Kat Johnston Gets Candid About Cooper Boatmance & Drama

Kat Johnston went into Below Deck Mediterranean Season 11 not knowing what to expect. The stew considered herself very much a fish out of water. However, the fun-loving Canadian fit right in and even helped mediate the tension between Gen Lillie and Second Stew Kayley Smith. 

She also fell for Deckhand Cooper Dawson early into the experience. Though the pressure from the crew having an opinion on everything about the blossoming connection only pushed them apart. Dawson didn’t help matters by sending mixed signals on nights out. Rather than fully break things off, the couple decided to continue their boatmance in secret. That came with its own complications as Lillie made her move on Dawson.

Johnston gets candid about what has gone down on the Bravo series and the “craziness” to come. 

What has it been like watching Gen flirting with Cooper? Do you feel she violated girl code?

Kat Johnston: A thousand percent, and it’s kind of a shock. It was very obvious. I would walk into rooms, as you could probably see on the show, and I’d be like, “Am I interrupting something?” So it wasn’t like discreet flirting. Cooper would reassure me, “Oh, of course I would never go for it, but I’m just like. “Well, why don’t you shut it down?” Because it was persistent. So I’m not blaming just Cooper. It takes two to flirt. But it was just a really sh*tty situation because it’s such a small boat, and it was kind of blatantly in my face. And I share a room with her. So I’m just like, “I was your only friend on the boat, you know?” So I’m like, “Why me?”

Kat Johnston and Cooper Dawson

On the work front, you handled the stew drama pretty well between Gen and Kayley. You even gave Gen some tough love by telling her she needed to change her attitude. How do you look back on that moment?  

Yeah, I feel like it got so bad that it would have cracked anybody. I feel like I put up with it for almost too long so I was just kind of like, “Can we stop this or you’re going to get fired.” I feel like that was the vibes because it was such a toxic work environment because she just had a scowl on her face the whole time, and I was telling her to fix this attitude because everyone can see it. It was just getting worse and worse and. I just broke. I was like, “If you don’t fix the attitude, it’s not going to end well.”

How do you think Kayley did as acting Chief Stew? 

Oh my God, she’s amazing. Yeah, she’s amazing. I love Kayley.  She’s my girl. We’re best friends to this day. She’s going to be a bridesmaid for sure. She’s just amazing at everything she does. She’s, like, as Aesha [Scott] said, she’s just a workhorse.

What is your friendship with Gen at this moment?

Me and Gen frequently talk. I honestly still feel like I am in the middle because I’m really, really close to Kayley. But also I do still talk to Gen. I just have a soft spot for Jen. I just think I saw a side of her that no one else really did. And I do think deep down she’s a nice girl. I just think she was going through it really bad on the boat, as you can see, as the audience can see.

Do you think other crew members believed your thing with Cooper was really over?

I think so because clearly Gen didn’t know.

That’s true. Fair point.

I think at the start, definitely, for sure. Even after filming, Kayley was like, “What happened?” I feel like me and her were so close. We were gossiping together, especially about boys, so she had no idea. So yeah, I think we did pretty good. But Cooper’s a terrible actor. Sorry. He is never going to get that Oscar. 

Where do you think your boatmance with him ranks in Below Deck history?

I’m not too sure. I thought it was really cute and wholesome at the start, which is very rare for Below Deck because both me and him are really goofy people. We just found humor flirting, and it was very high school. So I think that’s really rare for boatmances in general, but the cracks are starting to show. That makes it go down the ranks, you know? So I’m not too sure.

How was it being part of Aesha’s bachelorette party and getting to meet former Below Deck Med cast members Hannah Ferrier and Anastasia Surmava? 

Oh my God, that was my first ever bachelorette. It was so fun! Everyone went buck wild, and the episode shows that. It was just genuinely one of the funnest nights ever. Anastasia and Hannah were in their adult era, so they were kind of looking at us when we were crazy off-the-rails, like yachties. You could tell they were probably like, “Wow, we’re so lucky to have grown out of that.” So, it was definitely a divide. They were so sweet. They were just asking how we were, how the season was going, and just saying to have fun with it because it’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing to be doing a med season in your early to mid-20s. They were really happy to be there. The boys somehow went crazier than the girls though. 

WATCH WHAT HAPPENS LIVE WITH ANDY COHEN — Episode 23134 — Pictured: Kat Johnston — (Photo by: Ralph Bavaro/Bravo)

What do you feel like you learned about yourself from your time on the show?

I feel like I went in not knowing anything. I truly just rocked up, cameras or not. I just showed up and was myself. I’m really still proud of myself, how I was that season. I feel like I just learned how to deal with bullsh*t. That no matter how negative things got on board, I feel like I never lost my kindness, my Canadian kindness. I never lost my morals or values, no matter how mean people were to me, or how sh*tty I felt, or how tired I was. So yeah, I feel I left a little bit older.

How is it being this reality star now? 

It’s been really fun. I honestly have been having the best time watching with my friends and family. I just think it’s hilarious. It has been a bit surreal because I’m from a small town. I’ve never associated myself even in the words of a reality star. I’m just sort of still a regular girl. So, I don’t know,. It’s just super fun watching it back. It’s just weird. It’s a little anxious sometimes. When I see myself cry, I’m like, “Oh my God. Put the tears away, he’s not worth it!” But otherwise, otherwise it’s good.

