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Reality TV has come a long way in the last decade and a half. But nothing has quite topped Flavor of Love. In the Bachelor-esque dating show, renowned rapper Flavor Flav lived in a mansion with 20 women, all vying for a chance to date him. It was a long way from Flav’s rap days, when he was one of the best hype men in the game.

Schatar Taylor lying sideways on a couch in front of a white wall
Schatar ‘Hottie’ Taylor | Alberto Rodriguez/Getty Images for Fox

Public Enemy is still performing, although recently without Flav. But now, more than a decade after Flavor of Love first aired, it is still one of the things Flav is best known for, despite his prolific music career. According to The Things, Flavor of Love was a success because of Flav’s fans. 

‘Flavor of Love’ was either genius or terrible 

Fans turned into contestants on Flavor of Love. When girls sign up to The Bachelor, they may or may not have heard of the man they are going to be courting. For the Flavor of Love contestants, Flav himself was the draw. According to co-creator Mark Cronin, Public Enemy fans were lined up around the block for a chance to date Flav. 

The contestants weren’t always the most stable individuals, and Cronin thinks that being locked away in a house with cameras, 20 Public Enemy fans, and Flavor Flav wasn’t exactly good for their mental stability.

However, contestants went through “some kind of psychological screening” to make sure they weren’t unstable. All those ingredients combined to make a show that was always entertaining, although at times maybe for the wrong reasons. 

‘Flavor of Love’ contestant Schatar ‘Hottie’ Sapphira Taylor had an ivy league degree 

The Flavor of Love contestants came from all walks of life. At the beginning of the show, Flav gave each girl his own customized nickname. None of the ladies were known by their real names. Schatar Sapphira Taylor was nicknamed “Hottie,” although “Brainy” may have been more accurate. People may make assumptions about the girls vying for Flav’s attention, but Taylor probably bucks all of them. 

Hottie is an Ivy League graduate, and according to Cronin, she really REALLY loved Flav:

“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.”

Unfortunately, Hottie wasn’t chosen to move into the mansion with Flav. Hoopz, the girl who won Flavor of Love, didn’t actually stay with the rapper very long. She went on to have a relationship with Shaquille O’Neal. So even though Flav didn’t pick the right girl for him, it seems like he was spot on with the nickname. 

Schatar ‘Hottie’ Sapphira Taylor was glad to entertain people on ‘Flavor of Love’ 

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Taylor told the UPenn Gazette that she saw being Hottie as a role, despite the fact that she was on a reality TV show. Taylor always wanted to be in the entertainment business and was working as an actor when VH1 producers emailed her to join the cast of Flavor of Love. 

She told the Gazette that Flavor of Love meant “I could provide comedy in a way that I thought would be entertaining to viewers.” It seems like Taylor achieved her goal. Hottie was entertaining. According to Taylor, she was one of the best parts of the show:

“No one could have predicted the success of the show. It is now number one on VH1 and my character, Hottie, is the [show’s] most popular girl in the United States and in London.”

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