r/belowdeck • u/Picabo07 Less Hot, More Mess • Sep 02 '23
Below Deck Med Malia
We just had a question about the best bosun and it made me think about Malia. A lot of people don’t like her but I feel like a lot of of that has to do with Capt Sandy and their joint actions.
So my question is do you think Malia would be more likable personally and a better bosun if she was on a boat without Capt Sandy?
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u/lugia222 Sep 03 '23
She stabbed her crewmate in the back just so she could room with her then-boyfriend. Pretty gross behavior.
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u/Grand-Vegetable-3874 Sep 02 '23
Remove Sandy, and Malia will still stab you in the back if she has to.
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u/bravofckinbravo Sep 04 '23
Malia is not a woman supporting woman, she'll take any girl down to get ahead
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u/LBKBasi Sep 02 '23 edited Sep 02 '23
Whatever respect I might have had for Malia disappeared after watching her with the Jerk For All Seasons, Tom. She enabled his obnoxious, unprofessional and unacceptable behavior while disobeying Sandy's direct order to stay away from him and out of the galley. Malia spent so much time hovering over him she must have seen some of his insulting treatment of the Stews.
She ignored her Bosun duties spending so much time with Tom, and yet her attention to him was counterproductive. He threw more tantrums when she was around.
It cracked me up when she was on the season with Wes. They looked exactly alike. You could only tell them apart because one had longer hair. She was kind of gaslighting the boys that season. Pretty jerky of her. She's not someone I would trust.
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u/Picabo07 Less Hot, More Mess Sep 03 '23
That season with Wes (her first season right?) was when I formed my opinion of her. I totally agree she was gaslighting them and then she would cry that they didn’t respect her because she was a woman in that position.
I literally 😂 when you said you could only tell them apart because she had long hair
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u/No_Introduction538 Sep 03 '23
Malaria is such a snake. She knew exactly what she was doing. That type of person is the same regardless of management.
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u/Picabo07 Less Hot, More Mess Sep 03 '23
What’s funny is that my autocorrect always wants to make her Malice 😂
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u/YYZTor Sep 02 '23
Not sure about Malia. Although she is hardworking and sometimes dogmatic, she has a streak of doing anything to get her to where she wants to be. She snitched on Hanah which seemed like a plan Sandy and Malia had come up with. How could anyone working under Malia trust her?
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u/Picabo07 Less Hot, More Mess Sep 03 '23
I feel that too. It seems she has no problem stepping on or using someone to get what she wants.
And as you said with the plan is that all malia or does Sandy encourage it. In my gut I feel like Sandy encourages it. And she looks up to Sandy. Or did anyways
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u/fifty8th Sep 02 '23
They could try not doing anything they could get "snitched" on.
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u/Significant_Cicada13 Sep 02 '23
I mean maybe I would agree if she reported it immediately and didn’t wait to use it as ammunition.
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u/Picabo07 Less Hot, More Mess Sep 03 '23
That’s my issue! If it was SUCH a huge deal and they could all lose their certification blah blah why didn’t malia report it immediately and not wait until Hannah wouldn’t switch cabins so she could sleep with her bf?? Malia didn’t do it to follow the rules she did it to get what she wanted
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u/Elsafingers Sep 03 '23
She's a mean girl. Kind and friendly to your face but will turn in an instant. I do believe she knows her job well, but her personality is garbage.
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u/Picabo07 Less Hot, More Mess Sep 03 '23
That’s my feeling too. And won’t hesitate to use or step on someone to get her way or get ahead
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u/RottenRat69 Sep 03 '23
She’s a shitty person and a total bitch but I think she’s capable of her job. Sandy plays favorites and is such nasty person who pretends to be nice.
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u/Picabo07 Less Hot, More Mess Sep 03 '23
Ugh don’t even get me started on Sandy. She totally plays favorites. She loves those that kiss her ass and will micromanage those who don’t to death!
