Below Deck Mediterranean has turned into a hotbed of discourse. The season started off on a female-empowering note, with ladies in the lead positions, ready to tackle privileged guests and a crew of television hopefuls. Under the direction of Captain Sandy Yawn, it appears everyone might be micromanaged into despair. Everyone except Malia White. Malia returned with a new title under her belt and as you know, with great power there must also come great responsibility…
As the yacht’s resident bosun and the first woman to hold the title on camera, Malia has a lot on her plate. She takes her new role very seriously and appears to be following the rules, much to the delight of Captain Sandy. But is she dipping her toes into the refreshing micro-managing seas of her leader? Hannah Ferrier might have an opinion.
Captain Sandy fired Chef Kiko Lorran because she wasn’t pleased with his “timing”. Good damn thing he didn’t serve charter guests food they specifically didn’t request. Right, Adam Glick? Historically, Sandy doesn’t have much luck with chefs… Hannah enjoyed Kiko and referred to him as her only friend on this crew.
Feeling partly responsible for Kiko’s untimely exit, Hannah was overcome by a panic attack at night. We’re already familiar with Hannah’s anxiety issues, and Captain Sandy is as well. Conrad Empson also remembers and still thanks his lucky stars whilst hiding in an undisclosed location in England. When Hannah tells Malia she needs a Valium to calm down, Malia’s antennae started twitching.
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Sandy received a text and reveals a crew member has drugs on board. Gasp! Social media accused Malia of throwing Hannah under the bus, reversing the bus, and running over her again. But Malia defends her position in an Instagram post. She said, “Let me clear the air- medical laws are different at sea and for good reason. NO crew member is allowed to self- administer drugs prescription or not while on a vessel at sea.” But if you take meds for a particular condition, removing the control substance is also removing one’s ability to work accordingly.
Malia continued, “We are CREW and always ‘on duty’ and our primary goal at sea is to ensure safety of all passengers. Mental health issues are a big deal and that’s why we have proper procedures in place.” No one wants to be on board with an addict, but having mental health issues in no way means one cannot hold down a job or have an exceptional performance. Malia further explained, “We all read & sign a drugs & alcohol policy before joining any boat- this is VERY CLEARLY laid out. If any crew member suffers from a mental health condition that they require medication for they must disclose that to the Captain BEFORE signing onto the boat.”
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Hannah has some quirks, but this lady has been on television for years now. Does anyone think she is ignorant enough to bring an illegal prescription on a boat WITH A CAMERA CREW? That said, Malia feels she did the right thing. “Taking any sedative while on duty is completely illegal and could cost myself, the officers and Captain Sandy all of our licensing.”
Malia says reporting “any incident” is her job. “I’m not here to worry about plot twists & TV drama”. SURE, JAN. Still, Malia maintains she is there to “do my job and learn how to become a Captain”. Then she addresses the haters. “All of you expressing your hate- think of it in this perspective… if an emergency was to take place in the middle of the night how would you feel if your crew (the people trained to handle the situation & keep you safe) were on drugs?” But hello, there is a difference between “drugs” and “necessary medication”.
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Malia ends with, “Reporting someone shouldn’t have a negative stigma – it can save lives!” And accusing someone of taking drugs when it is much-needed medication is an interesting storyline, no? It isn’t anyone’s responsibility to report the meds they take to Malia when they sail together because, privacy. Is Malia trying to become a mini micro-managing Sandy or was she right to report her findings? Malia is doing an awful lot of explaining for someone who feels they did the right thing.
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TELL US- SHOULD MALIA STAY OUT OF HANNAH’S BUSINESS? WAS IT RIGHT TO REPORT HANNAH TO THE CAPTAIN? IS MALIA JUST TRYING TO RAMP UP THE DRAMA FOR THIS SEASON OF BELOW DECK MEDITERRANEAN?
[Photo Credit: Bravo]
