What Happened To Ruan Irving After Below Deck Mediterranean Season 8?

Ruan Irving was one of the quickest-fired crew members ever from Below Deck Mediterranean season 8, and a lot has happened in his life since the show. Below Deck Med, the first spin-off of Below Deck, premiered in 2016. The beloved reality series follows the lives of crew members working on superyachts. To ensure the success of everyone onboard, the exterior and interior teams must work together with the guidance of their captains. Captain Sandy Yawn led Below Deck Med when she hired Ruan as her bosun, the leading role of the exterior deck team.

The season had a lot of drama, including Natalya Scudder and Tumi Mhlongo’s feud that tainted Below Deck Med season 8; the majority of the cast did not blend well together. Kyle Viljoen was a meddler in most of the conflict, perpetuating the friction between Natalya and Tumi as stew and chief stew, respectively. Overall, season 8 felt weak in comparison to past seasons with Captain Sandy’s former Chief Stew Hannah Ferrier. Below Deck Med season 8 was a letdown plagued by weak storylines, and Ruan played a part in its demise.

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Ruan Still Works In The Yachting Industry

Ryan Hasn’t Given Up On His Career Since A Rough Start On Below Deck Med

Going into Below Deck Med season 8, Ruan had 10 years of yachting experience, per Bravo TV. Since leaving the show, Ruan has continued working in the industry. His Instagram page is full of pictures of him enjoying the outdoors and driving boats. In one post, Ruan shared an image of himself wearing a black yachting uniform while driving a boat. “Captain chaos,” he captioned the picture, which aligned well with his trajectory on Below Deck Med season 8. He has not returned to another stint on Below Deck, which may be for the best.

Is Ruan Becoming a Boxer?

Ryan Has Been Training In The Gym Since The Show

Since appearing in an episode of Below Deck Med, Ruan appears to be training to become a boxer. He showcases his progress in the gym on his Instagram page. Notably, he posts pictures and videos of himself training in boxing. Ruan refers to himself as a “Boxer” and “Content dabbler” in his Instagram bio. He’s picked up the hobby since appearing on the show. In one video, Ruan shared a picture of himself in the gym with former pro boxer Freddie Roach. “Training at @wildcardboxingclub with the legend himself @freddieroach!” he wrote in the caption of the photo.

Ruan's Journey On Below Deck Mediterranean

Ruan Was On One Episode Of Below Deck Med Season 8

Ruan had a short and not-so-sweet journey on Below Deck Med season 8. Going into the charter season, Captain Sandy hired him as her bosun. He hadn’t appeared in any prior seasons or franchises of Below Deck, meaning there was a lot to be learned about him as a crew member. During the first episode of season 8, Captain Sandy discovered an issue with his paperwork. He only had photocopies of his original paperwork, and an officer said that his medical license was “not certified.”

This was a massive red flag, as the boat could be detained if an employee didn’t have their original paperwork. Photocopies would not suffice in this instance. It seemed as though Ruan’s documents were forged. When Captain Sandy scanned his Yachtmasters, a completely different person’s photo came up. She called him in to talk about his documents, and he said, “a guy came on the boat, and he issued us our tickets.” He left the yacht intending to return but called Captain Sandy and said he wasn’t.

“Sorry about this captain but I don’t think I am going to get the ticket sorted in time. I don’t want to hold the vessel up any longer, I am just going to go back home.”

After the fact, Ruan took to his Instagram to explain his point of view on the document scandal. He said all of his hard copies were in South Africa and that he typically never travels with them. “The show had copies of certified copies because I sent them copies as requested,” he said. Ruan added that he left the boat to attend the funeral of his best friend’s brother when they were filming Below Deck Med season 8. In the caption, he said he got the devastating call when they began filming and decided to leave the show.

Will Ruan Ever Return To Below Deck Mediterranean?

It’s Unclear If Ruan Will Return To The Franchise

Ruan would like to return to Below Deck Med. In an interview with Kieron Williams on his and Ruan’s Instagram, he said he’d love to make a comeback. “For me, Below Deck, a redeem myself season is definitely in the pipeline,” he revealed. Ruan is one of the biggest Below Deck clout chasers ever; he was only on one episode and still wears his appearance as a badge of honor. In his Instagram bio, Ruan tagged “@bravotv,” serving as a marker that he was on a Bravo show, even though he left after a couple of episodes.

If he ever came back to Below Deck, it would likely not be on the Med franchise. Captain Sandy has admitted she’s not keen on Ruan returning to the show. In an appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, a virtual fan asked if she would want Ruan to work for her again. “No,” she said. “Not in a million years.” Captain Sandy does not have a problem with firing inadequate crew members. Ruan made a mistake before the charter season began, disappointing his captain. He will likely never be on Below Deck Med again.

What is Ruan Up To Now?

Since Ruan likely won't return to Below Deck Med in the future, he's been focusing on his life after the show. As Ruan has since moved up in the ranks from bosun to yacht captain, he has enjoyed a bit more freedom in his life. The public humiliation he went through luckily didn't affect his personal life or his career. In fact, Ruan is doing better than ever since getting fired from Below Deck Med. Besides his work as a yacht captain, Ruan has his own YouTube channel.

It's called RUDAWG TV, and so far, he only has one video, which was uploaded two months ago. The video is 10 minutes long and shows Ruan and his coworkers taking a dive and going wake-surfing after work. Ruan received a few comments in the comment section of people praising Ruan for what he's done post-Below Deck Med. So, while Ruan has stepped away from the reality TV limelight, he still has some prospects related to the entertainment industry through his YouTube channel.

If Ruan continues with it, he could be a success. Judging from the first video, Ruan is good at creating content, especially when it comes to water-related activities. His role as a bosun and now yacht captain has really helped Ruan expand his career into something more directly related to entertainment. Who knew getting fired from a popular reality TV show would allow Ruan to create content that he not only enjoys but has also found an audience for?

Ruan is one of the oddest personalities to appear on Below Deck Med. He joined season 8 as the first bosun but was fired by episode 1 because of forged documents. Despite barely being on the show, Ruan continues to parade around his brief stint for clout. Ruan will probably not come back to Below Deck Med, and if he did, that would be a casting decision outside of left field.

Sources: Bravo TV, Ruan Irving/Instagram, Ruan Irving/Instagram, Ruan Irving/Instagram, Ruan Irving/Instagram, Bravo/YouTube, Ruan Irving/Instagram, Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen/YouTube