‘Below Deck Med’ Season 7 Premiere: Where’s Malia White?

Below Deck Med Season 7 premiere sets sail on Monday, July 10. Fans want to know where Malia White has been hiding. She received backlash for her rash decision during Season 5. Malia was the one who reported Hannah Ferrier for having a CBD pen and Valium in her belongings.

As a result, Captain Sandy Yawn fired Hannah from her longtime position as a chief stew. The firing was the most controversial out of the entire franchise. It even divided fans and the crew members. Even though Malia returned in Season 6, she bowed out this time around. Find out what she’s up to these days.

Malia White explains her absence

Below Deck Med fans were relieved to see that Malia isn’t part of the Season 7 cast. She revealed that she’s taking a break from the show as she works on acquiring her captain’s license. Despite her close work relationship with Captain Sandy, she decided not to lead the crew deck for another season.

On June 2, 2022, she made an appearance on Brandi Glanville’s Unfiltered podcast. She explained the reason why she stepped back from the show. Malia said she’s still part of the yachting industry, but she didn’t want to be on Below Deck Med while she was pursuing it. Also, she had to deal with something else that happened off-camera.

“I was recently in a bad scooter accident, and I’m trying to upgrade so I’m not just a bosun anymore,” Malia told Brandi at the time. “I want to try and become an officer.”

She has been slowly working her way up the ranks. In Season 2 of Below Deck Med, Malia went from deckhand to lead deckhand. Then she returned as a bosun in Season 5. Captain Sandy was fine that Malia bowed out for the season. She offered the position to the new bosun Raygan in a clip for the Season 7 premiere.

“It would have been great to have Malia back, but right now she’s a chief officer on another vessel,” Sandy reveals in her confessional. “To be able to give this opportunity to a female on deck is incredible because someone gave me that opportunity. So, I want to be able to extend that forward.”

About the controversial Below Deck Med alum

Malia first made her debut in Season 2 of Below Deck Mediterranean. She loved being part of the deck team and wanted to work up the ranks. Malia said she could see herself as a captain one day. However, her position came with its share of controversy.

At the time, she was in a love triangle with bosun Wesley Walton and Chef Adam Glick. Ultimately, Malia chose Wes who promoted her. Their boatmance faltered after they returned to land. Malia returned as bosun in Season 5, when she claimed that she had “grown-up, learned, and accomplished a lot.”

Once again, she made controversy for turning in fan-favorite Hannah over to Captain Sandy. She argued that Hannah had undeclared Valium medication which was against Maritime law. Malia received backlash from the Below Deck Med fanbase for the way she handled that situation. Some even went as far as to call her a “snake.”

Malia tried to redeem herself in Season 6. She received the respect of her deck team, even if the fans still didn’t like her. She wants to move beyond the reality series and focus on the real yachting industry. Malia even started her own podcast which talks about the ins and outs of the industry, away from the cameras.

Below Deck Med Season 7 premieres on Monday, July 11 at 8 p.m. ET with a supersized episode on Bravo.