| Flavor of Love | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Created by | Cris Abrego Mark Cronin |
| Starring | Flavor Flav |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 39 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Cris Abrego Mark Cronin[1] Ben Samek |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production company | 51 Minds Entertainment |
| Original release | |
| Network | VH1 |
| Release | January 1, 2006 (2006-01-01) – May 26, 2008 (2008-05-26) |
Flavor of Love is an Americanreality televisiondating game show starringFlavor Flav of the rap groupPublic Enemy.[2]
While not a directspin-off, the show was a result ofBrigitte Nielsen and Flavor Flav's failed relationship onStrange Love, as well asThe Surreal Life.[3] Those two series as well asFlavor of Love (seasons 1–2 only) have aired in repeats onTV Guide Network. The third season ofFlavor of Love premiered on February 11, 2008 at 9/8c.[4]
On May 14, 2008, it was announced thatFlavor of Love 3 would be the finalFlavor of Love. After 3 seasons, Flavor Flav chose to not marry or date any of the winners from any of the three seasons. Instead, it was revealed that he would marry Liz, the mother of his seventh child, Karma, on the season 3 reunion show.
The show was a ratings success forVH1. TheFlavor of Love 2 finale was the second highest-rated non-sports basic cable show of 2006.[5][6]
The show was part ofVH1's Celeb-reality lineup and its format is similar to that ofThe Bachelor.[3] Twenty different ladies compete forFlavor Flav's heart as they live together in a mansion inEncino, California.[1][3] He is helped in his quest by his bodyguard and chauffeur named "Big Rick."[7] He was also assisted by his mother, as well as his former romantic partnerBrigitte Nielsen in the first season,[7] andTiffany Pollard in the second. The show also helped spin off a string of similar VH1 "Love" shows, includingI Love New York,[8]Rock of Love with Bret Michaels, andReal Chance of Love. There were secondary spin-off shows featuring contestants onFlavor of Love, such asFlavor of Love Girls: Charm School,[9] andI Love Money.
In the show, each contestant is given a nickname by Flav and is referred to by that nickname for as long as she remains in the competition, as Flav says he can remember nicknames more so than real names. Flavor of Love features a clock ceremony where contestants who are not eliminated receive gold clocks to wear around their necks with their picture and nickname behind the hands of the clock. When a contestant is eliminated, her real name is then revealed, followed by a champagne toast.
There are a few basic elements of the show's format that have been consistent through each season of production. Throughout the season the contestants compete for intimate dates with Flav by competing in various challenges. Also, Flav brings the few remaining women's parents on in the third or second to last episode. Finally, the season finale takes place in a tropical destination. The two finalists and Flav spend the last two days at a luxurious resort preceding his final decision.
The week following the finale an all-cast reunion is typically aired. The host,La La Vazquez, spends this time reviewing the most memorable moments and interviewing the contestants after they have seen the season. This is also when the viewer finds out if Flav is still with the woman he chose and what they have been up to since the season wrapped.
VH1 has also introduced an internet component into the show. Viewers can create profiles, interact with contestants and other fans, and stay current with news at flavorofloveworld.com. In season 3, fans even got to vote online to elect five of the contestants, though Flav sent four of them home in the premiere episode.
| Season | Premiere date | Winner | Runner-up | Other contestants in order of elimination | Number of contestants | International destinations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | January 1, 2006 | Nicole Alexander | Tiffany Pollard | April Navarro & Amber Kemp & Johanna Olson & Sarah Louise Wilson & Mieko Smith, Jefandi Cato & Thela Brown & Margaret Heinzeroth & Melanie Prudhomme & Xotchitl Rodriguez, Kim Manning & Cristal Steverson, Tika Rainn, Abigail Kintanar (quit), Schatar Taylor & Leilene Ondrade, Courtney Jackson, Brooke Thompson | 20 | Puerto Vallarta |
| 2 | August 6, 2006 | Chandra Davis | Saaphyri Windsor (disqualified) & Bonnie Mercado & Alkeisha Phillips & Tarashai Lee & Ronnise Clark & Renee Austin, Maria Dunbar & Jesselynn Desmond, Tykeisha Thomas & Britnay Morano & Jasmine Dare (quit), Jennifer Toof, Darra Boyd, Domenique Majors & Kelly Jenkins & Becky Johnston (quit), Shay Johnson, Larissa Hodge, Heather Crawford | 20 | Placencia | |
| 3 | February 11, 2008 | LaTresha Hall | Candace Cabrera | Esperanza Bloom & Angela & Savanna Stidwell & Christa Hildenburg & Erika Louis, Courtney Dee & Lisa, Earaina Mixon & Amanda Habrowsk, Yvonne Govan, Twana Denard, Angela Pitts & Courtney Lynn, MonaLisa Brown, Mercedes Clausen, Nicole Essigman & Shannon Kulis, LaTrisha Hall & Maria Geiger, Rashida Shaw, Autumn Joi, Nicole Featherston | 25 | Paris Cannes Monaco |
Flavor Flav
William Jonathan Drayton Jr. (Flavor Flav of the rap groupPublic Enemy) is the bachelor looking for love.
