Malia White Clarifies Whether Crew Couples Automatically Room Together On Deck

On the August 10 episode of Below Deck Mediterranean, there was a bit of a spat amidst crew members regarding their bunking situation. If you're OK with spoilers, keep scrolling for the lowdown: 

Following chef Kiko's sudden departure from The Wellington, captain Sandy Yawn was scrambling to find a replacement. Enter Malia White's boyfriend Tom Checketts, who happens to be a top-notch yacht chef himself.

With Tom as the newest crew member, Malia assumed that she would bunk with her beau — but she received some pushback from both Bugsy Drake and Hannah Ferrier, who weren't exactly keen on rooming together. Ultimately, Malia took the issue to the captain... and she lived happily ever after, in her bunk with Tom. But, was Malia in line when she put her foot down and even got Sandy involved? 

When the bosun appeared on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen following the airing of the contentious episode, she cleared some things up. First, Malia shared that she had tried to talk the issue out with Hannah and Bugsy directly before bringing the issue to the captain.

However, "I do regret maybe how many times I went to Sandy this season — I think I might have used her more [as] a crutch or a role model rather than figuring some things out myself," Malia said. "But [the rooming] was a situation that was escalating, and I really didn't know what to do."

Andy also asked if it's an automatic rule that couples who are on a crew together get to room together. "Not an automatic rule, no," Malia clarified. "Usually if you're hired as a couple, you would get a cabin together, because the idea is that your partner probably wouldn't come if they weren't sharing a cabin with you. Especially if they're the head chef." 

See more from Malia's WWHL appearance in the clip above. 

Want more Below Deck Med? New episodes air every Monday at 9/8c or catch up on the entire series through the Bravo app.