Tiffany Davis: Bad Girl Gone Good

PDFPrintE-mail
By Frances Moffett

Tiffany Torrence Davis made her mark on reality TV on Oxygen’s “Bad Girls Club 3” with her strong yet subtle presence on the show. Now the Chicago native is working to make her mark on her community and the theater scene. Here she tells GMO why she tried out for the show, her new starring role and how she wants to help bad girls become great women.tiff


GMO: You have a background in theater. How did you become interested in that field?

Tiffany:
As a little girl, I would be in the house acting and playing, and I was always interested in different characters. My grandmother had a strong hand in raising me, so I grew up watching classic movies and I was especially drawn to the ones that had dancing and singing in it. It just grabbed my attention. I think [I started to pursue it] in grammar school. I used to do poetry contests, and I used to always try to be animated with it and use characters. When I got to high school, we had the annual play and I was involved with it every year. By the time I got to college, I decided to work backstage. It’s just something I’ve always liked. I’ve always liked being able to become somebody different. I hadn’t touched it in a couple years, and after the show, it gave me the opportunity to open that book up again and do what I love and that was theater.

GMO:
You attended Bradley University. Did you study theater there?

TD: I was actually studying marketing at Bradley, but I would take electives in theater. We talk and laugh about this now, but me and my mom always say that they (family) should have let me do what I wanted to do, but they didn’t. They sent me to Bradley, and I originally wanted to go to a performing arts school. I think my restrictions had a lot to do with me becoming a ‘bad girl’ and not doing what my passion was. So although my major was marketing, I did do things with theater. I kept it around.

GMO: Why did you audition for the "Bad Girls Club" season three?

TD:
I was a fan of the show. I watched seasons one and two. I loved the show; I loved the concept of the show at first because it was for the change. But I felt like it never worked and no one took it seriously. So me and my best friend were just kind of sitting around and she was like, ‘You’re bad. You should go on this show, Tiff. You can do it.’ We sent the email and we had no idea that it would go as far as it did. Next thing you know, I actually got cast for the show and I was filming out in L.A. It still amazes me. It’s still weird that I did it.

GMO: How long was filming?

TD: We filmed for about three months.
 
GMO:
Usually when people come off of reality shows, they act like they were portrayed negatively or they hate the way they were perceived on the show. Are you satisfied with the way you appeared on the show? Do you think you portrayed the real you, or was it more of a character?

TD: I’m satisfied. I never had a problem with the editing. I think what was displayed on the show was completely me. There’s a ton of different sides. They’re gonna show the worst sides of course, but when I’m at my worst, that’s it. I’m a real sweet person. I have a big heart. I’m not a mean girl. I’m nice to pretty much everybody. What you saw was me — my attitude, my frustration, everything. They didn’t portray me as something that I wasn’t.

GMO: So you have no regrets? Would you do it all over again?

TD:
I never had any regrets. I’m not embarrassed. I used what I went through and what I did as a stepping stone, and I think that’s a real important aspect, especially with reality TV. A lot of people get embarrassed, or they try to hold on to that image that they put out there, but I wasn’t trying to put anything out there. I was going to be 100 percent myself. I didn’t try to think about it, I just did it. Whatever came out of that, came out of it.

I can’t speak for everyone else, but it was a great experience for me. I think the one thing that saved me is that I kept my personal stuff to myself. I didn’t put anything sexual out there! It wasn’t about meeting guys and having a ball all the time. I was really trying to work out my issues and my anger problems because I really, really wanted to fix that. I knew what the show was and I knew what could come from it, and I rode that wave all the way out, and in the end, there was success and I was happy for that.

GMO: How did your family react once they were able to see the show?

TD: Everybody was like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s Tiffany!’ But there were moments too where they were like, ‘Oh Tiff, why did you do that?’ My family and friends are 150 percent supportive of any and everything I choose to do. They have my back, and it’s been like that my entire life. Even when I’m wrong, they’re still going to love me. I think that’s the most important thing. That’s what made it smooth sailing for me to deal with my issues because they were so supportive. And I didn’t use my family a lot on the show. I wanted it to be about me, and it was supposed to be about me. Coming back home, they were proud that I did it. They see the change and how much I’m growing, and they’re happy for it. Chicago showed love too!

