When “reality” TV shows took over the television landscape for a while during the early-2000s, The WB understandably wanted to get in on the action. Devising a “reality” show in which a bunch of celebrities whose time in the spotlight had ended lived together, the first two seasons of The Surreal Life aired on The WB.Once The WB decided to leave The Surreal Life behind, the show migrated over to VH1 for its third season, which makes sense since the channel is known for other “reality” shows. Sporting a cast that included Charo, Dave Coulier, and Ryan Starr, the season’s breakout stars were Flavor Flav and Brigitte Nielsen because viewers were captivated by their budding romance.

While many viewers were fascinated by Brigitte Nielsen and Flavor Flav’s relationship during The Surreal Life’s third season, many people assumed they would be a flash in the pan. However, the couple stayed together long enough to star in a spin-off show called Strange Love. Unfortunately, the pair ultimately couldn’t make things work. While most people seem to know that Nielsen and Flav are no longer together, the reasons for their split aren’t common knowledge.

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A Pair Of Stars

An absolute legend in the rap world, Flavor Flav rose to prominence as a member of the highly influential group Public Enemy. Best known for songs like “Fight The Power, “Bring The Noise”, “Rebel Without A Pause, and “Don’t Believe The Hype”, Public Enemy was known for their catchy tunes and social commentary. On top of Flav’s role in Public Enemy’s success, his over the top personality and trademark clock necklaces allowed him to become an all-around star.

Born and raised in Denmark, Brigitte Nielsen first made her mark as a model but it wasn’t until she began acting that things really took off for her. Best known for her roles in movies like Red Sonja, Rocky IV, and Cobra, Nielsen also became famous for her short-lived marriage to Sylvester Stallone. Continuing to work off and on to this day, Nielsen even returned to the Rocky franchise when she appeared in 2018’s Creed II.

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Lots Of Passion

When word broke that Brigitte Nielsen and Flavor Flav were set to star in The Surreal Life’s third season, nobody could have guessed that they would become a couple. Despite that, the two celebrities seemed to have a genuine and loving bond during episodes of The Surreal Life and their spin-off series, Strange Love. Based on that, some observers may have thought that Flav and Nielsen would be able to make things work long term. After all, Nielsen and Flav were far from the first “reality’ show couple that outsiders thought were weird pairs.

Unfortunately for anyone who liked Flavor Flav and Brigitte Nielsen as a couple, their relationship proved to be rather short-lived. In the aftermath of their breakup, some people who didn’t pay attention to the couple may have assumed that the unusual way they met doomed their relationship. However, lots of celebrities have met their partners in surprising ways and some of them have found lasting happiness.

In reality, there were a couple of reasons why Flavor Flav and Brigitte Nielsen ultimately went their separate ways. First off, the two stars exhibited so much jealousy that they spent a large portion of their time together fighting. Secondly, throughout their relationship, it seemed like Nielsen never fully committed as she still had feelings for another man. Ultimately, Nielsen opted to recommit to her Italian boyfriend, Mattia Dessi which permanently put an end to her fling with Flav.

Relationship Aftermath

When Brigitte Nielsen and Flavor Flav’s breakup, it didn’t take long for her to marry her boyfriend Mattia Dessi and they have remained wed for more than fourteen years at this point. In addition to staying together married, Nielsen announced she was pregnant with Dessi’s baby in 2018. Far from upset when he found out that Nielsen was pregnant, Flav told People that he was overjoyed when he heard the news. “I’m just happy for Gitte. I never took gymnastics but I was flipping when I saw that. Flipping with joy.”

After Brigitte Nielsen and Flavor Flav broke up, he quickly went on to star in the “reality” show Flavor of Love. A Bachelor-style show in which Flav was searching for love among a bunch of different eligible bachelorettes, the show came to an end after three seasons. While Flav didn’t find lasting love from that show, he did go on to marry a woman named Liz Trujillo.

Just like most couples, Flavor Flav and Liz Trujillo’s relationship has had some ups and downs. For that reason, the couple starred in a season of VH1's Couples Therapy together. The help Trujillo and Flav received on that show must have worked for them as according to reports, they remain married to this day.

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