Crossover alert! Below Deck has followed various relationships and flings throughout the franchise — but some stars found love with one another outside their seasons.
Malia White‘s introduction to Below Deck Mediterranean in season 2 came with a love triangle between Adam Glick and Wesley Walton. Although Malia and Wes gave their romance another try offscreen — the couple later pulled the plug on their relationship.
When the now-bosun returned in 2020, she revealed that she was dating chef Tom Checketts. The twosome were reunited when the U.K. native joined season 5 of the show after Hindrigo “Kiko” Lorran was fired by Captain Sandy Yawn.
After the season aired, Malia confirmed that she was no longer dating Tom. “Yes, Tom and I have split,” she said via Instagram in September 2020. “The details surrounding all of it I am trying to keep a little private just out of respect to him and I. But yes, I am single.”
The Florida native later opened up about her reason for initiating the breakup. “Yeah, we were, you know, working on different boats,” she exclusively told Us Weekly in July 2021. “It was in the pandemic [that] had just happened. So, it was impossible for us to see each other. It was right when the show is coming out, it’s obviously a lot going on in our lives. And, yeah, he found someone else on his boats and I didn’t know for a couple of months.”
Tom, for his part, hasn’t commented on the split or on the infidelity accusations publicly.
At the time, Malia admitted that she wasn’t “in a place to look for romance” when she joined season 6 of Below Deck Med. “I think I even told David [Pascoe about the split, explaining] that everything with Tom and I was falling apart right before we filmed this season,” she added. “I was a mess coming into it and I was just like, ‘You know, I don’t really want to even see men right now.’”
The Bravo personality noted that she wasn’t ruling out a future boatmance, saying, “The people you work around are the ones you build these close relationships with. And for us, these may be the only people we meet for months at a time. So, you naturally develop feelings toward people.”
In August 2021, Malia hinted that she was dating an engineer that worked alongside her on season 6. That same month, Jake Barker, who only appeared on camera once, posted an Instagram photo of the duo kissing with a heart emoji.
Scroll down to find out which other Below Deck stars found a connection with someone outside their season:
After sparking romance rumors in season 7, Natasha and David confirmed that they hooked up before working on Home together. The chef clarified that it was meant to be a secret because the chief stew still had a boyfriend when they first got together. Laurent Basset/Bravo (2)
In 2018, fans were surprised when Jamie and Chandler announced that they were dating. The deckhand appeared on season 3 of Below Deck Med while the bosun left halfway through season 6 of Below Deck. Jamie previously gushed about her boyfriend in honor of their two-year anniversary, writing via Instagram in 2020, "I know that it’s only been two years, but it feels much longer than that. We have been through so much together. All our experiences have forced us to grow up and realize things about life and love that we never would have if our relationship was smooth sailing." She added: "I’m thankful for the challenges because they showed us just what we are capable of. I’m thankful for the struggles because they showed us a different side of each other that made us love one another even more. Thank you for being the wonderful person that you are, and for always choosing me." Courtesy of Jamie Jason/Instagram
Before joining season 6 of Below Deck Med, the chief stew revealed that she dated Jack and that he has a tattoo of her face on his arm. "I know a lot of his girlfriends often aren't the biggest fans of that," Katie told Us in June 2021, about the season 4 deckhand. "He says he'll always keep it." The pair called it quits before Jack joined the Bravo series — where he started dating second stewardess Aesha Scott. After leaving the boat, Jack and girlfriend Kelly Hidge welcomed their first child, son Phoenix Sidney, in April 2020. Bravo (2)
After parting ways with Tom, eagle-eyed fans questioned whether Malia found love with someone from another season of Below Deck Med. In August 2021, Malia made her relationship with Jake Instagram official. The twosome have continued to document their romance on social media and later worked on the same charter boat. Courtesy of Jake Baker/Instagram
During season 5 of Below Deck Med, viewers saw Rob and Jessica More go through ups and downs in their relationship. The duo called it quits once they left the boat — but the deckhand later sparked romance rumors with another Below Deck star. Madison, who appeared in season 1 of Below Deck Sailing Yacht, later revealed that she was dating Rob in early 2020 before he ghosted her. “So a domino effect thing happened where things progressed really quickly. And I haven’t dated anyone or been this emotionally invested in someone in years,” the second stew recalled during a since-deleted interview with Bravo Confessionals in October 2020, noting that he pulled back completely after that. “I’m not kidding you when I say this. I knew I did nothing wrong. I did everything right and two weeks went by without him even acknowledging a text message.” Rob, for his part, has not publicly acknowledged the relationship or Madison's comments. Karolina Wojtasik/Bravo (2)
In April 2022, the Below Deck Sailing Yacht season 3 stew confirmed that she was dating Wes. "It was really cute. In St. Thomas, they wear these bangle bracelets. It has like a little horseshoe on it — or like a hook. And if it’s facing outward, it means you’re open. And if it’s facing the other way, it means that you’re taken. So when he gave me the bracelet, he put it on me with the horseshoe, meaning closed," Gabriela told the "Gangplank Report" podcast about the Below Deck season 9 alum. “And I looked at him like, ‘Oh!’ And he’s like, ‘Yeah.’ I was like, ‘Awww, that's so cute.'” Laurent Bassett/Bravo (2)
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