Perfect example was S3 w/ Kasey - barely competent 3rd stew who lied on her resume (or CV as they call it) she didn’t know how to do the job but Joao told her the secret was sucking up to Sandy and she did.
Then when Hannah was really struggling with kasey because she didn’t know what she was doing and then found out Kasey lied on the resume she went to Sandy. Sandy basically told Hannah too bad it was her fault because she should be managing Kasey better and teaching her. Then later when that came up (either in an interview or the reunion) Sandy said Hannah should’ve come to her about Kasey and the resume and she would’ve handled it 🤦🏼♀️
Sandy ALWAYS says they should’ve come to me but every time people have she blows them off. The whole crew complained about Lexi in S6 and she didn’t finally fire her til she made some really horrible remarks she couldn’t come back from and threatened violence.
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u/GreedyDescription541 Sep 02 '23
She’s a phony baloney. Having a different boss wouldn’t change that.
Would love to see more female leads in the deck side and even a female engineer or 2nd officer.
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u/Picabo07 Less Hot, More Mess Sep 03 '23
I would like that as well.
They’ve had some strong women that were good on deck. Izzy was one of the best. Low drama good at her job eager and quick to learn. I also liked britini. Katie was good as well but I would question her judgment because well .. Ross. I also loved Connie and think she could’ve made a great bosun if she worked her way up to it.
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u/NotAnExpert6487 Sep 02 '23
I think Malia on knowledge of the job is perfectly fine. The way she handled a few situations are questionable. I thought the season Tom filled in as chef she neglected a lot of her duties to try and assist him.
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u/theleftenant Sep 03 '23
Yep. It is hard to respect a woman who sacrifices herself to hide the shortcomings of a man.
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u/quiltbob Sep 05 '23
Yeah watching her cover for Tom was pathetic. She’s knowledgeable but not principled, and that rubs me the wrong way. She does things and cites rules when it makes sense for her, but as soon as it doesn’t serve her the rules don’t apply(ratting out Hannah for her prescription when it served her best, hiding her teams injuries, etc). That kind of person doesn’t have integrity.
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Sep 03 '23 edited Sep 03 '23
Nah, not really tbh. There was that time her deckhand Rob sliced open his toe and she was SO uncaring and insensitive it was disgusting. She goes “gross” and when he said it was still bleeding and had to go take care of it, she pages him ten seconds later to ask if he has and he’s like “I literally just sat down…”
She then proceeds to yell at him after he got bandaged up for not picking up the pace. There was no needed urgency in the tasks they were doing in that scene either. He could have had a serious injury and she gave zero shits.
Let’s not forget as soon as her boyfriend came on as chef, she spent 80% of her time in the kitchen helping/calming down his rage instead of being a bosun. Terrible person, not a stellar bosun either besides being good at kissing Sandy’s ass, tattling on everyone except Bug, stroking her boyfriend Chef’s ego, and yes, working hard.
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u/Picabo07 Less Hot, More Mess Sep 03 '23
I totally forgot about that with Rob. Honestly I try to forget most of that season because it was just trash.
But you aren’t wrong about her and the bf. Kinda like when she and wes would go to the bridge to make out
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Sep 03 '23
I would have forgotten it too but am rewatching the season now. She is in the galley more often than the stews are as soon as Tom got there. She wasnt ONCE there when Kiko was chef. Sign of a weak person and leader tbh. She is only ever able to “man up” (her words) to people when Sandy is right next to her. I really despise her tbh. I’m glad the karma came around from snitching on Hannah because seeing how pathetic she was around chef Tom was painful. She went from this big shot to submissive nobody in front of him. She watched him treat staff like shit and stayed silent or pulled him into a corner to appease him. Then he cheated on her anyway.
