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'Below Deck Mediterranean': Sandy asks Malia's chef boyfriend Tom to send CV, fans slam Bravo for 'staged' drama

In this week's episode of 'Below Deck Mediterranean', we see Sandy, Malia and Christine 'Bugsy' Drake have a conversation about Tom coming to see him

Ever since Captain Sandy Yawn has fired chef Hindrigo 'Kiko' Lorran, social media users have come together to express how unfair the decision was. Sandy was heavily criticized for questioning Kiko's ability and accused of favoritism. At one point, they even speculated if Sandy conspired with Malia White to bring in the latter's chef boyfriend, Tom Checketts, on board. 

In this week's episode of 'Below Deck Mediterranean', we see Sandy, Malia and Christine 'Bugsy' Drake have a conversation about Tom coming to see him. Sandy asked Tom to send in his CV and enquired if he was employed elsewhere. Sandy seemed surprised that Tom was paying Malia a visit, while Malia said it was weird that she had no idea about their little reunion because she has been talking about it to everyone who will listen. 

The fans pulled Bravo up for staging the conversation. Some even blamed the network for putting Kiko through all of this just so that some theatrics could be up on display. "How stagged can #belowdeckmed be, everyone conveniently just happens to be around not knowing #maliamanhater boyfriend the chef is coming...it’s a COO! Pre-planned Malia, Bugs and #CaptLurk breaking people’s spirits to get to the top. I just cant with #Bravo," a fan commented.

"I get that #bravo shows have probably to some degree been staged at times but between the kiko setup and what I think will be a Hannah setup next week on #BelowDeckMed you guys use to be better at not making setups so obvious," said another.

"Are we reaching the point in this show where things are getting staged and scripted? I’ve always appreciated this show being more close to reality. #belowdeckmed," a user tweeted.

"Omg.. this chef boyfriend was so planned. Cannot tell me that Kiko firing wasn’t set up.. and Kiko got hurt in the name of staged drama #BelowDeckMed," another posted.

Forced conversation or not, Kiko is now out of the way as the galley awaits its new chef. And from the looks of it, Tom could be replacing Kiko. Catch all the new episodes of 'Below Deck Mediterranean' Season 5 on Bravo every Monday at 9/8 c. For more information, check your local listings.