Below Deck Mediterranean Season 9 is in full swing, and the burgeoning connection between lead deckhand Joe Bradley and second stew Elena “Ellie” Dubaich is getting complicated.

During a recent exclusive chat with The Daily Dish, Elena opened up about whether she felt led on, and Joe himself explained his side of the story during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.

When watching the show back, stew Ellie, who originally appeared on Below Deck Med Season 7, said it’s “obvious” that “Joe was kind of playing both sides” with her and stew Bri Muller. As a result, she felt like he was “leading both of us on.”

However, when Ellie was actually living on the boat, she doesn’t feel like either she or Bri was “aware of what he was doing.”

“Because, you know, he was kind of having these flirty moments with us, but it was always in private,” Ellie explained. “Bri would never see what he was saying to me, or how he was being with me and vice versa.”

She teased that things are “about to get very, very, messy, unfortunately.”

Reflecting on the season, Ellie also noted, “I wish I would have had awareness of what he was doing because I would have acted completely differently, but it is what it is now.”

Unfortunately, the drama with Joe did affect Ellie’s friendship with Bri.

“As far as my relationship with Bri, it kind of affected us on a personal level,” she said. “But as far as I’m concerned, I can say that I do my best throughout the season to always remain professional with her and not let it affect my job. Because that is the number one priority for me.”

Joe Bradley clarifies his intentions with Elena Dubaich

During his appearance on the July 8 episode of WWHL, Joe justified flirting with the stews on the show.

“I believe that leading on was not what my intention was,” Joe explained. “You know, I had a conversation with both of them… If I want to kiss, I want to kiss and stuff like that. I was very forward with what I wanted to do. I don’t want anything to do in terms of relationships, and they know that.”

Later on in the episode, Joe played a game of “Between Two Stews,” where he was asked to choose between Elena and Bri.

He admitted that Elena caught his eye first, but that Bri had a better flirting style. Joe also revealed that he had been in touch with Bri more recently than Elena.

His close deckhand pal and fellow WWHL guest Nathan Gallagher also felt like Bri was “100 percent” a better fit for him than Elena.

“They just vibe,” he explained. “They just vibe together. It’s like a personality clash [with Elena].”

Watch new episodes of Below Deck Mediterranean on Mondays at 9/8c on Bravo. Stream the next day on Peacock.