Cutthroat Kitchen: Knives Out host Brian Malarkey recently appeared in an episode of the Harley and Malarkey Podcast: Old Dog New Tricks, in which he spoke about the fights in relationships, their causes, and ways to resolve them. Titled What To Do When You Can't Stand Your Partner on Vacation, and released on July 28, 2025, the episode saw Brian talk at length about his own relationship.In the segment, Brian and his partner, Harley, discussed the hurdles they faced in their relationship, emphasizing how they pulled themselves out of the spiral, and the importance of not letting a few arguments ruin a vacation or a trip. The Cutthroat Kitchen: Knives Out host further mentioned that it was through arguments and constant back-and-forth that he realized that losing in some situations was, in fact, a win. While reflecting on his own relationship, Brian pointed out that tensions escalate when couples look at arguments as a must-win situation. Consequently, he encouraged the use of a lose-lose strategy to preserve peace and harmony among partners. According to him, when both parties took ownership of their actions, it became easier to reconnect and prioritize the relationship.Cutthroat Kitchen: Knives Out host Brian Malarkey says fights escalate when partners shift blame View this post on Instagram Instagram PostHarley, Brian's partner, began by saying that both she and Brian loved winning and winning together. It was their dominant attitude that often prevented them from taking accountability for their own actions, resulting in bigger cracks in their relationship. "We don't see ourselves as the same team. One of us is trying to win, one of us is trying to be right. One of us is trying to make the other person wrong. We both get into that dynamic and instead of being happy and in love on the same team, we're trying to prove our point to the other person, and then something very small becomes big," she said.Brian chimed in, agreeing that the main focus during arguments should be on understanding that both parties had made errors. However, in most cases, partners shift blame, trying to prove that the other person's mistakes were more significant and impactful. The Cutthroat Kitchen: Knives Out host added that most of the time in life, he preferred being in "win-win" situations. He admitted that it was a tactic he used in business agreements, unwilling to take the shorter end of the stick; however, he noted that the same strategy could not be used in the case of fights in relationships. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostAccording to him, in relationships, a "win is a lose-lose." Brian explained that the moment partners take ownership and apologize, the tension automatically diffuses."Most fights are constantly pointing fingers at each other, going, 'No, no, you did this. But I know I did this, but you did this. Your wrong was bigger than my wrong,'" he stated.Brian admitted that he often engaged in such fights with Harley, which eventually impacted the quality of time spent together and overall mood. Shortly after, the Cutthroat Kitchen: Knives Out host's partner added that such fights were never of much significance, as the tension de-escalated once they realized they loved each other and wanted to spend the rest of their lives together.While reflecting on their recent fights, Harley mentioned that she and Brian were able to reach a middle ground by communicating their feelings and taking responsibility for the mistakes made. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostThe Cutthroat Kitchen: Knives Out star, on the other hand, confessed that most of his reactions emerged from the work-related stress. Whenever he felt overburdened after a long day at work, he would knowingly vent it out, going into "attack mode." However, Brian would soon realize its futility and apologize for letting it reflect on his behavior.Consequently, Brian's advice to tackle such situations or fights was:"Just go for a run. Go get some fresh air. Do something different. Go have coffee. Go read a book. Go sit by the pool."The Cutthroat Kitchen: Knives Out alum concluded by saying partners needed to "bow down a little" and admit they made a mistake if they wished to resolve fights.Cutthroat Kitchen: Knives Out episodes are available to stream on Hulu.