In the latest episode of Below Deck: Mediterranean, both fans and the stars of the show were pretty shocked by second stew Lexi Wilson drunkenly arguing with nearly every person on the boat. What started as confusing hoopla over splitting a restaurant bill quickly escalated into screaming, name-calling, and even a physical altercation between Wilson and deckhand Mzi Dempers. After the big blowup aired, bosun Malia White received her own share of criticism over how she handled the situation, and now she’s on the defense about it.
Specifically, some viewers perceived Malia White to have been egging the clearly intoxicated Lexi Wilson on in this week's Below Deck: Mediterranean episode. Instead of letting chief stew Katie Flood deal with Wilson, White came back after their argument in an attempt to shut down the hot tub, and thereafter threw some expletives Wilson's way. But on Watch What Happens Live, White defended herself, telling host Andy Cohen:
Some people are asking me, why didn't I just leave Lexi alone? For me, when I told her to get the fuck off the deck, it's because it's a safety concern. I'm not going to leave this drunk girl in this massive hot tub where she can drown, you know? That was nice of me.
Below Deck: Mediterranean’s Malia White would go on to say that Lexi Wilson was the one to have “fueled” the drama. She noted that the blowup initially started when Wilson said “extremely inappropriate” things to co-worker Lloyd Spencer, prompting White to come to the deck team’s defense. Wilson had also strangely told White, who is technically her superior on the yacht, to “stand the fuck down” in the heat of the moment. Not the best move for anyone.
However, Malia White did admit that Lexi Wilson had “a lot going on” at the time, given that her dad had passed away only months before filming Below Deck: Mediterranean's latest season. She also added that alcohol obviously had a lot to do with the drama.
Lexi Wilson had some words of in her own defense after the Below Deck: Mediterranean episode, too. On The Daily Dish, Wilson shared that her argument over splitting the bill with White contributed to her worsened mood later on and that she “was responding to things that [were] said to me.” However, she admits that she should have went back to her room to “de-escalate” things. Wilson also said:
I definitely wasn't in the right headspace. And I had a shit ton of stuff going on in my head, like a lot of stuff, but I didn't tell anyone, which is my fault. And I guess I wasn't dealing with it properly, which is also my fault. In that short space, you know, 15-hour working days, a lot going on, and just, like, alcohol doesn't make it better. I had a lot going on with my dad. I'm still reeling with emotions there. Any little thing triggered me, like out of control, actually.
Below Deck: Mediterranean fans had the opportunity to see the controversial episode early on Peacock, and early viewers were not happy with what they saw. In fact, one person viewed Lexi Wilson's behavior as a borderline sexual assault on Lloyd Spencer, and many others agreed that the reality star crossed the line with her actions.
It has been speculated that both Below Deck: Mediterranean’s Lexi Wilson and chef Mathew Shea ultimately quit following all of that night’s heated drama – and we’re only 5 episodes into Season 6! We’ll just have to see how things shakes out on next week’s episode.
