''Flavor of Love'' is an American

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

dating game show Dating game shows are game shows that incorporates a variety of matchmaking systems and services in the form of a game with clear rules. Human matchmaking is involved only in selecting the game's contestants, who are usually selected more for the ...

starring

Flavor Flav William Jonathan Drayton Jr. (born March 16, 1959), known by his stage name Flavor Flav (), is an American rapper and hype man. Known for his yells of "''Yeah, boyeeeeee!''" when performing, he rose to prominence as a founding member of the rap ...

of the rap group

Public Enemy "Public enemy" is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though the phrase had been used for centuries to describe p ...

. While not a direct spin-off, the show was a result of

Brigitte Nielsen Brigitte Nielsen (; born Gitte Nielsen; 15 July 1963) is a Danish actress, model, and singer. She began her career modelling for Greg Gorman and Helmut Newton. She subsequently acted in the 1985 films ''Red Sonja'' and ''Rocky IV'', later retu ...

and Flavor Flav's failed relationship on '' Strange Love'', as well as ''

The Surreal Life ''The Surreal Life'' is an American reality television series that records a group of celebrities as they live together in Glen Campbell's former mansion in the Hollywood Hills for two weeks. The format of the show resembles that of ''The Real W ...

''. Those two series as well as Flavor of Love (Seasons 1-2 only) have aired in repeats on TV Guide Network. The third season of ''Flavor of Love'' began on Monday February 11, 2008 at 9/8c. On May 14, 2008, it was announced that ''

Flavor of Love 3 The third season of the VH1 reality television series ''Flavor of Love'' brings female contestants into the mansion of Flavor Flav to compete for his love. The third season premiered on February 11, 2008, featuring 25 contestants. Contestants ...

'' would be the final ''Flavor 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 for VH1. The ''Flavor of Love 2'' finale was the second highest-rated non-sports basic cable show of 2006.

Show format

The show was part of VH1's Celeb-reality lineup and its format is similar to that of '' The Bachelor''. Twenty different ladies compete for

's heart as they live together in a mansion in

Encino, California Encino (Spanish language, Spanish for "oak") is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. History In 1769, the Spanish Portolá expedition, first Europeans to see inland areas of California, traveled north t ...

. He is helped in his quest by his bodyguard and chauffeur named "Big Rick." He was also assisted by his mother, as well as his former romantic partner

in the first season, and

Tiffany Pollard Tiffany Pollard (born January 6, 1982) is an American television personality. She came to public prominence for her participation on the first two seasons of VH1's ''Flavor of Love'' (2006–2007). Pollard was given the nickname "New York" by ...

in the second. The show also helped spin off a string of similar VH1 "Love" shows, including ''

I Love New York I Love New York (stylized ) is a slogan, a logo, and a song that are the basis of an advertising campaign developed by the marketing firm of Wells, Rich, Greene under the directorship of Mary Wells Lawrence used since 1977 to promote tourism i ...

'', ''

Rock of Love ''Rock of Love with Bret Michaels'' is an American reality television dating game show. It stars Bret Michaels, the lead singer from the band Poison. The show closely resembles the show ''Flavor of Love''. The first season featured 25 women com ...

'', and ''

Real Chance of Love ''Real Chance of Love'' is an American reality television dating game show featuring two brothers, Ahmad "Real" Givens (born on January 8, 1982, died on February 21, 2015, aged 33) and Kamal "Chance" Givens, (born on March 25, 1981), of the rap ...

''. There were secondary spin-off shows featuring contestants on ''Flavor of Love'', such as '' Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School'', and ''

I Love Money ''I Love Money'' is an American reality television series that aired on VH1 and was produced by 51 Minds Entertainment, a subsidiary of Endemol, and was a spin-off of ''Flavor of Love'', '' Charm School'', ''I Love New York'', ''Rock of Love'' ...

''. 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.

Series overview

: One supposed contestant, "Eyez," was actually an impostor hired by the producers. "New York's" re-entry into the competition officially increased the contestant count to 20. : Although there were 21 contestants originally, there were only 20 clocks, as two contestants, "Thing 1" and "Thing 2", shared a clock. Also, nearly halfway through the season, 4 new contestants were brought to compete. On episode 8, Flav split up the twins.