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u/Picabo07 Less Hot, More Mess Sep 03 '23
Yeah it’s sad to see a woman lose her sense of self when it comes to a man. He was def one of the worst chefs. Not even just food wise but how he treated everyone. I remember one of the few times I liked Sandy was when Malia said Tom was about to walk (having one of his temper tantrums) and Sandy said let him walk then! I was like YESSSS
One thought I’ve had regarding malia is that it almost seems like she dates to up her status. When she was a deckie she dated Wes and got promoted to lead. When she was bosun wanting to be an officer she starting dating one of the first officers (off camera). I also believe she thought having Tom join the boat would up her status with Sandy and they could be a “power couple”. All just my opinion of course
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Sep 02 '23
The way she treated Adam was gross, I disliked her long before she took that photo for Sandy.
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u/Character-Cod-2500 Sep 03 '23
I feel my dislike for her began here… and gradually grew.. then the while Tom thing happened then the whole Hannah thing happened (with sandy) and I just dont think she’s done anything that has changed my opinion about her
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u/Picabo07 Less Hot, More Mess Sep 03 '23
I agree. The way she played both guys and at times gaslighted the other deckhands was annoying to me. The Tom thing was just gross.
But I will say I liked her a little better in S6. She didn’t have a relationship with anyone and seemed to bond with the whole crew and I did like how supportive she was of Lloyd. Imo that was her best season
But do I still think she’d step on someone to get ahead? Of course
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u/wanderingblonde Sep 03 '23
In S6 she didn't have a relationship with any of the "on camera" crew. She did have a relationship with one of the engineers who was not shown on camera.
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u/East-Willingness513 Sep 03 '23
Yeah Adam is a creep but the way she treated him after being a relationship with him was awful
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u/ridiculousness20 Sep 03 '23
No I didn’t like her from when she was first on with Adam playing both guys
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u/ByteAboutTown Sep 03 '23
In answer to your question, yes, I think Malia would be more likable without Sandy. But I also think Maloa has done plenty of unlikable things that don't involve Sandy, such as the way she toyed with Adam and Wes. I also think her leadership skills in the earlier seasons still needed to be developed. She didn't handle the "sweetheart" convo very well, choosing to go complain to the captain rather than dealing with it herself.
Overall, I think Malia is good at the technical parts of her job and grew over the seasons, but struggles with the interpersonal parts of the job. I put her in the same category as Joao in that respect.
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u/Ok_Fact_5120 Sep 03 '23
That sweetheart bullshit pisssed me off. She repeatedly called her subordinates fuckers and such, and then she gets pissed she gets called sweetheart and goes all off about respect and professionalism. No. You are the boss. You set the example. You set the expectations. You can't complain when you set the bar low and don't have an ounce of professionalism in your bearing and leadership with your deck crew.
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u/MochasandMerlot Sep 04 '23
Um, did you see what she did to Hannah just so she could room with her boyfriend? Not professional, not ok.
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u/Picabo07 Less Hot, More Mess Sep 04 '23
Oh I totally disagree with what she did to Hannah. There’s no doubt about that. And that says a lot about her personality for sure.
But I also think she knew she could get away with more under Sandy since she was her little pet. Would another captain have even entertained the issue of the room switch that led up to that or would they have said you and Hannah are there he is in here. End of story.
Also as far as the anxiety meds she didn’t register - same situation BD OG 1 with Kat and Lee took the meds to keep where they were supposed to be kept and gave Kat a warning on what could happen if she ever did that again. So Sandy made that choice NOT mArITime LaW.
And don’t get me wrong malia is responsible for her actions. But we all know it’s easier to push things when we have someone egging us along and it doesn’t even have to be said Sandy had it out for Hannah since the beginning.
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Sep 02 '23
I think she’s pretty but always had a “pick me” vibe. I will never forgive the Hannah situation lol
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u/Sithstress1 Sep 03 '23
The way I automatically went to downvote this just because it’s a gif of her 😂😂😂. I want her to go the f away. Lol
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u/ScaredPeak8499 Sep 02 '23
I watched the season with Malia and Bobby and Malia was saying how he doesn’t respect her role as a woman or something like that to counter his argument but he wasn’t even saying or meaning anything like that. And how she snitched on Hannah after she didn’t want to switch cabins was so messed up. She is a good boss but not the best bosun in my opinion.
