Fans Are Suddenly Worried About The Fate Of 'Below Deck Med'

The Sirocco is packing it in after a season of charting the French Riviera, so fans may be wondering when Below Deck Mediterranean Season 5 premieres. There's no official word yet on a premiere date or whether the show has even been renewed for a fifth season. But if it does return, fans can make some educated guesses about when that will be.

Below Deck Med typically premieres in May, with Season 4 kicking off a bit later in June of this year. It's reliably aired every year since premiering in 2016, so it would be safe to assume that Season 5 is coming in late spring/early summer 2020 — if it gets picked up again, that is. Fans were disappointed to learn earlier this month that there wouldn't be a Season 4 reunion show after the finale on Sept. 30. No reason was given for forgoing the epilogue this year, but Captain Sandy Yawn and Andy Cohen both confirmed via Twitter that it was a no-go. It would be reasonable for fans to worry that the nixing of a reunion show might mean Bravo doesn't have high hopes for the continuation of the series, but Below Deck Med actually put up stronger ratings than ever for Season 4.

The show reliably pulled in more than 1.5 million viewers per episode for most of Season 4, which is a significant uptick from the previous season, which typically hovered between 1.25 million and 1.5 million. Its growth has been consistent (if slow) over four seasons, so it doesn't really make sense for Bravo to cancel it at this point, when it's performing better than ever. In fact, it's performed far better than its predecessor Below Deck in its early seasons, and the spinoff has only been bested by the OG in Below Deck's most recent sixth season. So whatever went on behind the scenes preventing Below Deck Med Season 4 from getting a reunion show, it doesn't appear to be ratings-related.

Below Deck has premiered just as reliably every year since its debut in 2013, although it's gradually pushed back from a July premiere to an October one in order to accommodate new seasons of Below Deck Mediterranean. Below Deck Season 7 premieres the week after Below Deck Med Season 4 concludes in the same time slot.

The constant staff changes aboard the Sirocco this summer may have contributed in part to making a Season 4 reunion show difficult to pull off. From Chef Mila Kolomeitseva's dismissal to Ben Robinson's triumphant return to the galley (and the franchise), it's been a tumultuous season for the interior. For his part, Chef Ben said he'd be willing to return for Season 5, should he be called upon, despite the ship's challenges.

"Sandy is a great captain, I'd work for her any day of the week," he told Entertainment Tonight in an interview ahead of the Season 4 finale. "That's why I would never really close the door. If she called me tomorrow and said, 'Ben, we really need you,' I'd be on the next plane, probably."

Whether Sandy will rely on Ben for another season or risk trying to hire fresh talent again, fans are going to have to wait until next year find out.

Below Deck Mediterranean Season 4 concludes on Sept. 30 at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo.