Natalya Scudder Explains Decision to Leave Below Deck

We’ve got a reality television shocker, folks.

Following an explosive fight with fellow Stew Kyle Viljoen on the latest episode of Below Deck Mediterranean, Natalya Scudder announced on Monday night that she’s departing Season 8 early.

She delved into her reasons why in a confessional that aired toward the end of the Bravo series on November 20.

“I just feels like Kyle’s extremely fake and it’s disappointing because I thought we were actually good friends,” Scudder explained after the pair’s dramatic showdown in which Kyle called her a number of foul-mouthed names.

“I don’t want to be in a team where I don’t feel valued and I don’t feel appreciated and I feel like sh-t.”

Scudder has problems that went beyond this one feud, however.

Early last month, she hurled some not-so-subtle shade at chief stew Tumi Mhlongo.

“My biggest pet peeve is when someone lets a certain person influence their opinion on someone before even meeting them,” Scudder wrote on social media, later taking another apparent shot at Tumi as follows:

“My other pet peeve would be ungrateful people who can’t even say thank you for holding do the fort for 4 days, while being crew down, while setting up a boat, while running on no sleep.”

Scudder didn’t go into detail in regard to Tumi (or her failed romance with Bosun Luka Brunton), but she did make it pretty clear that plenty of factors influenced her choice to walk away.

“I don’t like giving up but it’s been such a sh-t season for me,” Natalya went on Monday.

“I came on already confused as f-ck about my relationship, then I have to deal with the Tumi-nator, the confusion of feelings for Luka, then I have to deal with vile Kyle. I’m just ready to throw in the napkin at this point.”

To be clear, Kyle did apologize on the aforementioned episode.

But…

“I will never recover from anything with Kyle,” Scudder said in her confessional.

“I’ll accept his apology and say thank you for coming, but even that was fake. I think his true colors have really shown and I don’t want anything to do with him.”

On air, Scudder called Captain Sandy Yawn to the bridge to offer her resignation last night.

“Besides the personal stuff going on at home, there’s also been stuff going on within the interior,” she said.

“Kyle and Max [Salvador] were having a bit of a fight in front of everyone. Max was trying to say like, ‘I support your community, Kyle,’ but Kyle, I think, was intoxicated. I tried to tell Kyle to calm down.

“He turned around to me and was just like I’m a bitchh and no one should ever take advice from me, I’m in the most f-cked up relationship of anyone on board.

“I thought he was one of my best friends.”

Sandy replied by saying this was a form of bullying and gave Scudder a hug.

“I feel the need to get off now,” Natalya told the captain. “I just don’t feel good in my environment. I feel safe, but I just don’t feel good.”