Malia White Claims Her Opportunity to Officiate Captain Sandy's Wedding was Taken
Malia White reveals her disappointment as her opportunity to officiate Captain Sandy and Leah Shafer's wedding is lost, sharing her original plans in an exclusive interview with Us Weekly
Former Below Deck Mediterranean star Malia White shared that she was originally scheduled to officiate the wedding of her former costar, Captain Sandy Yawn. However, her plans fell through when someone else took her place. Speaking exclusively to We on Monday, November 20 while promoting season 3 of Winter House with Katie Flood, Malia, 33, humorously revealed the news.
Despite the changes, Malia plans to continue her support for Sandy, 58, and Leah Shafer. “I definitely plan to attend the wedding. Captain Sandy has always been a mentor to me and continues to be, and Leah is amazing,” she expressed. “We actually see them quite often.”
Fans of Below Deck have witnessed the growth of Malia and Sandy’s friendship on screen since 2017. During the second season, Sandy helped Malia develop as a deckhand, and they have maintained a good relationship. Malia returned as a bosun three seasons later and continued working with Sandy until 2021.
Malia White, Captain Sandy Yawn, Katie Flood. Jordan Strauss/Bravo
The captain commended Malia's leadership abilities, stating in June 2021, "She has the potential to be an excellent captain and I am proud of her. Regardless of what anyone else may say, she is dedicated to her career path and remains focused."
Sandy, who recently got engaged to Leah after five years of dating, also shared about maintaining a close relationship with Malia beyond their time on Below Deck.
"I'm always thrilled to see her. I'm incredibly proud of her," she excitedly told Us in 2022. "I knew she would make an excellent captain [since season 2] due to her ability to confront and resolve issues without anger. I've seen her skillfully defuse conversations, and that's why I believe Malia has the potential to be a fantastic leader."
Following her stint on Below Deck, Malia joined her former co-star Katie, 31, for Winter House on Bravo. The first officer suggested to Us that she may be interested in participating in more reality TV opportunities in the future.
"I'm open to doing more Below Deck in the future, but I'm currently working as an officer with Katie on the same boat in a rotational role, so any new opportunities would have to be really appealing. We both love our current job and being able to work together. If the show is ready for its first female officer, I'm ready too."
Malia also mentioned her close relationships with other Below Deck Med costars. "I'm actually going to have Thanksgiving dinner with Mzi 'Zee' Dempers and Lloyd Spencer. In fact, all of us from season 6 are still very close, except for Lexi Wilson."
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Winter House airs on Bravo Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET.
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
