Famous for her manic energy and bright engaging smile, Taniya Nayak was born in Nagpur, India, and came to the US as an infant with her family, who settled in Boston, MA, where she was raised. Her father is B.D. Nayak, a renowned Boston-area architect. Taniya graduated from Weymouth High in 1991, from the University of Massachusetts-Lowell with a B.A. in Marketing and is pursuing her M.A. in Interior Design at Boston Architectural College. She shared an award for Top Honors in the International Interior Design Associations' Student Sketch Problem Competition.In addition to her work on television, Taniya has founded her interior design company "Design Digs", advising clients on decorating for teenagers' rooms. She also spent over 13 years as a bartender/mixologist for many of Boston's trendier restaurants and clubs, including Venu, Felt and Bar Lola. In 2001 she was voted one of "Boston's Most Beloved Bartenders" by the Improper Bostonian.Taniya recently married her long-time fiancé Brian O'Donnell, who co-owns the Boston restaurants Vinalia and Zita, and manages Felt.