Click here for complete coverage of the 2011 Upfronts
Bravo will up its original programming hours by
20% in 2011, adding 11 new series to its slate, the network announced Wednesday
in advance of its upfront event.
Among the new series previewed at the upfront
Wednesday evening in New York were Interior
Therapy with Jeff Lewis, following the house-flipper as he redesigns
people's homes and personal lives, Mad
Fashion with Project Runway alum
Chris March and Roble & Co., which
follows chef Roble Ali as he launches a new catering business.
Bravo has also picked up It's a Brad Brad World, with Rachel Zoe's former assistant Brad
Goreski as he starts his solo career as a stylist, and renewed several series
including Top Chef Just Desserts, The Real Housewives (Beverly Hills and
Atlanta), Bethenny Ever After,
and Tabatha's Salon Takeover.
After Bravo President Frances Berwick finished
touting the net's growth areas, including a 9% jump in adults 18-49, Andy
Cohen, senior VP of original programming and development and host of Watch What Happens Live, introduced
attendees to the cast of "Bravolebreties" in attendance, including ladies from
the Real Housewives of New York and
New Jersey franchises, Rosie Pope from Pregnant
in Heels, Chris March from Mad
Fashion and several Top Chef
alums. In fact, the roomful of media buyers was so atwitter with the presence
of the stars that Cohen had a hard time keeping their attention through his
speech.
Upfront attendees were treated to a two-course dinner
based on the two meals prepared in the Top
Chef finale Wednesday night, one halibut and pork shoulder, the other raw Hamachi
and black cod. The theme of the event at The 82 Mercer Space in Manhattan's
Soho neighborhood was "Breakthough by Bravo," and throughout the evening guests
were allowed to "break through" into different rooms, starting with the cocktail
lounge, then the dining room, the Top
Chef screening room and finally the Watch
What Happens Live studio, where guests sat in as the live studio audience
for the show's Top Chef finale
special.
