‘Winter House’ Stars Katie Flood & Malia White On The “Disgusting” State Of Their Rental Home: “We Cannot Live In Filth”

You couldn’t ask for two better representatives from the Below Deck franchise to appear on Winter House Season 3 than Katie Flood and Malia White. These two trailblazers are the first yachties to cross over to another show in the Bravoverse (sans an episode of Project Runway from earlier this year), and it was long overdue. After meeting and thriving together on Below Deck Mediterranean, Flood and White have become a “power duo” in the yachting industry. While Flood is still a Chief Stew, White is now a Second Officer and quickly moving up the ranks to one day becoming a Captain. “We still live together, share a cabin, share an office, still work for the same family,” said Flood. “We just do some weird random things on the side.”

When these ladies aren’t working hard, they’re partying hard, which makes them the perfect additions to the Winter House cast. “Things get complicated when you add in copious amounts of alcohol,” mused Flood, who eventually hooked up with surprisingly neurotic Vanderpump Rules star Tom Schwartz in the aftermath of Scandoval. “I don’t think he’s used to just having fun, which was where I was coming from,” said Flood. “It wasn’t deep for me.” White, on the other hand, formed an instant connection with Summer House star Kory Keefer, but insists it was purely a friendship. “I never really saw Kory romantically,” said White, who spit in Keefer’s mouth in a crowded kitchen at one point during the trip. A surprise visit from Keefer’s then-situationship /now-girlfriend Sam Feher will shake things up later this season.

Decider spoke to both Flood and White over Zoom to talk about their experience in the house, why Flood was drawn to Schwartz in the first place, and what it would take to get them to return to the Below Deck franchise.

DECIDER: Have you two recovered from BravoCon yet?

MALIA WHITE: No [laughs]! Barely. Still recovering

KATIE FLOOD: I think it was one of the most exhausting weekends of my life, but I loved it. The energy was so high, which is what kept us going. Everyone was super happy and excited. That made us feel the same way.

It was so great to see you two on the Winter House panel! Season 3 is the first time we’ve seen an extended crossover between Below Deck and other Bravo shows. What was it like to be the yachties on the front lines?

MW: Finally! It’s nice that everyone gets to see a different side of us, especially for me. I work really hard at my job and people have a certain picture of who I am. It was nice to show that we can work really hard, but we play hard too.

KF: Yeah, it was super cool. It’s honestly an honor to be chosen to be the first people to represent the whole franchise. Throughout the years, Below Deck has been pushed to the side a little bit. It’s really nice that there’s a bit more integration between Below Deck and the rest of the Bravo world.

MW: We’re like the stepchild of the Bravo universe!

It was nice that you had a little company from your fellow yachties. Who was your favorite Below Deck special guest to the world of Winter House: Aesha, Rhylee or Captain Sandy?

KF: Aesha [laughs].

MW: Yeah, Aesha always brings so much energy. I think getting to see Captain Sandy on the slopes is going to be a nice treat for people. You’ll also get to see a different side to her as well.

When I think of yachties, I always think of adventure. Did you two love all the winter sports and activities you got to experience?

MW: Yeah, I was very excited. I went to school in Colorado so I’m a huge skier and snowboarder. I’m always down for a ski vacation. Katie learned!

KF: I learned how to ski. I ate snow, I think, only once. That was good.

I love how your shared room became a hangout spot for yachties and the other ladies in the house. Is communal living ingrained in you by this point?

MW: Every morning I would jump into Katie’s bed because we’re just used to that. We’re used to sharing space and being next to each other. Katie and I were really a unit, which not everyone had coming in. Some people didn’t know each other as well as Katie and I do. We just became home for each other.

KF: We were very lucky to have each other for this experience. For sure.

You two always seemed responsible for keeping the house habitable. Is it in your yachtie nature to keep things shipshape?

MW: It’s just in my nature. I remember the very first day because Katie and I had just come from our boat in France. I was up at 5:30 AM and production was like, “Malia, go back to bed,” but I could not! We get up and we take care of things. The house was disgusting, so someone had to do it. Katie and I cannot live in filth. Some other people can.

KF: They definitely pushed the boundaries with the level of filth in that house.

MW: I was treating those boys like I would my deck crew and giving out orders. Katie was like, “No, we need better groceries, better alcohol.” I was like, “Yep, Chief Stew’s here guys.”

There’s a moment in this week’s episode when Aesha goes to touch the floor with her bare hand to check how clean it is and Kory immediately screams, “Don’t touch it!”

KF: It was disgusting. Every day I was like, “We need to get a mop. I cannot do this.” I can’t believe we went as long as we did without getting a mop.