Cast

;Flavor Flav William Jonathan Drayton Jr. (

of the rap group

) is the bachelor looking for love. ;Hoopz Nicole Deannae Alexander is the winner of the first 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 the VH1 series

, winning the grand prize of $250,000. She dated

Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), known commonly as "Shaq" ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. O'Neal is regarded as one of the greates ...

. ;Deelishis Chandra Davis is the winner of the second season. She has her own line of jeans called D-Cut, and participated in a 2009 national tour of the

Vagina Monologues ''The Vagina Monologues'' is an episodic play written in 1996 by Eve Ensler which developed and premiered at HERE Arts Center, Off-Off-Broadway in New York and was followed by an Off-Broadway run in at Westside Theatre. The play explores cons ...

with an all-black cast, most of whom are also former reality show contestants. Davis also appeared on I Love Money 3 along with Buckeey. ;Thing 2 Tresha is the winner of the third season. Tresha entered the competition with her sister Trisha (Thing 1, who was eliminated after the "Never-Wed Challenge"). Although Tresha 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. ;Liz 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. ;New York Tiffany Pollard was the runner up of both

the first The First may refer to: * ''The First'' (album), the first Japanese studio album by South Korean boy group Shinee * ''The First'' (musical), a musical with a book by critic Joel Siegel * The First (TV channel), an American conservative opinion ne ...

and

the second ''The Second'' is the second studio album by Canadian-American rock band Steppenwolf, released in October 1968 on ABC Dunhill Records. The album contains one of Steppenwolf's most famous songs, " Magic Carpet Ride". The background of the orig ...

seasons. After the show, she appeared on her own reality dating show, ''

'', which aired for two seasons, as well as '' New York Goes to Hollywood'' and ''New York Goes to Work''. ;Pumkin Brooke Thompson finished in third-place on the first 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 the

Fox Reality Awards The Fox Reality Awards is an awards show to honor achievements in reality television. It was broadcast by the Fox Reality Channel from 2006 to 2009 when the channel was replaced in 2010 by National Geographic Wild. Awards list ''NOTE: Winners i ...

in 2006. She now has a clothing line called Pumkin Apparel, which includes a shirt that reads “Pumkin spit on me and I like it…” She appeared on Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School and

. She has also appeared on

Judge Jeanine Pirro ''Judge Jeanine Pirro'' (known simply as ''Judge Pirro'' since the premiere of its second season) is an American arbitration-based reality court show, presided over by retired Westchester County, New York, District Attorney Jeanine Pirro. The se ...

, the Family Feud as a member of the Gardiner family, and Playboy TV's "Foursome" in 2009. ;Saaphyri

Saaphyri Windsor Saaphyri WindsorRocchio, Christophe"Report: 'Charm School' winner Saaphyri Windsor serving 3 years in jail" ABC News, February 17, 2009 (born Wanda Scott) is an American reality television contestant. Windsor is best known for appearing on ''Fla ...

was disqualified in the first episode of

season two Season 2 may refer to: * ''Season 2'' (Infinite album) * ''2econd Season ''2econd Season'' is the second and most recent album by Atlanta-based rapper Unk. Release It was released on November 4, 2008. Guest Performers The album features gu ...

after fighting with another contestant. After the show, she appeared on Flavor 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 on VH1's I Love Money 2. It can also be noted that Windsor holds the record for being the only contestant in the series that did not receive a nickname. ;Buckwild Becky Johnston appeared on

Flavor of Love 2 The second season of the VH1 reality television series '' Flavor of Love'' brings female contestants into the mansion of Flavor Flav to compete for his love. The second season first aired weekly from August 6, 2006 to October 29, 2006, with a to ...

. She threw her shoe at Tiffany Pollard during the ''After the Lovin reunion, almost hitting New York. After the show, she appeared on Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School and I Love Money 2. ;Toasteee Jennifer Toof appeared on

where she was eliminated on the show's fourth episode after Flav discovered she had posed in a

pornographic Pornography (often shortened to porn or porno) is the portrayal of Human sexual activity, sexual subject matter for the exclusive purpose of sexual arousal. Primarily intended for adults,

magazine. After the show, she appeared on Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School and the first season of

. ;Black Candace Cabrera is the runner-up on the third season. ;Bootz Larissa Aurora appeared on

. After the show, she appeared on Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School. Later on, during the show's reunion special, she got into an argument with Charm School's "headmistress"' actress

Mo'Nique Monique Angela Hicks (née Imes; born December 11, 1967), known professionally as Mo'Nique, is an American stand-up comedian and actress. She has received an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award. She ...

