How Reality Tastes 

& Should We Indulge? 

A Closer Look at The Flavor of Love

There is a broad scale of the quality of reality television, ranging from the most socially accepted shows, that most everyone or their mother watches, to the ones that you adamantly deny knowing what the concept of the show even is. I think there is always some hesitation for people to admit what reality television they find themselves being consumed in while they sit on their couches, for fear of judgement, I would say, of their very own character. Does our television schedule actually say something about us? Why would we ever be embarrassed about what other people are doing on a small screen in our living room? There are thousands of other people in the world obviously watching it too, or else it wouldn't be on a network. What do the shows translate to as far as our culture and society? Can you judge a person on the type of shows they watch? There are plenty of reality television shows that you may not want to admit you watch, and I believe the Flavor of Love is the dictionary definition of a guilty pleasure. This being said, I do not believe that the show is an accurate depiction of women, even those women involved; it is purely a curation of specific casting, outrageous challenges, and induced stress on the participants that created something very unique, something that only comes about once in a blue moon. 

Flavor Flav & Season One Contestants

The Flavor of Love began in 2006 and by the end of it's first season, the it was able to  entice 6 million viewers to witness the finale, the unveiling of the winner of Flavor Flav's heart. ("Flavor of Love 2' Debut Sets All-time VH1 Premiere Ratings Record") The Flavor of Love is like any other dating show where there is a group of people (in this case, women) competing for the affection, one-on-one dating time, and overall pick from a single individual (this case, the hip-hop group Public Enemy's hype man Flavor Flav). It is different however, than say, The Bachelor, because of the producer's carefully crafted choice of not only the contestants, but clearly, the bachelor himself. Flavor is a colorful sort of person, there is no denying that, and from watching the show, he seems like he does have a good heart and does want to find that special someone. The ladies competing for Flavor are equally colorful in personality, and individually, they may be relatable (in the way that you may know someone them) but there is no other situation in the world that this selection of women would or should ever be housed under the same roof. The Flavor of Love is a calculated chemical reaction, it's almost like looking at the sun, or an arguing couple on the sidewalk: you simply cannot look away. 

"Hottie"

The guilt from watching Flavor of Love would probably come from the interactions of the participants involved, Flavor Flav included. The feeling of disgust or offense may also come into play for some. This is where the main premise of the show is important to understand: it has a very satirical overtone. It was not made to be serious, take for instance, on several occasions, the production crew added in the classic "ch-ching" sound every time one girl, nicknamed "Hottie," blinked, reason being that she made it abundantly clear that her motives were driven by monetary gain (Infamously quoted saying, "Flav is already my man, this is my mansion and my money" during a first-night interview). That being said, I would like to bring up the topic of their nicknames themselves. Flav claimed he would be  unable to remember their actual names, so there was time allotted during part of the first episode to
their renaming. The argument could be made that this is degrading or objectifying: who would try to date a man that cannot even be bothered to memorize their name? One article in Essence magazine, written by Deborah Dickerson, describes the scenario as "scrawling juvenile, sexualized, nicknames on tags he then gropingly affixes to their breasts and behinds." (p. 154) thought this may be true until I realized their names add to their character/persona on the show, like Flavor Flav has for himself. For example, "Hottie" was dressed very provocatively during the naming ceremony, baby pink and feathers galore, and she continued to be clad in more questionable fashion throughout her time on air. I feel like Hottie's name isn't completely serious, no offense to her personally. "Goldie" was a very positive, funny woman. Another contestant, "Pumkin", was a major player in a drama line that existed through most of the show. I feel that her name captured her personality in a way, not extremely likable or dislikable, but it was not a sexy, serious, name either. On the other side of the spectrum is "New York", a very glamorous woman, with a very strong, abrupt personality. New York and Pumkin went on to have several verbal altercations throughout the show, ending in one of the most infamous reality tv scenes ever, detailed later.

"New York", "Pumkin", "Hottie"

Altercations or friction between characters on reality tv is always important. It may just be one of the 10 reality show commandments, which is one reason why I wonder if reality says something about us personally. There was certainly plenty of conflict on the Flavor of Love, seemingly all centered around New York. She began to rub the other contestants the wrong way when she made it clear that she was not there for anyone else, not to be friends or friendly, just to be there for the main goal: the heart of Flavor Flav. New York is a complex character, which is essential for the show to keep viewers interested. "New York establishes her role as a volatile manipulator and calculating temptress, pitting the women against each other and spouting hilarious put-downs." (Dubrofsky & Hardy, p. 383) Tiffany "New York" Pollard may have been the producer's best luck of the show, considering what a major impact she had on Flavor (she was in the final contestants not only once, but twice, appearing in Seasons One and Two). In an article for pop culture website, Vulture,  co-creator Mark Cronin and casting associate Douglas Howington reflect on how they found the contestants, specifically New York, and neither can recall who discovered her or how she made her way on to the show, but both give a nod to her talent marketing, claiming, "She was just a walking time bomb of awesomeness for reality TV." (Lorre) The most infamous of New York's altercations summarized: Pumkin was being eliminated for hiding/lying to Flav about her previous reality tv experiences, New York was antagonizing Pumkin by telling her for the umpteenth time that she needs a face-lift, which resulted in Pumkin spitting on New York near her face, which broke out into a bigger physical fight. If it's not clear already, the guilty feelings come in when the show is over and you realize what you've been filling your head with.

Comparatively speaking, the Flavor of Love may make much of reality television look more tame and less of a guilty pleasure. The Flavor of Love makes a lot of other reality shows look normal. I feel like there are some shows I might hesitate to admit that I watch, but I wouldn't hesitate to admit that I've indulged in Flavor of Love because if you're speaking to someone who has seen it also, they're hopefully going to have some sort of appreciation for exactly how terrible it truly is. The Flavor of Love set the bar so low, but in doing that, they created something that will probably never be recreated quite so perfectly. Although some arguments may be made about very serious cultural issues that the Flavor of Love may highlight, it does so in the way that it draws attention to them in a hilarious way. If you find yourself getting worked up over an episode, well, maybe it's just not your type of humor. 

Dickerson, Debra. "Slaves to the Clock." Essence n.d.: 154. Academic OneFile. Web. 14 Feb. 2017.

Dubrofsky, Rachel E., and Antoine Hardy. "Performing Race in Flavor of Love and The Bachelor." Critical Studies in Media Communication 25.4 (2008): 373-92.Communication Source. Web. 10 Feb. 2017.

Lorre, Rose Maura. "How Flavor of Love Cast Hottie, New York, and Other Memorable Contestants." Vulture. New York Magazine, 6 Mar. 2014. Web. 15 Feb. 2017.

"Flavor of Love 2' Debut Sets All-time VH1 Premiere Ratings Record." Reality TV World. Reality TV World, 09 Aug. 2006. Web. 14 Feb. 2017.