MW: We were working with only a Swiffer.

Speaking of Kory… Malia, what initially drew you to him?

MW: Kory and I just instantly hit it off, but just as friends. We clicked with each other and just had tons of fun. Everyone can think of a time they just instantly meshed with someone. That was Kory and me. I can swear to you that it was all innocent. A bit flirty, sure, but we were in a ski house. I never really saw Kory romantically.

I mean, you spit in his mouth in the middle of the kitchen. It was maybe the most unromantic thing I’ve ever seen.

MW: Right?

I know from BravoCon that you and Sam are good now. Thinking back to when this was filmed, were you nervous when you first heard she was coming to the Winter House since you had been flirting with Kory?

MW: Not really. In all honesty, we barely knew who Sam was. Kory was always on the phone with her, but I didn’t really even know Sam’s name until days into the house. Everyone else knew her, but Katie and I didn’t. It was only when Kory confronted Casey about what she had said about Sam that were we like, “Oh, okay, they are absolutely a thing.” When Sam came into the house, I didn’t really understand why she was so hot. However, now that I know more about their relationship, I get it. Damn, if I was Sam, I probably would’ve thrown a right hook.

Katie, let’s move on to your Winter House hookup, Tom Schwartz. What first drew you to him?

KF: I don’t know, really. It was just a vibe. We first connected when we took a trip to the store. A lot of that conversation didn’t actually make it to air. He was very honest about his marriage, his divorce, and the things he had done wrong. He was really forthcoming about that.

One thing that stuck out to me was that he never spoke poorly about his ex-wife, Katie. That was really attractive to me. Sometimes you just vibe with people and sometimes you don’t. That was just where that all started.

Well, we know you kissed in the car last episode, but you expressed frustration at how indecisive Schwartz was about a potential hookup between you two. What was it like to deal with that?

KF: Yeah, it was really frustrating. He would do a lot of things. He would say a lot of things. He was sending mixed messages. After that back and forth, I was just like, “Dude, I was okay with nothing happening, but you’re still giving me a vibe.” I just wanted to know where I stood and where his boundaries were. He obviously had a lot going on, so I was really trying my hardest to be respectful of that.

Things get complicated when you add in copious amounts of alcohol and partying. We are all stuck in this house together, so it became this “island fever,” which is what we call it on yachts. When you’re around a person you have a crush on 24/7, it seems way more amplified in the moment. Feelings are a little bit higher than they probably would be in the normal world.

MW: It was a boatmance.

KF: Yes, exactly! I’ve been doing this for years, but Schwartz was a lot more in his head. As he should. I don’t think he’s used to just having fun, which was where I was coming from. It wasn’t deep for me. I was like: “Oh, I think you’re cute. We obviously vibe, yeah, let’s have fun.”

Well, in the previews for next week, you follow Schwartz into his room just as he’s about to leave the house to go back and film the Vanderpump Rules reunion. What made you want to shoot your last shot?

KF: In the moment, I was convinced that he was going to film the reunion and not come back. The whole Sandoval thing was weighing heavily on him. His demeanor was low. I was like, “Well, might as well make the most of it while we can.” So yeah, I think we tried to.

Before we wrap up, can you give us an update on your yachting careers? Are you still on the same yacht?

MW: Since Winter House came out, I get so many people messaging me being like, “I thought you were going to be a captain one day. Why did you quit yachting?” I just want to make it very clear that I am still very much in yachting. Katie and I both are. Yes, we still work on the same boat. I’m a second officer now. We love our jobs; we love our boat. My career is why I couldn’t attend the premiere in person or be at the reunion in person. We are still very much active yachties.

KF: We still live together, share a cabin, share an office, still work for the same family. We just do some weird random things on the side.

So if Below Deck comes calling again, would you answer? Would you be interested in crossing over to another show within the franchise?

MW: If they’re ready for their first female First Officer, then yeah.

KF: They need the power duo back together to show the others how it’s really done [laughs]. I would always go back to Below Deck Med, or even pop up on Below Deck Down Under.

MW: I would love to do Down Under. I’m a big scuba diver, and I’ve never been to Australia. That would be cool.

Lastly, what can you tease about what’s to come on the rest of this season of Winter House?

KF: A lot of ups and downs.

MW: It wouldn’t be me if there wasn’t some romance happening… but it’s not with Kory.

KF: You’re starting to see things happen now, and they will continue to evolve. People are starting to put two and two together, between friendships and relationships. Let’s just say it’s not smooth sailing ahead…

MW: The roughest waters are yet to come [laughs].

New episodes of Winter House air Tuesdays at 9/8c on Bravo