Superstars Kelly Rowland & Boris Kodjoe Deliver New Energy & Fresh Fashion to BET Network's Ninth Annual "Rip the Runway" in New York City

Hollywood's Hottest Stars and Music's Biggest Entertainers Light Up Television's Fiercest Catwalk at "RIP THE RUNWAY" on Wednesday, February 27, 2013

NEW YORK, Feb. 11, 2013 -- Delivering high energy and high fashion, GRAMMY winner Kelly Rowland and Actor Boris Kodjoe join BET Networks to deliver top designers and live performances to "RIP THE RUNWAY," fashion's leading and sexiest telecast. In its ninth year, "RIP THE RUNWAY" returns larger than ever infusing unprecedented fashion and music's brightest entertainers to provide an extraordinary fashion experience on one runway. On Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at the historic Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City the runway will be ripped by music and television's hottest celebrities for a night showcasing top emerging designers in street wear, swimwear and high fashion couture.

For the first time, "106 & PARK's" "RIP THE RUNWAY" Amateur Model Contest is open to males providing both male and female aspiring models the opportunity to enter the online casting at BET.com. Supermodel Jessica White and "gone with the wind fabulous" reality star Kenya Moore will appear on "106 & PARK" to judge "RIP THE RUNWAY" Amateur Model Contest on February 25, 2013. During this final phase, they will compete in a series of three (3) challenges - "The Look," a 'photo' contest, "The Talk," mock commercial competition and "The Walk," a 'catwalk' contest. The panel of celebrity judges combined with a viewer text vote will weigh the results and determine who will walk in "RIP THE RUNWAY."

BET.com will follow Kenya Moore as she captures behind the scenes interviews with models, Billboard's chart topping artists and our phenomenal hosts as they prepare for "RIP THE RUNWAY" premiering March 20, 2013 @ 10 pm* on BET.

Stephen Hill , President of Music Programming and Specials, BET Networks, and Lynne Harris Taylor , Vice President of Specials, BET Networks, executive produce "RIP THE RUNWAY" along with Jesse Collins Entertainment.

For more information on "RIP THE RUNWAY," visit http://www.bet.com/riptherunway. Viewers can also find series updates on Facebook by liking the fan pages at http://www.facebook.com/BETstyle. Join the conversation about the special on Twitter by using hashtag: #RIPTHERUNWAY; follow the show for all updates & special surprises @BETstyle.

For more information about this special visit http://www.BET.com.

About Kelly Rowland

Kelly Rowland 's career has produced millions of album sales, award winning records and accolades as a solo artist and member of girl group, Destiny's Child. The four-time GRAMMY winner, songwriter and film and television actress continues to gain attention as a performer and fashion icon.

About Boris Kodjoe

Boris Kodjoe , is an actor and former fashion model. Best known for his role on the Showtime television drama series Soul Food and as the star of the upcoming JJ Abrams series 'Undercovers,' Kodjoe currently stars on BET's scripted reality series "Real Husbands of Hollywood."

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 98 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.