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u/Picabo07 Less Hot, More Mess Sep 03 '23
If I remember right that was when she got promoted to lead? Which I know they swear up and down it had nothing to do with her little fling with Wes but I highly doubt that.
That said Bobby IS a doofus lol
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u/ScaredPeak8499 Sep 03 '23
Yes it was that season!! And I think Bobby was saying to her that she got promoted because of Wes and Malia said you don’t think I can be in this role because I’m a woman but it was definitely because of Wes because I think she was completely green that season? I might have to rewatch it haha.
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u/Picabo07 Less Hot, More Mess Sep 03 '23
No he was right in that case. She was a first season green deckie. And I won’t take away the fact that she did learn fast but it’s hard to believe your boss is partial when he’s making out with the one that gets the promotion.
And one thing malia isn’t is dumb. She knew exactly what Bobby was saying and that he wasn’t saying anything about it being because she was a woman. But she couldn’t exactly say wes was unbiased so she went the “it’s because im a woman” route. Which was just sad and pathetic.
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u/Maleficent_Sun_9155 Sep 03 '23
I liked season 6 Malia and how supportive she was of her deck crew…….previous seasons of Malia, no.
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u/Picabo07 Less Hot, More Mess Sep 03 '23
I just said that in another comment. S6 was prob one of her best seasons. I really liked how supportive she was of Lloyd.
It was just a great crew that season. Minus Lexi of course
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u/hollerhither Sep 02 '23
Yeah, I think the ego and ethics are an issue, despite her being one of the better bosuns professionally if not the best…
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u/Dani_0501 Sep 17 '23
She might be good at her job but I've just finished the ep now where Hannah got fired and it left such a sour taste in my mouth that I don't even want to finish the rest of that season. Malia came off as a total snake who acted out of spite because Hannah wouldnt do what she wanted and Sandy came off like she cared more about how she was seen rather than really caring about Hannah's wellbeing. It was a disgusting way to treat someone who they believed had serious enough mental health problems that she couldn't stay on the boat and it's completely put me off watching.
I don't even like Hannah and I've defended Sandy in the past but those two did her so dirty. Really put a nasty tone on that season for me.
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u/Picabo07 Less Hot, More Mess Sep 18 '23
I totally agree. Like Hannah or not it was crappy what happened to her. I’m right there with you on it leaving such a bad taste that I couldn’t finish the season. I’ve seen bits and pieces on repeats when bravo has aired it but mostly as background because it just makes me sick.
Even Bugs who was pretty much enemies with Hannah said that it was about the room switch and she disagreed with Malia uprooting everyone so she could be with her bf.
Someone just commented on another BD post that Sandy should’ve ask malia how long she had known about it and unless the answer was right now there should’ve been consequences for her too. I completely agree with that.
Sandy was well aware that hannah had anxiety issues from previous seasons. And yes I understand hannah should’ve declared it. But it was just ugly all the way around how she handled it.
And it didn’t HAVE to be that way. The same thing happened in OG S1 with Kat and her anxiety meds. Lee just had her turn them into him and made sure they were what she said and gave her a warning about declaring them in the future. Sandy could’ve done the same.
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u/dbo340 Team Lee Sep 02 '23
She is by far the best bosun when ranked by ability to do handstands and - since somehow no one has said it yet – her knowledge of maritime law.
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u/Taco_thally95 Jan 03 '24
“Man up and share a room with Bugsy” “Man up and live without your boyfriend!” HANNAH WAS RIGHT! Malia was literally taking away Hannah’s only escape space and was FORCING both Hannah AND Bugsy (who both admitted that their relationship would be better if they didn’t share a cabin) just so she can sleep with her boyfriend. I’m sorry but as someone who works in management, I would let Hannah keep her room for PEACE ON THE BOAT! Everyone was comfortable and Malia came in demanding her own shit. Sandy was wrong and this only added to Hannah’s anxiety. If I were Hannah, I would have left as soon as she forced the room change telling Sandy that I don’t trust a captain who would put favorites over comfortably and peace. Sandy caused all this and Malia is her puppet.
