Peter Hunziker made quite the splash while Below Deck Mediterranean season 5 was airing for racist posts. He was immediately cut out from the season.
Peter Hunziker was fired from Below Deck Med for a racist post, which was the final straw after his previous problematic behavior towards women on the show.
Bravo took immediate action and fired Peter, editing subsequent episodes to minimize his appearance.
Peter issued an apology, but he has not returned to the show and is focusing on his personal life and health after the controversy.
Peter “Pete” Hunziker was a deckhand on Below Deck Mediterranean season 5 but was immediately cut from the show after a racist post resurfaced online. Fans of the Bravo series may remember Peter as a bit of a misogynist as he always felt he was the best from the deck team since he was the lead deckhand. New bosun at the time, Malia White, quickly caught on to Peter’s disrespect and immediately demoted him from lead deckhand to regular deckhand, replacing him with Alex Radcliffe.
Before Peter was let go by Bravo, he made a few inappropriate comments toward the women onboard. He would constantly refer to Malia as a “sweetheart,” which she didn’t appreciate, seeing as she was the boss and he was below her in terms of yacht rankings. Peter was also creepy toward Second Steward turned Chief Steward Bugsy Drake by uncomfortably hitting on her. He would not give up despite Bugsy clearly being put off by him. From the start, Peter was problematic, and the racist post was just the nail in the coffin.
Peter Was Fired By Bravo From Below Deck Med For Racist Post
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In June 2020, while Below Deck Med season 5 was airing, Peter was fired by Bravo and 51 Minds, the production company that Below Deck is under, after a racist and misogynistic post on his Instagram account had resurfaced. Right after the image had come to light and was being talked about online, the network took action by firing Peter immediately and posting an Instagram explaining why he was fired. “Peter Hunziker of ‘Below Deck Mediterranean’ has been terminated for his racist post. Bravo and 51 Minds are editing the show to minimize his appearance on subsequent episodes,” the Bravo Instagram account wrote at the time.
While the comment section was instantly filled with fans happy to see Peter receive the firing he deserved for posting some so inappropriate, some were wondering why he was still being shown in some episodes. It’s likely these episodes had already aired, and Bravo couldn’t do much about it at the time. However, moving forward in Below Deck Med season 5, Peter was no longer shown in the season.
Peter Apologized For Racist Post
Around six weeks after Peter’s post had resurfaced and was fired from Below Deck Med, he issued an apology on his Instagram account. Peter wrote (via People), “A little over 3 months ago someone sent me a meme on social media and I thoughtlessly reposted it […] I now realize how painful the imagery and symbolism is and, upon deeper consideration, I realize that the implicit bias that exists in the brief text written in the meme is offensive.” He continued to say that he was deeply sorry to anyone he hurt or offended and that he “always fully supported equal rights and equal opportunities for ALL people.”
Even though Peter apologized for his wrongdoings, he was never seen on Below Deck Med or the Below Deck franchise in general. It was great that Peter saw where he went wrong, but having him return would have been a bad look on the network. Peter wasn’t even invited to the Below Deck Med season 5 reunion.
What Is Pete Up To In 2023?
Since getting fired from Below Deck Med season 5, Peter has returned to the public eye but still remains lowkey. He has an Instagram account that he’s been updating to more since his controversial firing. After filming the show, Peter continued to work on boats in Florida and seemingly spent more time with family and friends. However, in 2023, Peter revealed he was going through some health issues. While Peter hasn’t gone into depth about what his health issue is, it has something to do with his spine or back area. Even Jessica More, his Below Deck Med season 5 costar, sent him sweet messages on several of his Instagram posts wishing him well.
While Peter went through a lot following his racist post controversy on Below Deck Mediterranean, he has seemingly moved on from his mistake. Even though Peter deserved the firing, he clearly wants to put the past behind him and focus on bettering himself. This doesn’t mean a return to the franchise as Peter will likely never return to reality TV again.
