Get To Know OITNB’s Pennsatucky Through Five Facts

***Spoilers Below***

“Orange Is The New Black” released its fifth season on Netflix this month despite dealing with a leak earlier this year.

All of the characters went through trials and tribulations. Few, though, can say that they did so literally. Tiffany “Pennsatucky” Doggett, who we first met and hated and who we now moderately tolerate, literally went on trial.

In a controversial twist, Pennsatucky helped CO Charlie Coates, who assaulted her in season 3, escape the prison. We may not understand those actions.

But ENTITY mag wants to try and help you get to know “OITNB”‘s Pennsatucky through these five facts.

1 “Pennsatucky” is a region.

via Netflix, Orange Is The New Black, Giphy

Tiffany Doggett’s nickname, Pennsatucky, is actually a region of the US. Located in Pennsylvania, “Pennsyltucky,” is the rural area between the major Pennsylvanian cities, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. It’s close to West Virginia and Ohio.

The Appalachian trail, an east coast mountain range, runs through it. Having lived in WV, it would be nice to see Appalachian characters written with a little more sensitivity. The only similar characters, Angie and Leanne, are both drug addicts and one-time religious zealots.

Also, Doggett’s childhood flashbacks are in Waynesboro, Virginia. So it’s possible she’s not even from “Pennsyltucky” at all.

2 Her Teeth Were a Bribe.

When Piper Chapman knocked Doggett out at the end of the show’s first season, CO Healy was in charge. It wouldn’t have happened had Healy not been slacking during the Christmas show. In order to keep Doggett quiet, Healy sent her off to get a shiny pair of new dentures.

This allowed the show to forego the extensive make-up that actress Taryn Manning had to go through for Doggett’s teeth. Doggett’s beautiful replacement set is actually just Manning’s real life pearly whites.

3 Actress Taryn Manning is Multi-Talented.

Taryn Manning, most well-known for playing Doggett, is actually also an accomplished musician. With her brother Kellin, she formed electro-pop duo Boomkat in 2003. Taryn will be in concert this weekend, Sat June 24th, as an act at NYC’s annual Pride event, Teaze.

She spoke with Paste about her new single “GLTCHLFE,” representing an openness to life’s (and technology’s) imperfections. I like to imagine myself standing in front of all of those cool walls wearing such cool dresses. Honestly, that house looks so nice.

4 The Accent Is All Real.

If while listening to the music you thought, “This sounds like Pennsatucky singing,” you would not be wrong. Taryn Manning also hails from Doggett’s home state of Virginia. The actress doesn’t have to adopt an accent unfamiliar to her for the role.

She uses her real teeth AND her real voice. While fans might not recognize her because her appearance and style differs from her character’s, her voice is a dead giveaway.

5 Manning was in “Crossroads.”

via Paramount Pictures, Giphy

Manning is one of the few people on Planet Earth who has had the privilege of being sat on by Britney Spears. Written by ABC Queen-Goddess Shonda Rhimes, “Crossroads” is a movie that has gone on to be a cult classic for the Millennials.

Taryn shared the spotlight with a young Zoe Saldana and Britney Spears. People often remember the karaoke scene in the movie. But it actually dealt with some seriously heavy topics.

We may not all love Pennsatucky, but I would hope that we could all agree on the need for appropriate handling of her story line. “Orange is the New Black” seems to have a controversial take on inmate-correctional officer relationships.

But the fact of the matter is inmates cannot consent to sexual activity while in custody. Portraying it as a relationship that started out “rocky” is dangerous path. So I hope the show can right the ship when season six comes out.