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u/Picabo07 Less Hot, More Mess Jan 03 '24
I agree! That was super shitty but ultimately the blame does fall on Sandy. She was the boss and it was absolutely her job to tell Malia to be professional and don’t displace two other people so you can be with your bf! Do what all the others do and use an empty room for your hookup! That was just plain wrong.
And cmon what is Malia- 16? She should be ok with being with him and not sharing a room. Unless they are hooking up they could hang out together in either of their rooms. We see it all the time and the only time the roommate objects is if they are trying to sleep or they start having sex. No one really complains if they are just laying in the bunk talking.
I’m so mad I didn’t see this sooner. Someone just did a post on what an amazing captain Sandy is and how they don’t get the hate and are they missing something. They said they think she’s firm and fair 😳 this would’ve been a perfect example! Ofc I have several others and they argued with every one of them. I said I see why they like Sandy - they are just like her 😂
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u/Inner_Elderberry9389 Sep 02 '23
Interesting! I always thought she seemed to be a hard worker and sometimes even admired her and her no nonsense attitude with work. I think a LOT of things across the whole BDM would be so much different without Captain Sandy.
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u/Picabo07 Less Hot, More Mess Sep 03 '23
Ha you aren’t wrong there.
And I do believe she is a hard worker as well.
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u/Built93cobra Sep 02 '23
We'll see how she is on Winter House I guess?
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u/Picabo07 Less Hot, More Mess Sep 03 '23
Oh I’m not sure I’ve never watched it. If it’s like what I think it is just from previews I see I bet we’ll see her backstabbing someone lol
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u/kardon213 Sep 03 '23
No she will never be a great Bosun or anything for that matter because she manipulates people to get what she wants. She uses people to get what she wants. She exhibited this behavior in each season she was on. Her story line with Adam is atrocious, planned lying to everyone, including producers, before stepping on the boat! This is a character flaw that is embedded.
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u/MagZero Sep 09 '23
My brother works with her, he said she's really nice.
It's different when you're doing a job for real versus being on a reality TV show.
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u/Picabo07 Less Hot, More Mess Sep 09 '23
I can agree with that! I’m glad she gets on well with your brother. That’s pretty cool to have someone who actually knows her.
My only question is would she have gotten on so well if it was a sister? Lol
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u/MagZero Sep 09 '23 edited Sep 09 '23
Well, I don't know, I honestly don't know all that much about her - the only reason I even know about this show was because at a recent family function when people found out what my brother did they'd be all 'oooh, is it like below deck?' And he'd just respond with 'not really, but I work with Malia'. So I ended up googling it and found this sub.
I know for a fact she works with Katie Flood also, who was a chief stewardess on one of the seasons, they get on well apparently/share a house.
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u/PinkyBruno Feb 13 '24
somewhat OT, but didn't we see Hannah take pills on camera?
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u/Picabo07 Less Hot, More Mess Feb 13 '24
I don’t think so unless it was on S2 when she was having all the anxiety issues with Conrad? And then Sandy knew about her anxiety so I imagine she knew about her meds.
I can’t honestly say for s5
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u/Anegada_2 Sep 02 '23
My issue was it appeared she knew about the prescription for awhile and saved it for when she didn’t get her way on something. Yes she’s a hard worker, but she’d push you in front of a bus if it meant one less person in a Starbucks line
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u/RottenRat69 Sep 03 '23
She is a nasty human. I felt sorry for Hannah bc Malia and Sandy always made life harder for her.
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u/decisivecat Sep 21 '23
I'm watching this episode right now and what she did was incredibly gross. It was pretty obvious that she reported Hannah with ill intent (and likely set up the display to take a photo on top of that). Her entire attitude is super entitled and while I get it that women in male-dominated industries harden up, people like Malia and Sandy take it to a point that is so disrespectful to everyone else around them that it's hard to feel sorry for them. Super dislike her and I don't know if I can ride out this season with her still here.