GMO:
On the show, you were apart of the Fab Five clique. Do you still keep in contact with those girls?

TD: Oh yeah, I keep in touch with everybody. I talk to them all and they’re all doing absolutely wonderful.

 

tiff 2


GMO: How did this whole experience change you — from your personal life to your career?

TD: It’s opened up so many doors. I’ve met so many amazing people who have been out here in the industry for years. I’ve had the opportunity to travel to some amazing places that I’ve never been to. It’s gotten me back into theater. It’s been pretty much overnight success and I’m grateful. I just sit back and I thank God because I think about where I was two, three years ago, and I see where I am now and my happiness is just phenomenal right now. It’s been a long time since I’ve been happy — genuinely happy — when you just wake up and you’re in a good mood and not just putting on a front.

When you close those wounds that you have, and you release so much anger and you learn to deal with yourself, you can deal with almost anybody. The show was a big eye opener, and it got me back on my feet to say now I know I can do anything. I think people forget that and they lose their ambition and I did. I have my ambition completely back right now. I want to do everything! I’ve been doing fashion shows, a little modeling. It’s all cool right now and I’m happy for it. I still have two classes at Bradley and I’ll officially have a BS in marketing. I am going back to school. It’s pushed me to go back and do that.

I put myself in people’s shoes now. I’m a better listener. I take the time out now to get to know people better before telling them all my business. Just watching it, it’s like putting a mirror in front of you, and I think if anything, my mannerisms, how I talk to people, how I approach people, how I deal with my anger — that all has changed for the better. I take my time now before I react. It’s made me better.

GMO: "Bad Girls Club" was just a stepping stone for you. Now you’re moving back into your theater roots. Tell us about Reshanda Henderson’s play “The Mr., the Mrs. and the Lover.”

TD: Well, my character is Tameka. I do have a starring role so I’m so excited. It’s just about different relationships and what we go through. They’re thinking about taking the play on tour. This play is like one of the most amazing things for me right now. I think it’s one of the best things that came out of what I’m doing.

GMO:
You are working to start a foundation to help young girls. Why did you want to start this?

TD: It’s not put together yet, but there’s been a lot of talk about it. The foundation is based off the show. We had so many young fans, so I figured that it would be cool to start an inner-city organization starting here in Chicago where it allows me the opportunity to have youth motivators and counselors and people from different backgrounds to talk to the young women here and guide them. The difference with my foundation, how I’m trying to set it up is that I’m getting the help right along with them. It’s not like I’m telling them, you should do this, you should do that. I’ll be going through this process with these young girls. I still have a lot to learn. I’m still young. I don’t know everything. I can’t answer every question. And these kids nowadays come with a package and sometimes when you open that package, it’s stuff that will blow us away, the stuff that they’ve been through or what they’re going through.

I just want to live in that moment with them and if I can reach out and help anybody, I definitely want to do that. I know that when you’ve been blessed with something great, you have to give back. It’s no fun if you can’t share that part of you. That’s the whole point of the foundation, just to bless these young women and show them different things. I’m trying to set it up where we’re teaching them life lessons by actually doing things, not just standing in front of them talking because you lose them there. I want to show them that it’s okay to be strong and independent and to speak your mind, while at the same time showing them how to do it and working with their attitudes and any other issues they’re going through.

GMO: What are some of your future plans?

TD: Acting! I really want to get into acting like asap! I’m going to be taking acting classes. Theater is still my passion. I have this crazy dream — I want to do a scary movie where I get to fight! Let out some anger that way. (laughs) Everything, the modeling, appearances, comes along with it. I’m trying to stay away from reality at this point. I don’t know if I would do it again, it’s a big question mark. But acting is the next thing on the list. I like to step outside the box.


Frances' Facts: Frances Moffett is the Midwest Editor of GlossMagazineOnline.com. A graduate of Columbia College Chicago with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, she is also a PR coordinator and editorial assistant for a not-for-profit organization and has written for a variety of publications, including Jet Magazine and The Chicago Defender. In addition to journalism, she also writes poetry and short stories. To contact Frances, email her at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .