The Celebreality Interview – Darra

Schatar’s pissed! Darra’s pissed! Everybody’s pissed!

After being booted from Charm School this week on a technicality (because she was the partner of accused thief Schatar), Darra speaks out. During out exclusive interview with her, the feisty Flavor of Love 2 talks Schatar, her bust-up with Saaphyri and how she can allow criticism on her size roll off her back.

I thought that you had a chance to go all the way on Charm School.

I did, too. I’m actually disgusted by the fact that I was eliminated because I didn’t give enough. My clothing is what made the majority of our tally.

I submitted a brand new suit with the tags on it that was worth $350 and only got $70 for it, and was still happy to give it.

You seemed surprised that Schatar’s clothing wasn’t worth as much as she said it would be. But didn’t you get the sense from just seeing what Schatar wore on a daily basis that maybe her clothes weren’t as "couture" as she said they were?

I got concerned when I’m seeing her take things out of her bag that are nothing. And it’s almost empty. It’s like T-shirts. T-shirts aren’t couture! Just because someone spent $50 on a T-shirt does not make it couture. And, you know, I’m a large woman. By material alone, my clothing is going to be more expensive. That’s just the way this country rolls. And then to top it off, I was about to pull that weave off her head. [The thrift-store worker] said he was going to give her money for that weave and she would not take it off. If she won that $50,000, she could have worn another one! I was like, "Oh no. Where the scissors?"

Do you think Schatar is a liar or does she believe what she says?

I think the woman is delusional. She has been lying for so long and so well that she just believes her stories. Sometimes it becomes ingrained. You know, bipolar disorder combined or the wrong drugs and there you go: it’s over. But you know, this isn’t the end of the world. I’m not going to kill her for this. I don’t hate her for this. But, yeah, I am a little pissed. But whose fault is it really? I chose! But damn. I got bamboozled.

Generally speaking, did you get along with the girls in the house?

I did. Even though Saaphyri and I had that argument, I got along with that girl.

Were you surprised that she snapped at you the way she did?

When I offered her clothes, that was from my heart. I would have given her anything. I couldn’t afford to put all my stuff in the bag [to sell at the thrift store], but I did what I could. And this girl who had way less than me put everything in her bag to win. I wasn’t going to let her walk around the house butt naked.

She called you "fake." Any idea why?

Who knows.  Anyone could have been having a conversation with her, gossiping, lying on me. We’re sitting in a house, everyone’s frustrated. They want to win, they don’t know what’s going on and they’re talking about each other all the time. How convenient would it be for someone to say something bad about me to get her mad and to get me eliminated? People are crafty like that.

So there was a lot of gossip in the house?

Everybody was talking about everybody. I tried my best to keep out of it, but you know, as the numbers get smaller and smaller, you always end up talking about somebody.

I know that you have a 12-year-old daughter. Does she watch the show?

This one she does watch, the last one [Flavor of Love 2] she did not. Too much neckin’.

Is it weird for her to see her mom on TV?

It totally is. But what’s even weirder is all the attention I get on the street. It’s a lot crazier this time than the last. I guess because everybody knows me and that they know that I actually live in Jersey City, they’re telling their friends and they’re telling their friends and they’re telling their friends so that 20 times as many people are coming up to me in the street, talking to me. The same goes for when I go across the river into New York. I’m a Celebreality fixture that they can touch, see, smell and feel, and then, my personality is completely approachable. I think people have a natural affinity for me and the things I’ve gone through, like that ugly-ass dress. They feel like there’s so much realness in me that I’m completely approachable, which is a good thing because I am completely approachable. Except for when these little kids start to holler and scream my name across the mall. Then, I’m like, "You know what? I’mma tell your momma that you’re running your mouth in the street like this. You know she wouldn’t let you scream like that." It’s like, go home. You know you ain’t got no money for that McDonalds.

So, has being recognized gotten to the point of being annoying? I’m sure by now the novelty has worn off.

The novelty does wear off, but the most positive thing about this is that I get to exercise patience with a lot of people. I do wish people knew more about reality TV. I don’t want to spend a whole conversation talking about what so and so did on the show and who won. If there’s anything you can put on this blog, it’s to ask people to stop asking me who won. I don’t know who won, I didn’t talk to nobody after I got kicked off. I don’t know and even if I did know, I would not tell you because VH1 ain’t suing me and taking my house.

Did you find the lessons you learned on the show to be useful?

Well, as I went, I didn’t learn anything I didn’t already know. Etiquette? Second nature. Come on, I was a debutante. Business? I own my own company, I’ve been in marketing forever. Debate? I wanna punch that debate man in the head because we won that debate. I had debate class, come on. So this was all a refresher course for me. It was nice to get that and relive all the things that I used to do.

And then there was the fashion challenge. You seemed really upset on the runway at the judging.

The tears were coming from the battery pack of my mic strapped tight around my thigh. It was so tight it left a bruise on my inner thigh for a week and a half. Because of the way the dress was designed, there was no other place to put it and I obviously needed a mic so you could hear what I was saying. I had to wait for everyone to do their commentary to kindly ask if I could take it off.

See, I thought maybe your ego was bruised.

Ego bruised for what? Someone telling me there was fat hanging out of the sides of me and they didn’t like my dress? All five of those panelists had fat, had something on their teeth, had something coming out their nose, had been in situations just like mine. Was I embarrassed? The dress was ugly! I didn’t think it was ugly till I put the damn thing on. But wasn’t it funny, though? All you can do is laugh and try your best, baby.

Given that you embrace your body type and openly call yourself "big," does it hurt when the girls refer to you as "fat?"

No. If the only thing they can say about me is that I’m fat, how stupid do they look?Anybody calling me fat, it’s just because they can. They’re not funny. They’re not original. That s*** is boring. If the only thing you can say about someone is that they’re big, how are you insulting them? I’m already walking around knowing that I’m big. It don’t mean that I’m bad. I don’t mean that I’m ugly. Plus, I ain’t that fat. I ain’t no stuck-to-the-mattress, 300 lbs. woman. Fat is when you’re too big to get up off the sofa.

So what’s coming up for you?

My company, LadyBug Media Inc. is on blast. This Thursday (May 24) in New York at Lava Gina (116 Ave C, between 7th & 8th St.), starting at 8 p.m., we’re having one of our first events. I’m hosting it and it’s for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Anyone is welcome to come by and donate. Also, every Monday night, I do a show in Atlantic City on 99.3 The Buzz. For whatever reason, South Jersey loves me. I also just finished doing a photo shoot for Fire magazine, I’ll be on the cover for that. I also write, I have a column at Center Stage magazine. You gotta watch out for me because the second time around on VH1 has done wonders for my career.

Event info:

Keep up with Darra and LadyBug Media Inc. by visiting Darra’s MySpace and LadyBug Media’s MySpace.