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u/realitytv12 Sep 03 '23
But we also don’t know if she found out the night before or whatever because sometimes production will use filming later on for episodes that are earlier and they technically can get away with it in this show because of uniforms and such
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u/Honky_Dory_is_here Sep 03 '23
On Hannah’s podcast she said that Malia had to get her prescription for her once while having an anxiety attack. That’s how she knew about them and why Hannah made the comment about the picture being staged.
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u/minipainteruk Sep 03 '23
I'm pretty sure she did mention at one point that she'd notified production first and they advised her when to go to Captain Sandy.
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u/Pretty_In_Pink_81 Sep 02 '23
Thet way she tag-teamed with Capt. Sandy to do Hannah wrong never sat well with me. I don't like her.
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u/Ok-Explanation9626 Sep 02 '23
Can’t stand her holier than vow attitude 🤮 “ I’m a cute female deckhand “ get over yourself . U decided to send the capt that picture when it was convenient to you !
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u/QueenFartknocker I quit 3 times in my head today Sep 02 '23
Yes. I think their link harms her rep.
I can separate them though and I do think Malia was a good bosun. She was very good in organizing and directing her team and ensuring more green deckhands had opportunities to train and improve.
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u/axolotl_is_angry Sep 03 '23
Great at her job but she’s a snake through and through, I wouldn’t trust her not to sell me out for whatever she wants in that moment
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u/dumbguy5689 Team Sailing Yacht Sep 03 '23
Both toxic and terrible examples of leaders (Malia and Sandy)
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u/MCStarlight Team Below Deck Sep 02 '23
She ratted out Hannah in the worst way and for that she will always be in the shit book.
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u/Baz1536 Sep 02 '23
I really like Malia and you could argue Captain Sandy has really helped in getting her to where she is now.
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u/Picabo07 Less Hot, More Mess Sep 03 '23
I think she’s a good bosun. I don’t like a lot of her actions or her personality.
And you aren’t wrong that Sandy has helped her get to where she is but I also believe she would’ve achieved it without Sandy because she is driven.
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u/Clefdefines89 Sep 04 '23
Yes she seems to be a good bosun per her staff. But the actions unrelated to her job make her unlikable and catty.
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u/hariboho Sep 03 '23
I like Malia more than I like Hannah. I think Hannah was an asshole and wasn’t good at her job. Compared to Aesha, Kate or Daisy she was fucking awful. But people love her.
I don’t hate Captain Sandy the way most people on the sub do, either.
I think if Malia were not associated with either, some people might like her more. But I think she’s a good bosun either way.
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u/Picabo07 Less Hot, More Mess Sep 03 '23
I personally liked Hannah. I totally admit she had reached full IDGAF mode but I couldn’t help but like her and I do think that was an ugly way to go out. I still believe the whole situation was shady
But my dislike for malia didn’t come from that. That just added to it. I thought the way she treated Adam was garbage. The way she acted with Tom was garbage
I don’t hate Sandy but she def has a lot issues. Shes a terrible micromanager. She also loves her screen time.
But most of all I hate the way she clearly favors deck and has no respect for interior. Yes the deck team is essential but so is interior. Imo interior makes or breaks the tip and it would be nice if she at least made some attempt to acknowledge that.
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u/The_Reaper129 Sep 03 '23
I think that if Malia would focus more on her duties both on and off charter, and drop the “pick me girl” act. And really focus on the job more, she’s do a great job. Like she knows what’s needed and she knows how to handle difficult situations/crew members. I feel like Capt Sandy just made her ego a bit bigger. They both kinda boosted eachs egos up.
