Show gets channel's biggest audience ever

Former Public Enemy sidekick Flavor Flav has cemented his position as perhaps the most unlikely TV star ever with huge ratings for the finale of "Flavor of Love 2."

The hour-long finale on VH1 Sunday, in which Flav picked contestant "Deelishis" as his love match -- if they get married, will she be "Deelishis Flavor"? -- drew 7.5 million viewers, the most ever to watch a program on the cable network. It was also far and away the No. 1 show on cable for the night.

It also scored a 4.6 rating among adults 18-49, another all-time record for the channel. In that demographic, which advertisers love so much, "Flavor of Love" was the top-rated non-sports show on basic cable for all of 2006. (A few other shows, including AMC's movie "Broken Trail" and the season premiere of "The Closer" on TNT, drew bigger overall audiences.)

The ratings for the season two finale easily outpace the first "Flavor of Love," which drew 5.9 million viewers to its final episode.

"Flavor of Love 2" was Flav's fourth go-round on VH1. He first appeared on the third season of "The Surreal Life," then co-starred with Brigitte Nielsen on the spinoff "Strange Love" before landing his own "Bachelor"-style show.

"Flavor of Love" has itself spawned a spinoff now. "Flavortte" will have a pack of men vying for Flav rejectee Tiffany "New York" Patterson; it doesn't have an airdate yet.