Below Deck Med new stew Elena (“Ellie”) Dubaich joins the season 7 cast on episode 18. Elena replaces an injured Kyle Viljoen, who many fans couldn’t stand for his lazy work ethic this season. Viewers will find Elena to be a breath of fresh air compared to the whining and complaining of Kyle. So, here’s everything fans need to know about new stew Elena.
Elena is an accomplished linguist who learned several languages growing up in her home country of Slovenia and other Balkan countries. According to Bravo, Elena previously worked as a translator after getting her bachelor’s degree in English and Russian language studies. In episode 18, Elena in an interview clips says she’s currently learning Mandarin (Chinese) and then jumps into speaking it with perfect pronunciation.
Her favorite hobby is learning languages. Elena wanted a job where she could travel the world, so she took massage training in London, Stockholm and Bangkok. She then worked on luxury cruise lines where she also offered yoga classes. She eventually got promoted to spa manager. When the pandemic hit and large cruise boats were shut down, she shifted to working on charter and private yachts as a spa stewardess.
Elena’s Instagram account (@thebalkanbuiscuit) was deactivated or deleted shortly after she first debuted on the show on Peacock. However, her posts there showed she’s big into fitness and also likes to dress up and party.
“As a yacht stewardess you do everything. I am a little out of my comfort zone,” the Slovenian said in episode 18. She’s completely new to working service and doing mixology. Hopefully Stew Natalya Scudder and Chief Stew Natasha Webb get along and help show her the ropes.
The last charter certainly won’t be easy. Former NFL stars Dominique Easley and Jordan Reed are charter guests. Interior definitely has some trouble with Dominique at least. He gets upset when Chef Dave White makes him crepes instead of pancakes for dinner.
Perhaps fans will get to know more about Elena Dubaich on the Below Deck Med season 7 finale and reunion episodes.