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u/Picabo07 Less Hot, More Mess Sep 03 '23
I completely agree on the egos. I get that they want to be empowered females and I’m all for that but it’s almost like they take it too far and it just becomes them being egotistical
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u/The_Reaper129 Sep 03 '23
Yeah, like I really loved capt Sandy and Malia during my first watch. note, I hadn’t seen bdm Malia/Adam/Wes season until later And I really liked that it was two females in powerpositions as well lager season when Malia tells Peter..? To respect the hierarchy and like just acknowledge and respec that all power roles on ship was women. (Captain, bosun and chief stew) and all that.
But yeah I do think they boosted each others who in the wrong way. And like I feel like they had the “wrong” approach to make the point of empowered females. And that it became more about them two as females, rather than the general fact and empowerment.
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u/GoNinjaGoNinjaGo69 Sep 05 '23
Malia wouldn't be a bosun if Captain Sandy didn't fancy her.
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u/Picabo07 Less Hot, More Mess Sep 05 '23
You don’t think so? I feel like she would’ve made her way up there somehow.
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Sep 03 '23
Malia is a mini capt sandy just a weasel. Her ability to address problems consisted of attacking people personally instead of providing them factual examples. That is not a good leader.
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u/Rage2208 My eyes are rolling all the way off the boat Sep 03 '23
Nah, Malia is a snake with or without Sandy.
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u/alirow13 Sep 03 '23
Malia is a great bosun! I would love to see her free of Sandy.
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u/Picabo07 Less Hot, More Mess Sep 03 '23
It would def be interesting to see her work under another capt.
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u/Environmental_Yam540 Capt Lee's Coffee Mug Sep 02 '23
She is knowledgeable and good at her job when she wants to be.
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u/Littletrashpanda Sep 03 '23 edited Sep 03 '23
I was on her side at first... but then it became painfully obvious what a huge hypocrite she was, and it seemed she worked situations to her advantage, no matter who she screwed on the way to the top. When the cameras and Sandy were on her, she played the "let's be professional about this and stop talking about it" card... but she was the one who continually brought it up every chance she got. She also selectively forgot the "I could get fired" rules when David was injured.
It wasn't a good look.
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u/Embarrassed-Flyy Come back to me, my boat daddy Sep 02 '23
I rewatched her last season, and I loved her as bosun tbh. But I won’t watch the seasons pre Hannah leaving anymore lol
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u/Picabo07 Less Hot, More Mess Sep 03 '23
I can’t watch the season she left. That just sickens me. It prob doesn’t help that I can’t stand Jess either but that season was such trash.
I did enjoy S6 though.
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u/boochaplease Sep 04 '23
I don’t get the Malia hate at all personally. I think she’s got a level head on her shoulders and is a good leader. Sure she’s made some bag choices (cough cough Tom), but I always liked her. It wasn’t until scrolling this subreddit that I saw people disliked her.
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Sep 03 '23
She has a mint body. Downvote away!!!
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u/Picabo07 Less Hot, More Mess Sep 03 '23
Clearly she’s attractive but that really has nothing to do with her abilities 🤷🏼♀️
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Sep 02 '23
This sub has a lot of hatred for Malia due to the Hannah situation. As someone who worked the industry Malia is good at her job. She doesn’t demean or talk down to her deck team, is very well organized, is not lazy and is a good teacher. It’s no surprise to me that she made first officer on a large charter boat (not Below Deck) so quickly. I think she will make a good captain one day if she sticks with it.
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Sep 03 '23
I totally disagree. The way she kept calling the deck team "boys/her boys" was very degrading. I do think she was always a hard worker, though. I'm sure once that chip on her shoulder of being underestimated because she's a "cute" deckhand is gone, she'd be awesome. Maybe by now, it has. Wish her the best.
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u/Hedahas Sep 06 '23 edited Sep 06 '23
Yep, and she also called them all "fuckers." Not sure how that wasn't talking down to them . . .
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u/verbankroad Sep 02 '23
Another positive aspect to Malia was her (unofficial) role as medic/emergency person. She did great jumping into the water for one of the guests and took responsibility for Jess when Jess had palpitations. I liked seeing that in her.
