Former Rattler Alyssa “Redd” Carswell blew the Windy City away as one of the new cast members of Oxygen’s original series “Bad Girls Club.”
After hosting more than 20 shows on Florida A&M’s campus, Rattlers may know Redd as the loud, humorous woman who gave a good dancing shakedown.
“FAMU is what allowed me to start my road trip to BGC,” Redd said.
Hosting shows is what helped Redd hone her craft, improving her voice projection and increasing her popularity.
Her first time hosting a dance show on campus started off with, “Coming up next is uhh, House Arrest,” one of the dance teams at FAMU. Redd stepped backstage, took a deep breath, and after the first act, it just came to her.
“I remember saying: ‘What’s up y’all? Dang, I’m tired. I had to walk up these stairs.’ ” Redd recalled.
After Redd heard laughter from the audience, she said it was “go time” for her, and she stole the show.
Jevon Mack, a third-year theater student from Miami, said Redd stood out from the student body.
“She’s like a born star, changing lives without intent,” Mack said. “She knows pain, so she’s not afraid to laugh and make others laugh.”
“Bad Girls Club” wasn’t always in the picture for Redd. She was striving to travel and perform at other historically black colleges and universities, such as Bethune-Cookman University and Alabama A&M, and ultimately became known as “that college host.”
But Redd realized her potential and decided that she wanted more.
“I felt like I had a story to tell,” Redd said. “I wanted change, so I decided to audition for ‘Bad Girls Club.’ “
Malik Willingham, CEO of Powercirle LLC and Redd’s manager, said he was all for her auditioning for “Bad Girls Club.”
“I support her in anything she does,” Willingham said. “Whatever move she wants to make, I push her to make it happen and vice versa. That’s what a team does.”
Willingham believes Redd is the perfect fit for “Bad Girls Club” because she had something different to bring to the table, not just this proclaimed “bad girl” image. She actually had something going for herself, he said.
For Redd, the experience on “Bad Girls Club” was overwhelming. The girls took her up and they took her down.
“I’ve never been in a facility like that,” Redd said. “I never lived like that or seen the (rich) people I seen. Everyone is not going to get along. Some people are going to agree to disagree, but it’s like that in the real world.”
The show finished taping in Chicago, but viewers will find out this spring that there is more to know about this funny diva. The new season of “Bad Girls Club” will premier May 13 at 8 p.m. on Oxygen.