Credit: Laurent Basset/Bravo
Below Deck Mediterranean star Katie Flood teases drama among the interior crew ahead of the season six premiere, dishes on her relationship with Malia White, and discusses taking over from former chief stew Hannah Ferrier.
Following Hannah’s controversial firing during season five, Katie is now in charge of the interior crew, and judging by the season six trailer, it won’t be an easy task for the chief stew.
If fans recall from the teaser, Katie is seen telling one of her stews, Lexi Wilson, that she’s “pissed off” at her, but Lexi responds by claiming she’s quitting. In a recent interview, she was asked about the dramatic moment, and though she wouldn’t give away too much, she offered a down-to-earth response.
“Sh*t happens,” she told E! News, before adding, “That’s why there’s a show about it.”
“It’s like, we’re still learning about each other, still figuring how to work together,” she continued. “In what world would that ever run completely smoothly?”
As for who Katie bonded with, she told the outlet Malia White was pretty much her savior aboard Lady Michelle because she “would have not survived” without the bosun.
“She is incredible, she is amazing at her job,” she said. “And, you know, I think we worked really well together, which helped blend in the rest of the crew. There wasn’t really [adversity] between us and deck.”
She went on to further praise Malia, claiming she has an innate ability to lead. Furthermore, Katie teased that Malia “saved [her] *ss” a number of times.
Katie also revealed that she suffers from anxiety, which she’ll discuss in greater detail on the show.
“I sure am not gonna enjoy watching myself cry on TV, I know my mom’s not gonna like that,” she shared. “I talk about it on the show, I do struggle with anxiety, and that was a really hard time for me, what I was going through at that particular time.”
It’s interesting because Hannah also had issues with anxiety, which seemingly annoyed Captain Sandy Yawn at times. But speaking of Hannah, Katie also discussed taking over for the star with E! News.
“Being a chief stew, OK, we all know the job,” the New Zealander explained. “But every one of us have a different way of doing it or bring different strengths to the table. So, I just think it will be refreshing for the viewers, maybe.”
She did note that some fans may “not be happy” that Hannah’s no longer on the show, but she acknowledged that the former reality star has moved on to bigger things, such as being a mom.
As for how Katie landed the coveted position on the show, she claims it was basically fate as the job just “fell in her lap.”
“This opportunity sort of fell in my lap at the right time, and all signs pointed towards me doing this,” she said. “So, I just went with my gut and here we are.”
Below Deck Mediterranean season six premieres tonight on Bravo at 9/8c.