. In Flavor of Love season 2 she finished in fourth place. ;Buckeey Shay Johnson appeared on

. After the show, she appeared on Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School. Then later was a contestant on the unaired 3rd season of I Love Money 3, along with Deelishis. ;Myammee Angela "Myammee" Pitts appeared on

. After the show, she won I Love Money 2 ;Hottie Schatar Taylor appeared on

Flavor of Love ''Flavor of Love'' is an American reality television dating game show starring Flavor Flav of the rap group Public Enemy. While not a direct spin-off, the show was a result of Brigitte Nielsen and Flavor Flav's failed relationship on ''Strange ...

, where she gained notoriety for trying to microwave a raw chicken. After the show, she appeared on Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School. ;Serious Cristal Steverson appeared on

. After the show, she appeared on Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School and worked as a temporary radio personality for Hot 107.9, where she interviewed

Crunk&B Crunk is a subgenre of hip hop music that emerged in the early 1990s and gained mainstream success during the mid 2000s. Crunk is often up-tempo and one of Southern hip hop's more dance and club oriented subgenres. An archetypal crunk track fre ...

trio,

Taurus Taurus is Latin for 'bull' and may refer to: * Taurus (astrology), the astrological sign * Taurus (constellation), one of the constellations of the zodiac * Taurus (mythology), one of two Greek mythological characters named Taurus * '' Bos tauru ...

. ;Smiley Leilene Ondrade appeared on

. After the show, she was the runner-up of Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School and later appeared on I Love Money 2. ;Wire Jesselynn Desmond appeared on

. After the show, she appeared on the VH1 Big Awards''. ;Like Dat Darra Boyd appeared on

. After the show, she appeared on Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School. ;Krazy Heather Crawford appeared on

. After the show, she appeared on Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School. In Flavor of Love season 2 she finished in third place. ;Goldie Courtney Jackson appeared on

. After the show, she appeared on Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School. In Flavor of Love season 1 she finished in fourth place. ;Rain Thela Brown appeared on

. After the show, she was the first contestant to get expelled on Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School ;Nibblz Domenique Majors appeared on

. After the show, she appeared on the first season of

, where she was eliminated on the second episode, placing 16th.

Direct spin-offs

''I Love New York''

After the second season of ''Flavor of Love'', VH1 first aired a spin-off series entitled ''I Love New York'', featuring the twice rejected Flavorette Tiffany "New York" Pollard. The first season premiered in January 2007, following a similar format to ''

The Bachelorette A bachelorette is an unmarried woman. Bachelorette may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Bachelorette'', a reality television dating show part of ''The Bachelor'' franchise with numerous versions: ** ''The Bachelorette'' (American TV ser ...

'' and ''Flavor of Love''. After the first season concluded, a second season premiered in October of the same year.

''Charm School''

The first season, '' Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School'', premiered on April 15, 2007, featuring 13 contestants from the first two seasons of ''Flavor 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 two, '' Rock of Love: Charm School'', premiered on October 12, 2008, featuring contestants from ''

''. Season three, ''

Charm School with Ricki Lake ''Charm School with Ricki Lake'' is the third and final season of the VH1 reality television series '' Charm School''. Fourteen contestants from '' Rock of Love Bus with Bret Michaels'' and ''Real Chance of Love'' must change their old ways and ...

'', premiered May 11, 2009, featuring contestants from ''

'' and ''

Rock of Love Bus ''Rock of Love Bus with Bret Michaels'' is the third season of ''Rock of Love with Bret Michaels'' and was confirmed by VH1's website in a blog on July 16, 2008. In the show, eligible women live on tour buses and travel with Bret Michaels, compe ...

''. Season two and three doubled the prize money to $100,000.

''I Love Money''

A number of contestants from ''Flavor of Love'', ''