Lara Flumiani didn't just walk onto the The Wellington. She detonated. Usually, when a new season of a reality show kicks off, we get a slow burn of personality clashes and growing pains, but Lara Below Deck Med Season 5 flipped the script within the first forty-eight hours. Most fans remember the explosive tension between her and Chief Stew Hannah Ferrier, but looking back a few years later, the sheer speed of her exit remains one of the most bizarre timelines in the franchise's history.
She was only there for one charter. One.
That’s basically a blink in reality TV time. Yet, her name still comes up whenever people talk about the "villains" of the Mediterranean. Was she actually a villain, or just someone who realized the environment was a toxic fit before anyone else did? It's a bit of both, honestly. You've got to respect the efficiency of her chaos, even if the way she treated her superior was enough to make any manager's skin crawl.
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The Power Struggle Nobody Saw Coming
When Lara Flumiani joined the crew, she came in with a resume that suggested she knew exactly what she was doing. She had experience. She had the look. She had the confidence. But the second Hannah Ferrier tried to give her a direction—literally any direction—the walls went up. It wasn't just a disagreement; it was a fundamental refusal to acknowledge the hierarchy of a superyacht.
If you've ever worked in hospitality, you know the vibe. There is always that one person who thinks they are too good for the "silverware" talk. Lara was that person on steroids.
The first major red flag popped up when Hannah asked her to do a simple task, and Lara responded with a level of snark that felt deeply personal. It wasn't "I'm busy"; it was "I don't have to listen to you." This wasn't just a "bad day." This was a philosophical stance against being a Second Stew. She didn't want to be second to anyone, especially not someone she clearly didn't respect from the jump.
Why the Hannah vs. Lara Feud Felt Different
Usually, Chief Stews and their stews have a bit of a honeymoon phase. Not here. Within the first episode of Lara Below Deck Med Season 5, we saw the infamous "don't touch me" moment. Hannah reached out to grab Lara's arm during a tense conversation, and the reaction was instantaneous.
It was awkward. It was uncomfortable to watch.
It also set a precedent for the season that everything was going to be high-stakes. Captain Sandy Yawn, who is known for trying to "coach" her way through crew conflicts, was eventually forced to step in. But even Sandy’s brand of micro-management couldn't fix a stew who had already checked out mentally. Lara’s body language in those meetings with Sandy was a masterclass in "I am literally waiting for you to stop talking so I can leave."
The One-Charter Wonder: A Timeline of the Exit
Most people forget that Lara’s stint was shorter than some guest stays. She finished the first charter, dealt with the tip meeting, and then basically vanished into the night—or rather, the early morning.
The logistics of her exit were fascinatingly blunt. She didn't have a big "I quit" monologue in the middle of a dinner service. She just decided she was done. She told Captain Sandy she wasn't happy, packed her bags, and walked off the dock. In the world of Below Deck, where people are often fired for drinking on the job or gross incompetence, choosing to leave because you simply hate your boss is almost refreshing in its honesty.
- Charter 1: Lara arrives, immediately clashes with Hannah over table settings and breaks.
- The Confrontation: The "don't touch me" incident happens on the aft deck.
- The Departure: Lara meets with Sandy, realizes the bridge is burned, and exits before Charter 2 begins.
She was replaced by Christine "Bugsy" Drake, which, if you know the history of the show, was a massive tactical move by the producers. Bugsy and Hannah already had a toxic history from Season 2. By Lara leaving, she inadvertently triggered one of the most stressful seasons Hannah Ferrier ever filmed—the one that eventually led to Hannah’s own controversial firing later in the year.
Examining the "Villain" Edit vs. Reality
Is it possible Lara Flumiani was just misunderstood? Some fans on Reddit and Twitter have argued over the years that she was just an Italian woman with a blunt communication style who didn't mesh with the "fake" politeness of the yachting industry.
Honestly? That feels like a reach.
There’s a difference between being "blunt" and being intentionally obstructive. When your job is to serve guests and work as a team, and you spend your time rolling your eyes while your boss is explaining the drink order, you’re not being "authentic"—you’re being a bad coworker.
However, we have to look at the environment. Season 5 of Below Deck Mediterranean was notoriously high-pressure. The interior team was under a microscope. If Lara sensed that the deck was stacked against her or that the "edit" was going to be unfavorable, walking away early might have been the smartest career move she could have made. She didn't stay long enough to become the season-long punching bag. She got her screen time and dipped.
Life After the Wellington
Since her brief stint on Lara Below Deck Med Season 5, Lara has mostly stayed out of the Bravo-sphere. Unlike other cast members who launch podcasts, sell "teatox" on Instagram, or show up at BravoCon for a decade, she went back to her life.
She's active on Instagram but doesn't lean heavily into the "Below Deck" brand. She still travels, still seems to be involved in the yachting world or at least the lifestyle, and seems perfectly content with her decision to quit. There is something almost respectable about that. She didn't try to milk her fifteen minutes of fame; she just treated it like a bad temp job that she walked out on.
What Most People Get Wrong About This Season
People tend to lump Lara’s behavior in with the overall "downward spiral" of Season 5. They see her as the start of the "curse" that eventually hit Hannah and Chef Kiko. But if you look closely, Lara was an island. Her conflict was purely about hierarchy and personal space.
She didn't fail because she couldn't do the work. She was actually quite good at the physical labor part of being a stew. She failed because she couldn't handle the social contract of the boat. In yachting, your rank is your identity. Lara tried to exist outside of that rank, and the boat spit her out.
The Impact on the Rest of the Crew
Lara’s departure left the crew in a lurch, sure, but it also changed the chemistry of the boat.
- It forced Hannah into a defensive crouch right from the start.
- It gave Captain Sandy an early reason to doubt Hannah's leadership.
- It opened the door for Bugsy, which changed the entire power dynamic of the interior.
If Lara had stayed, would Hannah have been fired later in the season? Maybe not. If Lara had been a "normal" Second Stew, the interior would have been stable. There wouldn't have been a need to bring in a "replacement leader" like Bugsy, which created the tension that ultimately led to the Valium/CBD incident. You could argue that Lara Flumiani was the first domino in a chain reaction that changed Below Deck Med forever.
Lessons from the Lara Flumiani Era
There is a lot to learn from the sheer audacity of Lara's short run. For one, it’s a reminder that you can’t "nice" your way through a working relationship with someone who doesn't respect you. Hannah tried to be firm, then tried to be nice, then tried to be professional—none of it worked because Lara didn't recognize Hannah's authority.
If you find yourself in a "Lara" situation at work, the best move is usually what Sandy did: bring in a third party immediately. Documentation is key. Of course, on a yacht with cameras, the "documentation" is broadcast to millions of people, but the principle remains the same.
Next Steps for Fans and Career Watchers:
If you're revisiting this season, pay attention to the micro-expressions during the first dinner service. It’s a masterclass in passive-aggressive behavior. If you are actually in the yachting industry or considering it, take Lara as a cautionary tale:
- Respect the Rank: Even if you think your boss is an idiot, the hierarchy is what keeps the boat from sinking (metaphorically).
- Know When to Fold: If you hate a job on day two, leaving isn't always "quitting"—sometimes it's a mercy for everyone involved.
- Watch the Re-run: Check out the Season 5 premiere again. Knowing what happens to Hannah later in the season makes Lara's defiance feel much more like an omen than a random spat.
Lara Flumiani remains a fascinating footnote. She wasn't around long enough to be a legend, but she was too intense to be forgotten. She proved that in reality TV, you don't need a "redemption arc" if you just have enough nerve to walk away when the vibes are off.