BRAVO'S HIT SERIES 'PROJECT RUNWAY' EXTENDED WITH A SPECIAL EPISODE AND A TWO-HOUR FINALE

BRAVO'S HIT SERIES 'PROJECT RUNWAY' EXTENDED WITH A SPECIAL EPISODE AND A TWO-HOUR FINALE

SPECIAL EPISODE AIRS WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 16 AT 9:00 PM

TWO-HOUR FINALE AIRS WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23 AT 9:00 PM

New York, NY � February 2, 2005 � Due to the overwhelming success and popularity of "Project Runway," Bravo's newest hit series hosted by Heidi Klum, a special episode has been added to the schedule and will air on Wednesday, February 16 at 9:00 p.m. In addition, the season finale of the search for the next great designer, will air on Wednesday, February 23 and has been extended to two hours (9:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m.). The announcement was made today by Lauren Zalaznick, President of Bravo.

"In the series' first seven episodes, 'Project Runway' has continued to generate great buzz," said Zalaznick. "By extending the run of this high quality, high drama, highly addictive series, we hope to give viewers more of what they have been enjoying so far."

On Wednesday, February 16 (9:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.), viewers will have an opportunity to see some of the amusing and sensational moments from the previous challenges that did not make it into the preceding shows. The episode will also feature new interviews with the contestants and judges reacting to their experiences during the course of the challenges, as well as their personal reactions as they watch the series on television. Contestants will share their thoughts on how the series has also impacted their careers and lives.

On Wednesday, February 23 (9:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m.), the final three contestants will face-off in a runway show in New York Fashion Week. Each contestant will present their line before the judges, the media, and an audience of industry luminaries. At the end, the winner of "Project Runway" will be crowned. The winner's designs will be photographed for ELLE by the magazine's world-renowned Publication Director, Gilles Bensimon. The winning designer will also receive $100,000 in seed money to help them launch their own line and a mentorship from the Banana Republic Design Team. "Project Runway" continues to grow in the ratings and has recently helped Bravo achieve its highest ratings on a Wednesday in the history of the network.

"Project Runway" is executive produced by Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz of Magical Elves ("Project Greenlight," "Last Comic Standing,") and Heidi Klum. Klum's managers and fashion world experts Desiree Gruber and Jane Cha of NYC-based Full Picture also executive produced the series. Barbara Schneeweiss, director of television, and Jennifer Berman, senior vice president of production and development, oversee the production on behalf of Miramax Television. "Project Runway" is sponsored by Banana Republic, Cotton, Inc. and L'Oreal Paris.