How are things going with Cooper in terms of even a friendship and kind of staying in touch? 

We don’t talk at all. Yeah, rough.

Was that after the show wrapped or during when you made that decision? 

We had the same flight home after the show wrapped. I was like, “Is that a setup?” No, I’m kidding. So, honestly, we flew back to the U.S. We were in New York together, I was like, “What is happening?” And I saw him once in LA  briefly. He would text me every few months, but as of now, I think after my What Happens Live appearance. That was the end all be all.

Do you have any regrets knowing that, how things transpired?

No, I don’t really want to live with regrets right now. The only thing I regret is I feel like I was very forgiving. Even during the season, I feel like I liked him so much. He could have done anything, and I would have come up with an excuse for his behavior.

The [August 24[ episode we see Max receive some unsettling news about his dad, who is in hot water with a criminal money laundering organization in Africa. What did you make of all that? 

It’s awful. I remember thinking, “What’s happening?” Because everything happens so fast. It’s crazy how much everything can change in just a day. I just felt so bad for him because he just got there, and he was so excited to be there. He had an amazing charter, and then this happened. It’s hard when you’re in the middle of the sea, and  you’re nowhere near your family. So, I can’t imagine what he was going through. You’ll definitely have to wait for the next episode to see what happens next.

When it comes to the deckhands, how did you feel about the whole power struggle between Joe [Bradley] and Nathan [Gallagher]?

Well, you could just feel the tension. I feel like just being on the boat, you just see something’s off between them. I had no idea why they were fighting. I didn’t really know their history at all. But yeah, even being close to Cooper, it was affecting him as well. So I could be like, “Okay, clearly something’s happening on deck.” So when Nathan left, I thought Joe was a great Bosun. I’m closer with Joe, so I think he did an amazing job. I didn’t really see much of Nathan’s delegations or anything like that, but watching it back, I definitely think Joe is more equipped.

What did you make of the recent news in the last week that Nathan had been arrested in December?

I just think it’s awful news, and I’m sending my love to baby Kayden. I just think it’s awful, and that’s all I have to say about that.

BELOW DECK MEDITERRANEAN — Pictured: Katrina Johnston — (Photo by: Fred Jagueneau/Bravo)

Would you do another season of the show?

I would do another season of the show. Never say never! I always say I’m done with yachting, but I say it’s like the golden handcuffs. You always go back to it because I feel like once you experience it, there’s always that thought.

How did you go in differently this time around if you did get a second chance?

I’m going to say I wouldn’t go into it differently because I honestly would hope that I would just go in the same way I did when I started, because literally, when I say I just rocked up, I rocked up. I’d never seen reality TV before. I didn’t really know what I was walking into, but I think that’s the best mindset because I just feel like I was myself. My parents were more just don’t smother the name, the Johnston name. I was like, “Good thing we have a common last name.” I just showed up, and I just played myself.  

If you didn’t watch reality TV, what made you want to be on the show? 

Well, I was in a yachting job that I didn’t really like. So, when the show reached out, and I was like, “Well, you know what? Why not? You only live once.” I thought this could be a great opportunity. And it was a lot of fun. I’m so happy I did. But yeah, it was definitely new to me, but I had the best time.

What do you want to tease about the rest of the season?

Honestly, the craziness just gets more crazy. Like, I just can’t even explain it. Somehow you think, “Okay, we’re in the clear. This is chill. We’re just coasting.” There’s no coasting episodes. Each charter is incrementally more exciting. There is a lot of tension, a lot of tension builds up towards the end of the season. That’s what I would tease about it. 

What have you been up to these days? Where are you in your career? 

 I’m just home with my family right now. It’s been really, really nice in Nova Scotia, getting back to my roots because I love it here in Canada. But I’m moving to London next month to start a little bit of a new life, you know, build some roots. I’m super excited about that because I’ve never really had a home base or  lived my big girl life. I feel like I’ve always been like literally a nomad. So yeah, so I’m excited for the move.

Why London?

I have lots of friends there in the yachting industry. It’s central. I can travel really easily to Europe if I do want to go back on super yachts, and also, I think it’s just a really cool city.

Are you continuing your yachting career now or just taking a break right now?

I’m taking a break right now. Then when the summer always approaches, I always go back. I’m always open to temporary contract work, even if it’s just for a month or two at a time.

What do you want to do with this opportunity you’ve gotten being on the show?

I always just take opportunities as they come. And if it’s meant to be, it will be. But for me, I was never like, “Oh, I’m going to build a reality TV career off of this.” I never saw myself as a reality TV person. I just saw myself as a regular girl that just happened to stumble upon Below Deck. I’ve never said, “I’m an influencer.” I have nothing to influence. Like, I seriously do not. But if something comes my way, I might take it if it works with where I am in my life. But, as of now, I just want to start a career, live on my own. That’s my goal. The little things.

Below Deck Mediterranean, Mondays, 8/7c, Bravo