What Happened To Luka Brunton From Below Deck Mediterranean Season 8?

Summary Luka Brunton was a standout Bosun on Below Deck Med season 8, involved in boatmances & promoted by Captain Sandy.

Since the season ended, Luka changed his look, found love off-screen, and is open to returning to the Below Deck franchise.

Luka formed close relationships with crew members, faced drama, and hopes to work with familiar faces on Below Deck Med season 9.

Below Deck Mediterranean Bosun Luka Brunton was an exceptional crew member during season 8, and he’s been busy since the season wrapped. He was known for juggling work successfully while pursuing “boatmances” with the rest of the crew. Luka was promoted during Below Deck Med season 8, episode 2 to lead Bosun by Captain Sandy Yawn. As the season went on, he formed close relationships with his fellow crew members, including stews Natalya Scudder and Jessika Asai. The Kiwi was also known for his flirtatious personality on his first stint with the franchise in Below Deck Down Under.

Though he got caught up in some drama during Below Deck Med season 8, he was still a beloved Bosun. Below Deck Med season 8 was a let down, but Luka still managed to bring a level of entertainment to the show. Luka should return for Below Deck Med season 9, but he’s seemingly not a part of the cast. It’s unclear where his future with the Below Deck franchise stands, but in the meantime, Luka has been occupied advancing his career and life off-screen.

Related Below Deck Mediterranean Season 9 Cast Guide Below Deck Mediterranean season 9 is introducing a brand-new cast with just a few familiar faces joining the crew of Mustique for this charter season.

Luka Dyed His Hair

He Buzzed & Bleached His Hair

Since Below Deck Med season 8 wrapped, Luka has been sporting a new look. On his Instagram, Luka posted a Reel of himself testing out a VR headset and drone. In the video, Luka’s hair was visibly lighter. He seemingly buzzed and bleached his hair and has been embracing a new look since the show wrapped. On Below Deck Med, he had a full head of light brown hair. Luka has changed his look since Below Deck Med season 8, and the bleached hair is a great fit for him.

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Luka Is In A Relationship

Is Luka Dating Someone From The Below Deck Franchise?

While he had several on-screen boatmances, Luka is in a relationship with a non-Below Deck alum. Below Deck fans were eager to see if Luka sparked a relationship with Natalya or Katie after the show, but he didn’t. He told Us Weekly that he rekindled a romance with his ex-girlfriend whom he had seen before Below Deck Med season 8.

“We split up [before] the show, and we’re back together now,” he said.

Luka also added that he didn’t think she was watching Below Deck Med, which was “probably good” since he was involved in so many flirtatious relationships.

He shares glimpses of his relationship on his Instagram. Luka posted pictures with his partner in the oceans of Bali in September 2023, right before he confirmed his relationship at BravoCon. He continues to post content with his girlfriend across his Instagram as they embark on adventurous activities together. It’s great that Luka has reignited his flame with his former partner. He was involved in a lot of boatmances throughout his time in the Below Deck franchise. Nowadays, Luka is happy being committed to his partner.

Luka's Journey In The Below Deck Franchise

He Was On Below Deck Down Under & Below Deck Med

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Before joining Below Deck Med, Luka was the lead deckhand on Below Deck Down Under season 2. During his stint on the Australian-based spin-off, Luka was briefly involved in a love triangle with his fellow crew members, Culver Bradbury and Jaimee Neale. He wasn’t able to form any strong romantic relationships on Below Deck Down Under, but he did impress Captain Jason Chambers with his skills on deck. Captain Jason referred him to Captain Sandy for Below Deck Med season 8, and he joined Morotyacht Mustique’s crew.

Luka was promoted to Bosun at the beginning of the charter season on Below Deck Med season 8 after Captain Sandy fired Ruan Irving in episode 1. He wasn’t expecting the promotion, but Luka gladly took it. He admitted to the cameras that “the f***ing pressure [was] on” when Captain Sandy promoted him, but he was eager to work hard in the new role. The Mustique crew took the news well, and many of the crew members were ecstatic that Luka was the new Bosun. But it wouldn’t take long for him to get caught up in some drama.

Luka formed a flirtatious relationship with stew Natalya, who feuded with Tumi Mhlongo throughout the season. However, Luka and Natalya quickly took a step back from their potential boatmance. Natalya was navigating her relationship with her boyfriend back home, so Luka began hooking up with stew Jessika. He admitted that his boatmance with Jessika had “no strings,” and that he was still texting Natalya as they continued to hook up. Shockingly, Luka also revealed he was texting with Below Deck Med alum Katie Flood, but that they were strictly “just friends.”

“Obviously, I like Jess a little bit more than a friend. We are not in a relationship. I’m not f***ing dating Katie Flood. We’re just friends. Just friends. Even if I was texting her as more than a friend.”

Will Luka Ever Return To The Below Deck Franchise?

Is Luka Returning For Below Deck Med Season 9?

Luka would love to return to the Below Deck franchise. In an interview with Now To Love, he said he has “no idea” if he’ll be coming back to Below Deck anytime soon, but he’s not ruling the opportunity out. “I’m just working on a normal boat at the moment and currently just on standby. I’d love to get back on the show, but we’ll see what happens,” he said. Luka would have made a great addition to Below Deck Med season 9 working with Captain Sandy’s new Chief Stew, Aesha Scott, whom he’s friends with.

Luka and Aesha worked together on Below Deck Down Under season 2 and knew each other from the yachting circuit before he joined the franchise.

With almost a decade of yachting experience under his belt, Luka met Aesha and her sister when they were early in their careers. They met roughly eight years ago in France, and Luka hooked up with Aesha’s sister one night after a night out. Luka and Aesha consider each other family, and it would be incredibly entertaining to see them work together on a future season in the Below Deck franchise.

Luka was quite the character in Below Deck Med season 8. While he got involved with a few of the crew members during the season, he proved himself as Captain Sandy’s capable Bosun and as a successful crew member. He should have been asked back for Below Deck Med season 9, one of the best reality TV shows right now. Luka is open to returning to the Below Deck franchise, and it’s lilely only a matter of time until he’s asked back.

Below Deck Mediterranean season 9 premieres Monday, June 3 at 9 p.m. EDT on Bravo.

Sources: Luka Brunton/Instagram, Us Weekly, Luka Brunton/Instagram, Now To Love