Daisy of Love

From LoveToKnow Reality-TV

VH1's hit reality show Daisy of Love is one installment in the network’s incredibly popular matchmaking series of shows.

He loves me, he loves me not.

VH1 started out their "of Love" shows trying to find love for celebs whose hold on fame was waning – think Flavor Flav and Bret Michaels – but much like The Bachelor, some of the contestants of the shows became big enough stars in their own right to earn their own televised search for Mr./Ms. Right. New York, former Flavor Flav suitor, has parlayed her appearance on the first installment of Flavor of Love into four VH1 reality shows and counting. Now it is Daisy’s turn to look for love while establishing herself as reality TV top brass.

Daisy De La Hoya – Haven’t We Seen You Somewhere Before?

First, a word on that familiar "De La Hoya" name: Daisy initially said that she was the niece of boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya. He denied the claim, and she later said that their family relationship was "complicated."

Of course, Daisy did not become famous by being related to a boxer. Rather, she entered into fame during the second season of Rock of Love. There, she joined 20 women in a fight for the love of Bret Michaels, lead singer of 80's hair metal band Poison. Daisy was the runner up on that show, eventually losing to the closer-to-Michaels’-age Ambre.

During the Rock of Love series, Daisy captured the attention of viewers for a few reasons. She was very emotional and seemed absolutely invested in winning Bret’s love and support. Commenters on the show message boards frequently praised (and slammed) the way she wore her heart on her sleeve and discussed the sense that she seemed to be a little lost and in need of help. Daisy also became famous from the skeletons that began to fall out of her closet during the second half of the Rock of Love season. First, viewers (and Bret) found out that she was still living with her ex-boyfriend, and then that Daisy had had a "friendship" with one of Bret’s band mates, fellow VH1 Celebreality alum C.C. DeVille (who had appeared on The Surreal Life).

Viewers generally were pleased to see Bret choose Ambre at the end, but they still clamored to know what was going on with Daisy. Hence Daisy of Love was created.

About Daisy of Love

Season one of Daisy of Love premiered on VH1 on April 26, 2009. She employed the Flavor Flav-inspired technique of eschewing proper names in favor of nicknames she bestowed on the contestants. The guys competing for Daisy’s love were:

’84
’85
’86 (these three contestants were triplet brothers)
6 Gauge
12 Pack (12 Pack also appeared on I Love New York)
Big Rig
Brooklyn
Cable Guy
Cage
Chi Chi
Dropout
Flex
Flipper
Fox
London
Professor
Sinister
Tool Box
Torch
Weasel

Riki Rachtmann, who is best known for his role as host of MTV’s Headbangers' Ball in the late ‘80s and early 90s, serves as Daisy’s advisor on Daisy of Love. Rachtmann has hosted all of the Rock of Love reunion events on VH1 and became friends with Daisy through those tapings.

No Thanks, Daisy

One feature of Daisy of Love that sets it apart from other VH1 reality shows is the number of contestants who eliminated themselves from the competition. Early on in the show, four contestants quit the show, and three other eliminations were essentially mutually agreed upon before the ceremony.

One major blow to Daisy came when London quit the show. London seemed to easily be the front runner for Daisy’s heart, according to both his fellow contestants and viewers. London decided that the reality TV life was not for him, so he left the competition. Daisy appeared to be genuinely upset at his departure. London has subsequently said that he believes he made the right decision.