Hoopz
Nicole Deannae Alexander is the winner of thefirst season. After the show, she started acting and modeling. Hoopz and Flavor Flav broke up soon after the show ended. She has since gone on to compete in theVH1 seriesI Love Money, winning the grand prize of$250,000.[10] She datedShaquille O'Neal.[11]
Deelishis
Chandra Davis is the winner of thesecond season. She has her own line of jeans called D-Cut, and participated in a 2009 national tour of theVagina Monologues with an all-black cast, most of whom are also former reality show contestants.[12] Davis also appeared onI Love Money 3 along with Buckeey.
Thing 2
LaTresha Hall is the winner of thethird season. Tresha entered the competition with her sister Trisha (Thing 1, who was eliminated after the "Never-Wed Challenge"). Although LaTresha eliminated in episode 12, she was brought back in episode 13, and subsequently won the competition. She was dumped on the reunion show when Flav decided to reunite with Liz, the mother of his son Karma.
Elizabeth "Liz" Trujillo
The mother of Flav's youngest child, Karma. Flav said she was the right one the whole time and proposed to her on the reunion show of Season 3.
Big Rick
Big Rick is Flavor's assistant and bodyguard. He and Flav met in 2004 while in Las Vegas at the Hard Rock Hotel Casino while shooting for Flav's other show,Strange Love. Big Rick used to work at a detention facility in Florida.[13]
New York
Tiffany Pollard was the runner up of boththe first andthe second seasons. After the show, she appeared on her own reality dating show,I Love New York, which aired for two seasons, as well asNew York Goes to Hollywood andNew York Goes to Work.
Pumkin
Brooke Thompson finished in third-place on thefirst season. She gained notoriety after spitting on Tiffany Pollard shortly after her elimination. After the show, she received the Best Fight Award (with Pollard) at theFox Reality Awards in 2006.[14] She now has a clothing line called Pumkin Apparel, which includes a shirt that reads "Pumkin spit on me and I like it..."[15]
She appeared onFlavor of Love Girls: Charm School andI Love Money. She has also appeared onJudge Jeanine Pirro, the Family Feud as a member of the Gardiner family, and Playboy TV's "Foursome" in 2009.
Saaphyri
Saaphyri Windsor was disqualified in the first episode ofseason 2 after assaulting another contestant. After the show, she appeared onFlavor of Love Girls: Charm School, winning the competition. She currently has her own lip balm line called Lip Chap and her own brand of weave hair called Saaphyri's Ultimate Indian Hair. She placed fifth onVH1'sI Love Money 2. While it is noted that Windsor holds the record for being the only contestant in the series that did not receive a nickname, there was another contestant on season 3 whose nickname was her actual name, Savanna.
Buckwild
Becky Johnston appeared onFlavor of Love 2. She threw her shoe at Tiffany Pollard during theAfter the Lovin' reunion, almost hitting New York. After the show, she appeared onFlavor of Love Girls: Charm School andI Love Money 2.
Toasteee
Jennifer Toof appeared onFlavor of Love 2 where she was eliminated on the show's fourth episode after Flav discovered she had posed in apornographic magazine. After the show, she appeared onFlavor of Love Girls: Charm School and the first season ofI Love Money.
Black
Candace Cabrera is the runner-up on thethird season.
Bootz
Larissa Hodge appeared onFlavor of Love 2. After the show, she appeared onFlavor of Love Girls: Charm School. Later on, during the show's reunion special, she got into an argument with Charm School's "headmistress"' actressMo'Nique. InFlavor of Love season 2 she finished in fourth place.
Buckeey
Shay Johnson appeared onFlavor of Love 2. After the show, she appeared onFlavor of Love Girls: Charm School. Then later was a contestant on the unaired third season ofI Love Money 3, along with Deelishis.
Myammee
Angela "Myammee" Pitts appeared onFlavor of Love 3. After the show, she wonI Love Money 2.
Hottie
Schatar Taylor appeared onFlavor of Love, where she gained notoriety for trying to microwave a raw chicken and delusionally believeing that she looked likeBeyoncé. After the show, she appeared onFlavor of Love Girls: Charm School.
Serious
Cristal Steverson appeared onFlavor of Love. After the show, she appeared onFlavor of Love Girls: Charm School and worked as a temporary radio personality forHot 107.9, where she interviewedCrunk&B trio,Taurus.
Smiley
Leilene Ondrade appeared onFlavor of Love. After the show, she was the runner-up ofFlavor of Love Girls: Charm School and later appeared onI Love Money 2.
Wire
Jesselynn Desmond appeared onFlavor of Love 2. After the show, she appeared on theVH1 Big Awards.[16][17]
Like Dat
Darra Boyd appeared onFlavor of Love 2. After the show, she appeared onFlavor of Love Girls: Charm School.
Krazy
Heather Crawford appeared onFlavor of Love 2. After the show, she appeared onFlavor of Love Girls: Charm School. InFlavor of Love season 2 she finished in third place.
Goldie
Courtney Jackson appeared onFlavor of Love. After the show, she appeared onFlavor of Love Girls: Charm School. InFlavor of Love season 1 she finished in fourth place.
Rain
Thela Brown appeared onFlavor of Love. After the show, she was the first contestant to get expelled onFlavor of Love Girls: Charm School.
Nibblz
Domenique Majors appeared onFlavor of Love 2. After the show, she appeared on the first season ofI Love Money, where she was eliminated on the second episode, placing sixteenth.
After the second season ofFlavor of Love, VH1 first aired a spin-off series entitledI Love New York, featuring the twice rejected FlavoretteTiffany "New York" Pollard.[18] Thefirst season premiered in January 2007, following a similar format toThe Bachelorette andFlavor of Love. After the first season concluded, asecond season premiered in October of the same year.
The first season,Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School, premiered on April 15, 2007, featuring 13 contestants from the first two seasons ofFlavor of Love. The contestants strive to develop proper etiquette and to become strong women, with the ultimate prize of$50,000 and the title of "Charm School Queen". Season 2,Rock of Love: Charm School, premiered on October 12, 2008, featuring contestants fromRock of Love with Bret Michaels. Season 3,Charm School with Ricki Lake, premiered May 11, 2009, featuring contestants fromReal Chance of Love andRock of Love Bus. Seasons 2 and 3 doubled the prize money to $100,000.
A number of contestants fromFlavor of Love,Real Chance of Love,Rock of Love with Bret Michaels andI Love New York are brought together in a mansion in Huatulco, Mexico to compete in a co-ed battle of mental and physical challenges to win $250,000. The first season's winner wasNicole "Hoopz" Alexander. The second season's winner was Angela "Myammee" Pitts. The fourth winner was Mindy Hall. The canceled third season winner was Ryan Jenkins, but it has never aired.
In 2007, I produced Flavor of Love, a show on VH1, in which 20 women competed to date the Public Enemy hype man Flavor Flav (another Howard Stern Show regular). Those women believed he was rich—after all, he was famous—and that they were living in his mansion. In fact, he was not long out of jail for not paying parking tickets. He had very little income. We rented the mansion from a nice family in Encino.
A Living story about TV ratings Thursday incorrectly stated that the finale for "Flavor of Love 2" had the highest ratings this year among non-sports, basic cable networks, using information from VH1. An episode of TNT's "The Closer" had higher ratings in June.