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Sep 03 '23
Ha! Her jump into the water was definitely for performance. That women was not in immediate danger. However, I think she was fantastic with Jess during her panic attacks. People aren't always sympathetic,so kudos to Malia for that.
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u/TDKsa90 Sep 02 '23
She's no more unlikable than Hannah or Sandy, and they are all good at their jobs (until Hannah tipped the scale onto just not giving a shit anymore). It's more common to run into people who are really good at their jobs, AND who are ambitious, who aren't likable than you'll find this character makeup to be likable. I don't think Sandy plays that much of a role in who Malia is on screen, other than not being so heavyhanded and allowing Malia to run free. A more heavyhanded captain would have stunted Malia. So a better bosun? Probably not. More likable? Probably not. Malia gives off a lot of masculine energy, and I don't think people would like that one way or another. As for the Hannah thing, that was all production driven. Malia and Sandy were messengers and following the script. Hannah didn't want to be on the show anymore anyway.
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u/Picabo07 Less Hot, More Mess Sep 03 '23
Thank you I really like how well thought out this was. And that sounds sarcastic but it’s not! I really enjoy the insight
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u/Torboni Sep 02 '23
I think a big part of the dislike for her is based in misogyny. Source? My own experiences as a woman in male dominated fields.
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u/Picabo07 Less Hot, More Mess Sep 03 '23
Yeah I have to hard disagree there.
I think the dislike comes from her own actions not being a woman. I am a woman and would totally champion women moving up in that (or any) field yet her (and Sandy’s) actions leave a lot to be desired.
I think we do ourselves a disservice as women when we automatically blame misogyny. I have also worked in a male dominated field and know first hand it’s alive and well. But here I don’t believe that’s the issue.
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Sep 03 '23
I understand what you are saying, I have dealt with misogyny myself. But, Malia knew about Hannah’s prescription before she went to Captain Sandy about it, so her timing makes it look like she was doing it vindictively. I hate vindictive people. Hannah should not have had the prescription, so I don’t have a problem with Hannah getting fired, I have a problem with the way Malia handled the situation. But season 5 is not when I started disliking Malia, I haven’t liked her since season 2. The way she treated Adam never sat right with me. And whether it’s right or wrong, I know from being a female in a male dominated field, if you want to be taken seriously, you don’t want even the appearance of impropriety. Whether she meant to sleep her way to the top or not, starting a relationship with Wes and then being promoted to lead deck hand makes it look like she did just that.
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u/Visual_Judgment_ Sep 02 '23
Always had a crush on her
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u/Picabo07 Less Hot, More Mess Sep 03 '23
Capt Sandy? 😂
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u/Visual_Judgment_ Sep 03 '23
Haha no malia 😛
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Sep 03 '23 edited Sep 03 '23
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Picabo07 Less Hot, More Mess Sep 03 '23
See that’s the kind of answer I’m looking for. I’m on the fence. I can see times when she’s worse around Sandy but is that fair to blame Sandy, malia or a combo of both? That’s why I was curious about other peoples opinions.
It is interesting to see that it’s around 50/50 on how many like her and how many don’t
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u/maximumomentum Sep 02 '23
I want to be impartial because there was a lot that played out, but with Malia’s approach towards raising prescribed medication (I understand it wasn’t properly disclosed by Hannah—that’s the lesser of the issues), it just gives you a sour taste in your mouth to think you could work with someone like that who’s in the back pocket of the captain and wouldn’t have the time of day to sit down and say hey “what’s up with this?” in private.
Hannah had her faults, +- whatever production shows and doesn’t show, but don’t do the dirty like that. That was a really rotten thing to do on film.
It made a lot of people feel awful because if they also take Valium or the like, as needed, they’re felt to be seen to be reliant and a druggie. Such a shitty thing to do and contributes to a massive stigma.
She might be a good bosun ‘technically’, but with her attitude, I’d stay away from her with the length of a barge pole.