Elena "Ellie" Dubaich boldly asked Joe Bradley on a date during Season 9, Episode 11 of Below Deck Mediterranean, and while he initially agreed to go out with the stew, he later changed his tune. Now, on the August 12 episode of the Below Deck Mediterranean After Show, Ellie is reacting to Joe's switch-up as well as everything he said behind her back.
"I think he was playing both sides of the fence," she said, referencing the fact that Joe wasn't just flirting with her, but Bri Muller as well. "[He was] acting like he was interested but at the same time not really interested in either of us, which I still cannot comprehend fully."
"I'm not sure if he just needs attention so much as he just wants to know that you're interested," Ellie continued. "And as soon as he knows, he's done with you, and he's onto the next person to find out if they're interested."
Does Ellie regret asking Joe out?
Though Joe ultimately backed out of going on a date with Ellie, at the time, she wasn't ready to write him off just yet — especially since he went on to apologize. As Ellie explained on the Below Deck Med After Show, "After the apology, I don't think he intended to make me feel disrespected, so I was yet again kinda open to giving things a shot with Joe."
Why did Joe Bradley cancel his date with Ellie?
In the same Below Deck Mediterranean After Show clip, Joe shared his perspective on the matter. "I was like, 'I don't wanna go on a date with this woman. I don't.' Even to this day, I just don't," he said. "I was like, what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna cancel it now before it's too late."
So, that's exactly what the deckhand did. "I was like, 'I think I've made a big mistake here,' so I'm gonna cut [the] cord and I'm gonna look like a bad guy," Joe said. "Well, I am the bad guy anyway, I suppose — but I'd rather cut [the] cord and deal with consequences later."
In retrospect, though, "I feel bad, really," Joe added. "[Had] I led her to believe that I want something with her when I was very clear?"
Bri Muller reacts to Joe rejecting Ellie's date
While reflecting on what went down between Ellie and Joe during the Below Deck Med After Show, Bri explained her approach to her own relationship with Joe.
As she put it, "I took it for what it was — which I knew what it was from the beginning — just because I feel like in the past I've been f-cked around so many times that it's just like, 'OK, well let me just ride whatever wave.'"
