.

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Why Did Natalya Scudder Leave Below Deck Med?

Natalya said she’d done so by “retaliating to posts or people’s negative comments” but she is definitely pulling away from any of that now. Natalya promised she wouldn’t engage with such comments and would walk away. Natalya is now focused on her physical and mental health. She needs time to “create the best version” of herself and learn to cope with anxiety. She recalled going through depression when she was 15 or 16 when the situation got so bad that she ended up in hospital. Natalya was assaulted by two people when she was 21 and working in Barcelona. She underwent hypnotherapy, and it helped her deal with the traumatic experiences.

Captain Sandy responded to Natalya’s decision to leave with understanding. She wanted Natalya to stay but respected her wish. Her explosive fight with Kyle or her arguments with Tumi weren’t the only reasons why Natalya walked away from the Mustique. Natalya experienced a failed boatmance with Luka Brunton. She also had to deal with her boyfriend, who ended up hooking up with a lot of people in the open relationship. On top of that, Natalya was getting attacked online by negative people. She noticed someone calling her a “pathetic excuse of a woman.” Natalya confessed that she wasn’t one to give up so easily, but it had been a “sh** season” for her.

Natalya was already confused about her relationship, and then she had to deal with Tumi. Her confused feelings for Luka, and her conflict with Kyle that kept growing over the last several episodes, all contributed to the uncomfortable experience Natalya had on Below Deck Mediterranean. Natalya was ready to throw in the napkin. Kyle apologized to Natalya, but she admitted she was never going to recover from the drama between her and Kyle. Natalya had already seen Kyle’s true colors when he told her she was in the “most f***ed-up” relationship of anyone on board. “I will never find anyone who’s as excellent as you,” Captain Sandy told Natalya before her exit.

Below Deck Mediterranean airs Mondays at 9 p.m. EDT on Bravo.

Source: Natalya Scudder/Instagram

• 

  Below Deck Mediterranean

  Release Date:

  2016-05-03

  Genres:

  Reality

  Rating:

  TV-14

  Seasons:

  7

  Network:

  Bravo

  Franchise(s):

  Below Deck

  Showrunner:

  Mark Cronin, Courtland Cox, Nadine Rajabi