Below Deck Mediterranean star Joao Franco weighs in on whether his crewmates Hannah Ferrier and Chef Kiko should’ve been fired from the show Season 5.
While Joao was a lead deckhand on prior seasons and even recommended for a promotion in a captain job by Captain Sandy Yawn, he disagrees with Sandy’s decision to fire Hannah and Kiko.
Joao appeared on the Behind the Velvet Rope podcast to express his opinion over the chief stewardess’ firing and he didn’t hold back.
“I don’t think Hannah deserved to be fired for what she got fired for,” Joao stated.
Hannah was fired from Below Deck Med after lead deckhand Malia White reported that Hannah had Valium and a CBD vape pen to Captain Sandy.
Joao expressed that there are so many laws involved with maritime law that have grey areas and aren’t always enforced. Therefore, he believes Sandy didn’t have her hands tied and had a choice in the matter.
“When it comes to maritime law when it comes to all that kind of stuff, there are still discrepancies as to whether she had to be fired or not. So it’s a matter of choice.”
Joao thinks it has more to do with the “head bashing” going on between Sandy and Hannah over the course of five seasons and the prescription drugs were Sandy’s “last straw.”
“I think on Sandy’s side, that was a major factor and she just needed something a little bit extra to say, ‘Okay, this is it,'” Joao concluded.
Does Joao think Malia should have told on Hannah?
As far as Malia goes, Joao doesn’t think she should’ve reported Hannah to Captain Sandy.
Joao stated that he believed Malia was in the wrong for tattling on Hannah.
“I think she [Malia] agreed at some stage that she did go to Sandy for too much. She did go and tell her more than that was needed,” he said.
He then expressed that Sandy also acted too hastily when Malia presented the info on Hannah.
“With Sandy wanting to help out a lady to get up to a captain’s position…she did not hesitate to jump in immediately whereas she could have maybe done it more diplomatically,” he shared.
Joao stated that if he were in Malia’s shoes, he wouldn’t have reported Hannah unless he felt Hannah was “acting weird or not being able to fulfill her obligations as far as work.”
Joao thinks Chef Kiko should’ve kept his job
Chef Kiko’s firing was another controversial matter on Below Deck Med Season 5.
Chef Kiko worked hard and had a great attitude but had several hit or miss dishes. After his Las Vegas-themed dinner flopped, Captain Sandy told him that charter would be his last.
Joao also weighed in on this firing on the podcast.
“No, I don’t think so,” Joao says on whether Chef Kiko should’ve been fired.
Joao thinks Sandy and the crew should’ve made more effort to help Chef Kiko before resorting to firing him and compared how the crew treated him versus his replacement chef.
“He gets fired but didn’t really have any help, whereas then Malia’s boyfriend comes in and he has a lot,” Joao stated.
While Joao may not have agreed with Captain Sandy’s every decision, now that Joao is a captain, he is able to run his ship his own way.
Below Deck Sailing Yacht airs on Mondays at 9/8c on Bravo.