Interesting and Little Known Facts About Paige Davis

I loved watching TLC's Trading Spaces, and missed Paige Davis when she was no longer there. If you haven't already heard, she's returning to Trading Spaces. I didn't know that she had been fired in 2005 - so I decided to find out what else I didn't know about Davis.

Meet Mindy Paige Davis, a resourceful, energetic, and persistent woman.

Paige Davis: The early years
Mindy Paige Davis was born in Philadelphia, Penn. on October 15, 1969. Paige's stepfather, Jim Davis, adopted her. Her stepfather, Rod, raised both Paige and her younger sister, Brooke.

She was very close with her grandmother, even moving in with her to help take care of her as she was close to dying. Davis said that she and her grandmother are eternally linked - her grandmother died on her birthday.

When she was just 13, she found her mother's album from West Side Story, and has been dancing and entertaining since. She worked three jobs and was in a dance company while she was in college. She graduated from Meadows School of Arts at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas.

Paige Davis: Landing the job as Host for Trading Spaces
Learning how Paige landed the job as Host of Trading Spaces is like reading about the benefits of drive, persistence, and self-assuredness.

She originally learned of the opening from a producer at A Wedding Story. Although she sent her resume, she was turned down because she had no TV experience. She is persistent. She kept calling, begging, and asking. She convinced her agent to send the producers a recommendation, saying that Davis was perfect for the job.

The producers gave in, interviewed her, and hired Mindy Paige Davis on the spot. They agreed to drop her first name and the simple name, Paige Davis, was born.

Why was she fired from Trading Spaces? No one really knows why. The producers said they wanted to take the show into a new direction. There's been speculation that it may have involved her antics at a charity event for Broadway Bares / Broadway Cares. They provide support for those in the entertainment business that are affected by HIV/AIDS.

If you see photos of Paige dancing for money, it was during the Broadway Bares event. This was an imitation of a Las Vegas-style revue. It included scantily clad people. Most of the attendees were gay, and Paige danced around, letting patrons put money in her top and her underwear (a thong) for this charity. She later said that her intention was simply to help raise money and she had good intentions.

Paige Davis: Current personal life
Patrick proposed to Paige on New Years Eve 2000-2001, at Cafe des Artistes, the most romantic restaurant in Manhattan. They were married on October 27, 2001.

Even though she had previously applied, and been declined, to be filmed by TLC's A Wedding Story, once she was the Host of Trading Spaces, filming her wedding was a no-brainer. It aired a few months after their wedding.

Borrowing an idea from a magazine, Paige did not carry a bouquet of flowers. She collected flowers from 17 special people who were attending the wedding as she walked down the aisle. There was a leaf attached to each flower that contained a Shakespearean quote on one side (for Patrick, who's a Shakespeare buff), and a handwritten note to Paige on the other.

Paige Davis: Favorites
Food: Alaskan king crab legs, Havarti cheese, cream of mushroom soup
Form of exercising: Dancing
Part of Trading Spaces: The reveals, when homeowners get to see their own home
Charities: While she supports several charities, her favorite is Broadway Cares
Paige Davis: Interesting tidbits
Her mom, Ruth, is a vegan
She met First Lady Laura Bush at the 2003 Library of Congress National Book Festival
Her husband, Patrick, gave her a surprise birthday gift - a Maltese dog she named Sophie