Bravo Media Expands Original Programming With New Series and Returning Favorites

"Thicker Than Water: The Marinos" Special Premieres Sunday, August 21 at 11 p.m. ET/PT

BEVERLY HILLS, CA - August 2, 2011 - After recording its best second quarter ever driven by ratings juggernauts and pacing to have the most successful year in the network's history across all platforms, Bravo Media announced it will increase its must watch original programming with three new series and three returning favorites. The new series that will expand the network's already robust line-up include "Around the World in 80 Plates" (working title), a culinary competition following chefs as they compete in world-renowned restaurants around the globe, "Paint the Town" (working title), which gives viewers an exclusive look inside the lives of six 20-something women working in New York City's hippest art galleries and "Newlyweds: The First Year" (working title), a unique docu-series capturing six couples throughout their first year of marriage. The network will also air a special, "Thicker Than Water: The Marinos," following the chaotic lives of a tight-knit, multi-generational family in New Jersey on Sunday, August 21 at 11p.m ET/PT. For more information, visit www.BravoTV.com and follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/BravoPR.

"Bravo's continued success is driven by our commitment to create original series that share an unfiltered and unique look inside our 'Passion Groups' of Food, Fashion, Beauty, Design and Pop Culture, all while uncovering memorable characters in the process," stated Shari Levine, Senior Vice President, Production, Bravo Media. "We are confident these new series will reinforce Bravo's pop culture brand and resonate with our engaged and upscale audience."

After recently concluding successful seasons, Bravo has renewed several of its hit series including a seventh season of "The Real Housewives of Orange County," a fourth season of "Top Chef Masters" and a fifth season of "Million Dollar Listing LA."

NEW SERIES:

"Around the World in 80 Plates" (working title)

Produced by Magical Elves with Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz as Executive Producers

"Around the World in 80 Plates" takes culinary competition to the next level. Up-and-coming chefs will travel to various countries testing their skills in some of the greatest and most challenging restaurants around the globe. In each episode, the contestants will travel to a different international city where they will learn the local customs, cultures and cuisines as they participate in a gauntlet of culinary challenges- all while being at the mercy of the demanding restaurant owners. Ultimately, they will face-off in a kitchen takeover where they will not just recreate, but reinvent the menus for these world-renowned restaurants.

"Paint the Town" (working title)

Produced by Magical Elves with Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz as Executive Producers

The new docu-series gives viewers an inside look into the lives of six young women who moved to New York City with the dream of living a chic, fashionable, art-filled existence. During the day these women, who mainly work in the city's trendiest art galleries, manage the stress of their demanding bosses, and struggle to get ahead in a business with so few opportunities to rise up the ranks. At night they are out at the hippest clubs, bars and art scene functions as they juggle their friendships, guys and elite art world acquaintances. These girls' desire to live a glamorous NYC life is unwavering, but will they find it too difficult to survive in this competitive, expensive, relentless city?

"Newlyweds: The First Year" (working title)

Produced by Monkey Kingdom with Will Macdonald and David Granger serving as Executive Producers

Bravo explores the ups and downs of marriage with this unique docu-series as six diverse couples from across the country experience the trials and tribulations of their first year of marriage. From the moment they say "I do" to their one-year anniversary and everything in between, the cameras capture the significant milestones, difficult adjustments and everyday life of the twelve newlyweds to see whether or not they can survive what proves to be the most difficult year of marriage.

"Thicker Than Water: The Marinos"- Premieres Sunday, August 21 at 11p.m ET/PT

Produced by Pink Sneakers Production with Kimberly Belcher Cowin, John Ehrhard and Kevin Harris serving as Executive Producer.

They say friends may come and go, but family is forever. "Thicker Than Water: The Marinos" offers a glimpse into the life of The Marinos, a tight knit New Jersey family. They laugh until they cry, finish each other's sentences and feel entitled to have an opinion about every detail of each other's lives. Things may get hectic between work, golf outings, shuttling the kids to soccer practice in their Jimmy Choos, and marriage counseling for some, but they can't imagine going a day without talking. And if they're not talking to each other, they're talking about each other. The term "mind your own business" has no place in a Marino household because your business is everyone's business. They're each others best friends and worst critics, but they always have each other's backs because in the Marino family blood is definitely thicker than water.

Source: Nielsen Media Research, L7 data through 7/10/11 blended with LS data through 7/24/11, NHI calendar 2Q11 vs. prior quarters, 2011TD vs. 2010 through equivalent number of weeks, M-Su 8p-11p, P18-49, P25-54, and total viewers, Digital Source: Omniture Site Catalyst, Jan11-Jun11 vs. Jan10-Jun10, online: page views, unique visitors, video streams, mobile: page views, video streams.

Bravo is a program service of NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment, a division of NBCUniversal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Bravo has been an NBCUniversal cable network since December 2002 and was the first television service dedicated to film and the performing arts when it launched in December 1980. For more information, visit www.BravoTV.com. Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/BravoPR.