RIP THE RUNWAY Unites Fierce Fashion With Today's Hottest Music, Featuring Designers Rachel Roy, Tennille White, LaQuan Smith, Man vs. Machine, Lila Nikole and WISB 'Way It Should Be' Apparel

WIZ KHALIFA, KERI HILSON, FABOLOUS, LLOYD, MELANIE FIONA, MIGUEL, AND NEW BOYZ WILL ROCK THE RUNWAY WITH ELECTRIFYING PERFORMANCES

NEW YORK, Feb. 23, 2011 -- BET Networks dominates the catwalk with its seventh annual RIP THE RUNWAY. Sexy duo Mehcad Brooks and Selita Ebanks will strut their stuff as the hosts of the most fashion forward night in style and sound on Saturday, February 26 in New York City's Hammerstein Ballroom. A celebration of music and fashion's relationship, this year's RIP THE RUNWAY will feature the collections of Rachel Roy, Tennille White, LaQuan Smith, Man vs. Machine, Lila Nikole and Haitian designer WISB "Way It Should Be" Apparel, along with dynamic performances by musical heavyweights Wiz Khalifa, Keri Hilson, Fabolous, Lloyd, Melanie Fiona, Miguel and New Boyz.

Labeled as the most fashionable night on television which pairs hip sounds with sexy style, RIP THE RUNWAY premieres on Monday, March 21 at 10 p.m.*

BET has once again teamed with Cossette Productions, the famed producers of the GRAMMY Awards(R) and the record-setting BET AWARDS shows, to handle production of RIP THE RUNWAY. Stephen Hill, president of music programming and specials for BET Networks, along with Lynne Harris-Taylor, vice president of specials for BET Networks, will executive produce the telecast.

Joining the sexy models on the catwalk will be the winner of the "Rip The Runway's Amateur Model Contest." The competition finalists will first appear on BET's "106 & Park" today to compete for the opportunity to walk the runway in RIP THE RUNWAY. The aspiring models will be judged by RIP THE RUNWAY host Selita Ebanks, stylist June Ambrose, and celebrity makeup artist Sam Fine. The winning model will be chosen based on personality, photogenic appearance, and sexiness of runway strut.

*All times are ET/PT.

About BET Networks

BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), is the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel reaches more than 90 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and sub-Saharan Africa. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions: BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; CENTRIC, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the 25- to 54-year-old African-American audience; BET Digital Networks - BET Gospel and BET Hip Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Home Entertainment, a collection of BET-branded offerings for the home environment including DVDs and video-on-demand; BET Event Productions, a full-scale event management and production company with festivals and live events spanning the globe; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET in the United Kingdom and oversees the extension of BET network programming for global distribution.