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Malia White Opens Up About Her Split from Boyfriend Jake Baker — and What’s Next for Her Dating Life
Malia, who also dated Season 5 chef Tom Checketts, revealed that she’s not looking to date another yachtie again.
Malia White is setting the record straight on her relationship status.
As fans may remember, the Below Deck Mediterranean alum confirmed she was dating Jake Baker — who was an engineer aboard Lady Michelle during Season 6 of the series — while the show was airing in the summer of 2021.
Over the next two-plus years, Malia shared highlights from their relationship online and revealed that they continued working on the same boat together even after the cameras went down on Season 6.
During a February 2023 chat with Showbiz CheatSheet, the bosun turned officer of the watch had a surprising update on her relationship status. She confirmed that her relationship with Jake had ended.
“So obviously I’m single,” she told the outlet, before referencing the fact that her last two relationships were serious boatmances. “Jake and I met on the same boat. Tom [Checketts] and I met on the same boat.”
Malia and Jake are no longer working on the same boat, though she said that her ex is “a good guy.”
“I think I also realized that I went from such a really intense relationship with Tom, like straight into a relationship with Jake,” the Total Ship Show podcast host said. “And I never had time to kind of take a break.”
Since Malia has parted ways with Jake, and her relationship with Tom (who was the chef on Below Deck Med Season 5) concluded while the two were working on “different boats” early on in the pandemic, she’s wary of engaging in another boatmance in the future.
“I’m not going to say I’ll never date a yachtie again, but I’m definitely going to choose wisely,” she continued.
While Malia hinted that there aren’t a lot of “boundar[ies]” in relationships on boats, she didn’t share exactly why she ended her romance with the engineer. Katie Flood, who was the chief stew aboard Lady Michelle and who worked with Malia again after the show, spoke with the outlet about how the two just weren’t “meant to be.”
“I just think it was one of those things[,] it wasn’t meant to be in the end. It’s like any relationship. They tried and they were an amazing couple,” Katie explained. “Jake’s a good guy and it’s just one of those things. It just didn’t work out. That’s all it came down to.”
Watch Below Deck Mediterranean on Peacock and the Bravo app.
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