Bravo is building a bittersweet museum to get viewers talking to their exes and about its new series A Night With My Ex.
Each of the 10 episodes of the series, which has its debut on July 18, features a couple reunited for an evening, hashing out their feelings in an apartment rigged with cameras.
“There’s a lot that happens in this show. There’s a lot of positive uplifting moments and then, of course, there’s a lot of shocking revelations, which makes for great TV,” said Maria Laino DeLuca, senior VP of consumer marketing at Bravo. “Everyone has an ex. This whole idea of heartbreak really is universal.”
Before the show’s premiere, Bravo is urging people to post what they’d say to a former spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend if they encountered them using the hashtag #MessageMyEx.
As part of the effort, the network is staging an “Ex’hibition” at a pop-up New York outpost of The Museum of Broken Relationships—which believe it or not is a real thing.
The museum, started by a couple of Croatian artists, is headquartered in Los Angeles. Among the items on display is a toaster loved by a man for browning his bread perfectly that was stolen by his girlfriend after they split. There are also pictures, letters and other items.
“We thought this was a perfect fit for us,” DeLuca said. “Our pop-up store in New York is intended to give you that roller coaster of emotions that you feel when it comes to your ex.”
Bravo’s East Coast Ex’hibition will feature similar items from around the world, plus some donated by personalities on Bravo shows.
Cynthia Bailey of Real Housewives of Atlanta is donating a pair of sunglasses from the collection she named after her ex-husband Peter Thomas. Ramona Singer of Real Housewives of New York is contributing her wedding invitation and photo album.
The Ex’hibition will also feature food, including “Eat Your Feelings” popsicles in flavors like Watermelon Resentment, a makeover station with Priv beauty products, and the network is assembling customized Spotify soundtracks featuring songs about breaking up, including Since U Been Gone by Kelly Clarkson and Cry Me a River by Justin Timberlake.
Visitors will be able to share what they’d say to their ex, and those messages will be put on display in the museum.
The pop-up museum will be open July 16 and 17 in New York’s Flatiron Plaza and open to all visitors. There will also be promotion for A Night With My Ex at the L.A. outpost of the museum.
“The genesis of all of this was to start that conversation and get people to talk about if given the chance what they would say to their ex,” said DeLuca.
On July 5, Bravo launches a social media campaign with Facebook encouraging people to join the conversation using the hashtag #MessageMyEx. The campaign will also be promoted across Bravo’s social handles and BravoTV.com.
After the show premieres on July 18 at 10 p.m., Bravo will re-air the first episode at 10:30, simulcasting it on Twitter Live and Facebook Live. That rebroadcast will include a second screen social stunt that will put viewers’ messages to their exes within the program so fans can see their comments on air.
The launch of A Night With My Ex is also being supported with a full multimedia off-channel promotional campaign, with substantial TV, online and social elements.
A Night With My Ex is produced by Twofour America with Melanie Leach, Andrew Mackenzie, Bernie Schaeffer, David Eilenberg and Derek W. Wan serving as executive producers.
