João Franco May Have Caught That Virus from a Very Cringeworthy Source

João Franco was crushing it as bosun this season of Below Deck Mediterranean. But then all of a sudden, he came down with a debilitating illness, causing him to be rushed to the hospital.

When João returned to the Sirocco, he revealed that he had come down with a virus, leaving Captain Sandy Yawn no choice but to have the bosun rest and be quarantined until he recuperated.

So how did João get so sick so fast in the first place? Captain Sandy presented her theory during the Below Deck Mediterranean Season 4 After Show (clip above). "He was in the water because they sucked the line up. When you hear of all the things that could happen to your crew, everyone gets cuts on their hands, especially deck crew," Captain Sandy said. "When you're in a scenario when you're possibly in some raw sewage, we were in an anchorage, and I'd like to say that every boat, even when you treat your sewage, you're supposed to go off-shore, but hepatitis A is sewage-related hepatitis, and I didn't want him to infect the crew. Hepatitis A is contagious, so I didn't want us to have it."

And as harsh as it may sound to isolate João and force his roommate Colin Macy-O'Toole to bunk with lovebirds Jack Stirrup and Aesha Scott, it was really what was best for all of the crew and guests this season. "If the whole boat goes down, we can't charter, and the owner loses hundreds of thousands of Euros," Hannah Ferrier explained during the Below Deck Med After Show. "So, yeah, it is a bit mean to stick them in a cabin on their own and just throw them water and food. But it's still a business, you know? I know that we live there and sleep there and everything, but at the end of the day, the charter boat is a business."

However, it looks like João will end this season on a high note, as you can see in the below preview for the Below Deck Med Season 4 finale airing Monday at 9/8c.

See Captain Sandy Yawn's Tearful Goodbye to João Franco