From her early career in the theater to an acclaimed stint as the host of TLC’s Trading Places, Paige Davis has proved her mettle as an exceptional television personality and actress. She replaced Alex McLeod on Trading Places in 2001 and has since made several appearances on the show and other television programs. Davis’ multipotentiality has seen her excel in other aspects of the entertainment industry.
Before her television career shot her to fame, Paige Davis trained and performed in musical theater. She toured with a theater company, performing as Babette the Feather Duster in the Broadway musical Beauty and the Beast for over two years. Davis also performed as a dancer and appeared in many commercials in her budding days. She still performs in theater and continues to host television programs such as the home improvement series Home Made Simple. Let’s dig in and explore the lesser-known facts about the Trading Places host.
Early Life of Paige Davis
Of American nationality, Paige Davis was born on October 15, 1969, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She spent her formative years in different places, completing her first grade through part of fifth at Charles H. Bird Elementary School in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. She later attended the Louisville Youth Performing Arts School while living in Kentucky. Davis attended the Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas for college.
Paige Davis was 13 years old when she found her mother’s West Side Story album and fell in love with the performing arts. As such, her passion for the arts began early and she explored it by training in musical theater and dance. For two and a half years, Davis toured with the Broadway musical Beauty and the Beast, performing the role of the Feather Duster. Often credited as Mindy Paige Benson in her budding years, Davis appeared in numerous commercials after gaining prominence in her television career.
She Became the Host of Trading Places in 2001
In 2001, the TLC cable network replaced Alex McLeod with Paige Davis as the host of its home improvement reality television program Trading Spaces. She garnered fans on the show but TLC decided to shake things up in 2005 by axing Davis to experiment on the show without a host. Removing Davis as host is partly due to her appearance on TV Guide clad in only wallpaper. She also performed a faux striptease at a charity event for AIDS. While she maintained that she was dressed modestly during the striptease, the story went viral with different versions that didn’t look good for her reputation.
Subsequently, she struck a multi-year deal to develop a reality show with television syndication company King World Productions/CBS. The contract yielded no result but TLC brought Davis back to host Trading Places in 2008. After eight seasons, TLC pulled the plug on Trading Places. Nevertheless, a 2018 revival saw Davis return as host of the reality television series alongside several original team members. Davis also hosts The Best Of Trading Spaces which comprises new segments and interviews. The program has aired on TLC’s sister channel OWN since January 2011.
Beyond Trading Places, Paige Davis has hosted other shows such as her 2012 stint on the morning talk show Home and Family on Hallmark Channel and joining the cast of the home improvement series Home Made Simple in 2011 as host. She was a guest judge on the Food Network’s Iron Chef America and competed on CBS’s Gameshow Marathon with other celebrities participating for charity. Davis has continued her theater career, performing with different companies. She played the title role in the Pioneer Theatre Company’s Hello, Dolly! production in 2022.
Paige Davis’ Wedding Was Featured On TLC
Paige Davis has been married twice, first to Greg Benson on May 1, 1994, but the marriage ended in a divorce on October 25, 2001. Two days after her divorce, she married her second husband, actor Patrick Page on October 27, 2001. Their wedding was televised on TLC’s A Wedding Story (2001), originally aired on December 29, 2001.
In addition to being Paige Davis‘ costar in Beauty and the Beast, Page is an established actor known for his roles in Spirited (2022), The Gilded (2022), and Schmigadoon (2021-2023). He also doubles as a low bass singer and playwright. Adopting her husband’s last name means Davis’ name would be Paige Page. Thus, she chose to retain her maiden name. Check out the best design and renovation shows on HGTV.
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