Below Deck Mediterranean Fires Deckhand Peter Hunziker Over “Racist Post”

Alyssa Ray, E! June 17, 2020, 2:14 PM EDT 

Peter Hunziker has been fired from Below Deck Mediterranean.

On Wednesday, Bravo and the show’s production company, 51 Minds, confirmed that the season 5 deckhand had been terminated after sharing an offensive post on social media.

“Peter Hunziker of Below Deck Mediterranean has been terminated for his racist post,” the network shared in a statement on Instagram. “Bravo and 51 Minds are editing the show to minimize his appearance for subsequent episodes.”

According to a post on Bravo’s The Daily Dish, “as soon as the post was discovered, the decision was made to sever ties with the cast member.”

Hunziker’s season premiered on June 1 and, so far, only three episodes have aired.

Prior to this termination, viewers watched as Hunziker received a reprimand from Captain Sandy Yawn for routinely calling his female boss, bosun Malia White, “sweetie” and “sweetheart.”

This decision by Bravo comes not long after the firing of Stassi Schroeder, Kristen Doute, Brett Caprioni and Max Boyens from Vanderpump Rules for past racially insensitive remarks.

“Bravo and Evolution Media confirmed today that Stassi Schroeder, Kristen Doute, Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni will not be returning to Vanderpump Rules,” the network said in a statement earlier this month.

Schroeder and Doute were terminated days after apologizing for calling the police on former co-star Faith Stowers. 

In a post on Instagram, Doute stated, “I have been taking some time to really process what I’ve been seeing, feeling and learning. And I need to address something specifically that happened a few years ago with my former castmate, Faith Stowers.” 

She continued, “Although, my actions were not racially driven, I am now completely aware of how my privilege blinded me from the reality of law enforcement’s treatment of the black community, and how dangerous my actions would have been to her.” Kristen explained that “it never was my intention to add to the injustice and imbalance.”  “I’m ashamed, embarrassed, and incredibly sorry,” she concluded. “I will do better. I have to do better.”  

Schroeder’s statement read, “Racially insensitive comments from my past have resurfaced. It is important that I continue to take accountability for what I have said and done, while pushing myself to do better. I have grown significantly from the person I was then, and I am still filled with remorse and regret for the hurt I caused. I am grateful for the people in my life that continue to check me and push me to evolve into a more educated person. I also want to address my former castmate, Faith Stowers. My emotions over something that happened between our friends outweighed my logic, and there is no excuse for that. I did not recognize then the serious ramifications that could have transpired because of my actions. What I did to Faith was wrong. I apologize and I do not expect forgiveness. I am also sorry to anyone else that feels disappointed in me. I am going to continue to look closer at myself and my actions—to take the time to listen, to learn and to take accountability for my own privilege.”

Caprioni and Boyens, who both joined the cast for season eight, issued public apologies in January after their past offensive tweets resurfaced.