Luka Brunton‘s time on Below Deck Mediterranean has been riddled with romantic connections — and not all of them have taken place on board.
In 2023, Bravo fans were introduced to Luka on season 2 of Below Deck Down Under where he briefly got caught up in a love triangle with Jaimee Neale and Culver Bradbury.
Captain Jason Chambers later recommended Luka to Captain Sandy Yawn and he was offered a position on the deck team for season 8 of Below Deck Med, which aired months later. However, Ruan Irving forging his paperwork helped Luka move up the ranks from a provisional bosun to leading the exterior team.
Throughout the season, Luka was able to balance his job and his love life with surprising success. He developed a flirtationship with Natalya Scudder but it didn’t get far because she was trying to figure out her open relationship with an offscreen boyfriend.
From there, Luka turned on the charm with Jessika Asai, which became a season-long boatmance. Luka’s past with Below Deck Med alum Katie Flood also came to light while he was still on the Mustique.
Luka later confirmed to Us Weekly that he didn’t actually didn’t end up with anyone in the Below Deck universe.
“I’m in a relationship at the moment. [I’m] back with my partner that I was with before the show,” he revealed to Us during BravoCon in November 2023. “We split up [before] the show and we’re back together now. I don’t think she’s watching [this season]. It’s probably good.”
Keep scrolling for a guide to every connection Luka made during season 8 of Below Deck Med:
A Long-Lasting Flirtationship With Natalya Scudder
It didn’t take long for sparks to fly between Luka and Natalya during season 8 of Below Deck Med. Despite being interested in each other, Natalya was actually hesitant to take it further because of a confusing open relationship with her then-boyfriend.
Natalya and Luka made out a few times but ultimately parted ways when she left early to figure out the issues in her personal life. The pair kept in touch though through flirty messages, which Luka didn’t tell Jessika about amid their fling.
“Just because [Jess and I] are hooking up and maybe I don’t want to be in a relationship doesn’t mean I don’t care about her. Everyone has their feelings,” he said in a January 2024 episode. “I never said to Jess that I wanted a relationship. So there’s no strings. Imagine if people found out I was texting Natalya.”
A Boatmance Fling With Jessika Asai
After Luka realized he wasn’t going to hook up with Natalya, Jessika suddenly caught his eye. The twosome quickly moved from just flirting to a casual relationship throughout season 8. However, a lack of communication created issues when Jessika found out about Luka being in contact with Katie.
“This whole situation is really annoying. But at the same time, it is not my business on who he is talking to,” she told the cameras in a January 2024 episode. “I’m not going to deprive myself of having fun. I’m just going to go into all of this with my eyes open.”
Luka, for his part, wasn’t sweating the drama because he wasn’t expecting a future with Jessika.
“Obviously I like Jess a little bit more than a friend. We are not in a relationship. I’m not f—king dating Katie Flood. We’re just friends. Just friends. Even if I was texting her as more than a friend,” he said in a confessional before cutting himself off. “OK. Well, yeah. I don’t know.”
A Mysterious Past With Alum Katie Flood
Below Deck viewers were thrown for a loop when Luka randomly revealed he was on friendly terms with Katie, who appeared on a past season of Below Deck Med. Luka told everyone — including Captain Sandy — that there was nothing romantic between him and Katie.
“I’ve known Katie for like four years. She used to date one of my friends and I know that she’s worked with Sandy in the past,” he said on a December 2023 episode. “My history [with her]? We don’t really have any history. We’ve hung out a few times. What are you trying to get at?”
The jury is still out on whether Luka was telling the whole truth about his platonic bond with Katie.
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