Bravo Fires ‘Below Deck Mediterranean’ Star Peter Hunziker Over Racist Post

Bravo fired Peter Hunziker, a featured deckhand on the current season of Below Deck Mediterranean, for publishing a racist and misogynistic post on Instagram. Although the show has already been filmed, Brazo and series producer 51 Minds said the remaining episodes will be re-edited to reduce Hunziker’s screentime. The swift decision came a week after Bravo fired Vanderpump Rules stars Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute for racist actions.

Bravo announced Hunziker’s firing Wednesday. “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 for subsequent episodes,” the network said in a brief statement. The network said the decision to fire him was made “as soon as the post was discovered.”

Below Deck Mediterranean Season 5 debuted on June 1. Hunziker joined the show as a deckhand and gave himself the nickname “Party Pete.” He was previously accused of sexism, with boat captain Sandy Yawn reprimanding him for repeatedly calling bosun Malia White “sweetheart.” Sources told Variety the offensive post that got him fired involved a naked Black woman shown in chains.

Bravo is taking a no-tolerance policy on racism among its reality television stars. Earlier this month, Bravo fired Schroeder, Doute, Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni from Vanderpump Rules for racist behavior, and Jax Taylor might be fired as well. Former Vanderpump star Faith Stowers accused Doute and Schroeder of reporting her to the police and falsely accusing her of being a Black woman Los Angeles police were searching for in connection with a 2018 robbery. Hours after Stowers came forward, Bravo fired Schroeder and Doute. Caprioni and Boyens were fired after racist messages they shared on Twitter resurfaced.

Taylor is reportedly on the “chopping block” as well. 90 Day Fiancé alum Ashley Smith called out Taylor for using racist language. In addition, Stowers noted that when Taylor cheated on his then-girlfriend Brittany Cartwright with her, other cast members attacked her instead of Taylor. Cartwright has also been accused of using a racial slur directed at Stowers.

Following the firings, Lisa Vanderpump, who owns the restaurant where Vanderpump Rules is set, issued a long statement on Instagram in which she mentioned no names. “As many of you know, after watching me for 10 years, I have always been an equal rights activist and ally — my family, my businesses and I condemn all forms of cruelty, racism, homophobia, bigotry and unequal treatment,” Vanderpump wrote. “We’ve never tolerated it in the workplace or our lives. While you only see a fraction of our employees on the show, a specific friend group, across all of our companies, we have always been a very diverse group of people — every color, ethnicity and sexual orientation.”