Flavor Of Love is now considered the lowest of the low when it comes to reality television. But, that's kind of the reason why it has remained so iconic. Presented as a Bachelor-like dating competition, the show saw twenty women compete for the heart of American rapper Flavor Flav and all the drama that ensued. Being a companion to Strange Love, the series fast became the first entry in a juggernaut franchise, one that spawned three seasons and several questionable spin-offs.
And with all its reality success, it may not come as a surprise to learn that the show's behind the scenes journey was not entirely easy. From psychotic contestants to questionable motives, the show saw its fair share of on-set drama. Here's 10 behind the scenes facts about Flavor Of Love.
10 Flavor Flav Didn't Think The Show Would Work
It seems for all his character and charisma, Flavor Flav actually has a softer, more insecure side. Upon being briefed about the show's premise, the rapper stated that it would never work, believing that 20 beautiful women would never compete for his attention. In an interview with Vulture Flavor of Love co-creator, Mark Cronin discussed this particular exchange:
We first went to Flav and said, "Flav, we're gonna put you in a house and there's going to be 20 women," he said, "Aw Mark [...] they're never gonna pick me." And I said "Flavor you don't understand. You will be picking them."
9 The Contestants Were Actual Fans
We all know that reality TV is heavily fabricated, but it seems that the first season of Flavor Of Love, actually had some authenticity, with most of the cast being fans of the titular rapper. Discussing the casting process, Cronin and casting Douglas Howington, had this to say:
We had a lot of fan contact from when he [Flavor Flav] was on 'The Surreal Life' and 'Strang Love', and we used anybody who had directly contacted us or even posted about him.
8 Stockholm Syndrome Helped To Set The Mood
Have you ever wondered what it's like being on a reality show? Well, it seems the experience may not be all that wonderful. According to Cronin and Howington, isolating the contestants was highly effective when it came to setting a romantic atmosphere:
When you take a group of people, take them away from their homes [...] and there's this one guy who shows up and decides whether you'll get to eat a nice dinner tonight or whether you're going to go into a limo with him - it's like Stockholm Syndrome and they become very quickly caught up in it.
7 Sometimes It's Good To Be Crazy
When it came to casting the popular reality show, it seemed the producers were looking for a very particular kind of woman. Cronin has stated that they wanted contestants who were "super outgoing and super-off-the-cuff and super unfiltered". However, it seems there is also a fine line between wild and psychotic:
Those traits can often be associated with lots of problems and disorders and all kinds of things. It's a very tricky thing. They always went through some kind of psychological screening.
6 The Show Had No Limits During Casting
When asked if someone could be too crazy to be cast on Flavor Of Love, Howington admitted that there was very little the producers wouldn't accept. It seems even circus clowns weren't off the table:
I really don't think it was possible to be too crazy to be on 'Flavor Of Love' [...] If we just found a dope person who walks around in a clown suit all the time who wants to make love to Flavor Flav, that's awesome.
5 The Sequel Contestants Weren't There For Flavor Flav
Although the first season's cast was made up of dedicated Flavor Flav fans, it seemed the second and third season did not receive the same treatment. In fact, many of the contestants were there for their own individual reasons:
For the second season, it was women lined up around the corner for casting calls [...] It takes more time in the process to really weed out why this person is there [...] Eventually it's going to come out that you're just there for ulterior motives.
4 Some Contestants Came From Interesting Backgrounds
For a trashy reality show, Flavor Of Love actually had some interesting personas on its first season. For example, Schatar Sapphira (nicknamed "Hottie" on the show) actually came from a highly educated background, even attending the same university as Cronin:
She was actually a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, which was where I want to college and I just couldn't believe it [...] She was such a piece of work. She really wanted to marry him and move into that mansion.
3 The Contestants Had Some Graphic Stories
During the casting process, the producers would often ask potential contestants questions about their personal lives, which would often lead to some personal and graphic stories. But it was these wild stories that helped the producers to find the perfect candidates for the show:
One woman, I asked her, "What was the freakiest thing you've ever done?" She says, "A six-way." [...] And I was like, "Wow." Becuase she wasn't just talking like that trying to be on a TV show.
2 The Winner Didn't Love Flavor Flav
Although the first season featured a cast of hardcore Flavor Flav fans, it seems season one winner, Nicole "Hoopz" Alexander was not one of them. During the season one reunion, Alexander revealed that she and Flavor were no longer together and that she wasn't really into him "like that". Since her appearance on the show, Alexander has gone on to date celebrities such as Shaquille O'Neal and Ovince Saint Preux.
1 Tiffany Pollard Came Out Of Nowhere
If there was one thing Flavor Of Love gave us, it was Tiffany Pollard. Before the reality star was weeping uncontrollably over the "death" of David Gest, she was in an artificial mansion battling for Flav's heart. Pollard (nicknamed New York) would go on to compete in the first two seasons of the show, placing second each time. Since then Pollard has gone on to establish her own career in the world of reality television, starring in her own show I Love New York. But for all her star power, Howington doesn't even know who cast her in the show:
I didn't find Tiffany. I would love to know who did [...] She was just a walking time bomb of awesomeness for reality TV.