Flavor of Love

Did You Know?

• One supposed contestant, 'Eyez,' was actually an impostor hired by the producers.
• Although there were 21 contestants originally, there were only 20 clocks, as 'Thing 1' and 'Thing 2' shared a clock.
• Nearly halfway through the season, 4 new contestants were brought to compete.

Description

Flavor of Love was not a direct spin-off, but it grew out of Flavor Flav’s failed relationship with Brigitte Nielsen on Strange Love and The Surreal Life. TV Guide Network reran those two shows along with the first two seasons of Flavor of Love. Season three debuted on February 11, 2008. On May 14, 2008, VH1 announced that season three would be the last. After three seasons, Flavor Flav chose not to marry or date any of the winners. Instead, during the season three reunion, he married Liz, the mother of his seventh child, Karma. The show was a ratings hit for VH1; the season two finale was the second-highest-rated non-sports basic cable program of 2006.

Show format

Part of VH1's Celeb-reality lineup, this show followed a format similar to The Bachelor. Twenty women lived together in a mansion in Encino, California, all competing for the affection of Flavor Flav. He was aided by his bodyguard and chauffeur, Big Rick, along with his mother and, in the first season, former partner Brigitte Nielsen, with Tiffany Pollard stepping in for the second season. Flav gave each contestant a nickname, using it to refer to her throughout her time on the show, explaining that he finds nicknames easier to remember than real names. A clock ceremony marked eliminations: women who stayed received a gold clock necklace featuring their picture and nickname, while those sent home had their real names revealed, followed by a champagne toast. Across all seasons, contestants took part in challenges to earn private dates with Flav. In the third or second-to-last episode, he met the parents of the remaining women. The finale always moved to a tropical location, where the two finalists and Flav spent two days at a luxury resort before he made his final choice. A reunion episode, hosted by La La Vazquez, aired the week after the finale, recapping standout moments and catching up with the cast, including revealing whether Flav and his chosen woman were still together. VH1 also launched an online component at flavorofloveworld.com, where viewers could make profiles and interact. For season three, fans voted online to select five contestants, though Flav eliminated four of them during the premiere episode.

Cast

Flavor Flav, born William Jonathan Drayton Jr., is the bachelor. Nicole 'Hoopz' Alexander won season 1; she later won I Love Money's $250,000 grand prize and dated Shaquille O'Neal. Chandra 'Deelishis' Davis won season 2; she has a jeans line called D-Cut and participated in a 2009 national tour of The Vagina Monologues. LaTresha 'Thing 2' Hall won season 3; she entered with her sister Trisha (Thing 1) and was eliminated in episode 12 but brought back in episode 13 to win, then was dumped on the reunion show when Flav reunited with Liz. Elizabeth 'Liz' Trujillo is the mother of Flav's youngest child Karma; Flav proposed to her on the season 3 reunion. Big Rick is Flav's assistant and bodyguard; they met in 2004 in Las Vegas at the Hard Rock Hotel Casino while filming Strange Love. Tiffany 'New York' Pollard was runner-up in seasons 1 and 2; she later starred in I Love New York, New York Goes to Hollywood, and New York Goes to Work. Brooke 'Pumkin' Thompson finished third in season 1; she gained notoriety for spitting on Tiffany Pollard and later appeared on Charm School and I Love Money.

Direct spin-offs

After season 2, VH1 aired I Love New York featuring Tiffany 'New York' Pollard; its first season premiered in January 2007 and a second in October 2007. Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School premiered April 15, 2007 with 13 contestants from the first two seasons; the winner received $50,000 and the title 'Charm School Queen. I Love Money brought together contestants from Flavor of Love, Real Chance of Love, Rock of Love, and I Love New York to compete for $250,000 in Huatulco, Mexico. Winners included Nicole 'Hoopz' Alexander, Angela 'Myammee' Pitts, and Mindy Hall; the canceled third season winner was Ryan Jenkins, but it never aired.