Bravo has announced plans to air its most aggressive slate of original summer programming ever, with new reality series such as Sports Kids Moms & Dads, Hidden Howie: The Private Life of a Public Nuisance, Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, Situation: Comedy, Being Bobby Brown and Battle of the Network Reality Stars all scheduled to join new seasons of Queer Eye For The Straight Guy and Blow Out as part of its summer programming lineup.
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Following the daily struggles and conflicts that ensure when child athletes struggle to excel in the highly stressful, competitive, "win at all costs" world of sports, Sports Kids Moms & Dads will examine parental "coaching" and uncover that the Moms and Dads are often more distraught by defeat than their resilient offspring.
The next week, two more of Bravo's previously successful reality series will join the network's programming lineup. with new seasons of Blow Out and Queer Eye For The Straight Guy premiering on Tuesday, June 7 at 9PM and 10PM ET/PT respectively.
While Blow Out's first season focused on the opening of stylist Jonathan Antin's new Beverly Hills salon, the new season will pick up a year after the new salon opened and center around a more "infomercial"-like concept -- the worldwide launch of Jonathan Product, Antin's hair care line. While Jonathan Product has been available at his two salon locations for years, Blow Out's second season will document Antin's attempt to commercially launch the product line in only three months. Along the way, viewers will see more of Antin's personal life, including his relationship with his girlfriend Sescie and his sister and best friend Robin Antin, the founder of the Pussycat Dolls dance group. The Beverly Hills salon's stylists will also once again be featured -- at least those who still work for Antin -- as will those of Antin's original West Hollywood location.
On Queer Eye, the Fab 5 will kick off their new season with a makeover of five members of the World Series Champion Boston Red Sox -- Kevin Millar, Johnny Damon, Tim Wakefield, Jason Varitek and Doug Mirabelli. Other new season episodes will see the Fab 5 take on 2-year-old quintuplets, help a veterinarian plan an ambush wedding for his veterinarian fiance, and help the tent master of the Big Apple Circus live the traveling life in style.
Later in the month, Bravo will launch the first of its new reality series, Being Bobby Brown. Premiering Thursday, June 30 at 10PM ET/PT, the eight-episode series will explore the life of the one-time pop music star who is now best known to the public as Whitney Houston's husband.
Reportedly conceived by the troubled celebrity himself, the series is produced by Brown's own B2 Entertainment production company. According to reports, the series originally began filming in April 2004 as an unsold project, with Bravo later picking up and announcing the series more than five months later in September 2004. According to Bravo's press release, the series will allow viewers to "see the real Bobby Brown... as a family man and husband, apart from the headline scandals and allegations that have plagued, and at times overshadowed, the successful musician's career."
Whitney Houston -- who's involvement in the project (or lack thereof) was reportedly the reason that Bravo's negotiations for the show took so long -- will also appear in the series, as will the rest of Brown's immediate and extended family.
Late in July, Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List will join Bravo's programming lineup. Debuting Wednesday, July 27 at 10PM, My Life on the D-List will be a six-episode one-hour series that will "take a hilariously unabashed look" at the life that serves as fodder for Griffin's stand-up comedy. Each episode will include a portion of Griffin's stand-up act or public appearance, as well as the behind-the-scenes negotiations and preparations that go into each performance. The series will also feature Griffin's "peeps," who include her husband, Matt; her assistant, Jessica; her live-in decorator, Mike; her gay friends Dennis and Tony; her overworked public relations team; her parents; and her out-of-town in-laws.
The next week, Bravo will add another comedy-related reality series to its schedule -- Situation: Comedy. Seemingly best described as a Project Greenlight for sitcoms, Situation: Comedy will be a ten-episode search for the best undiscovered sitcom writing talent. Premiering Tuesday, August 2 at 9PM ET/PT, Situation: Comedy was created by Will & Grace co-star Sean Hayes and producing partner Todd Milliner and will begin with candidates presenting scripts for new sitcom pilots. After five semi-finalists fly to Los Angeles and pitch their ideas to established sitcom producers, two candidates will be selected to actually film their scripts -- during which they'll have to deal with casting, set design, rewrites, rehearsals, taping and post-production. In the end, viewers will get to screen both completed pilots and decide which pilot -- if either -- merits attention from a network.
The following week, another reality series will join Bravo's lineup -- Battle of the Network Reality Stars, a reality-based homage to the classic 70's series that featured some of network television's biggest stars. Premiering Wednesday, August 10 at 9PM, Battle of the Network Reality Stars will consist of six hour-long episodes in which reality stars will compete in a tournament held at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. According to Bravo, the participating former reality contestants will include The Apprentice villainess Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth and original Survivor winner Richard Hatch.
Later in August, Bravo will launch a rare late-night reality series -- Hidden Howie: The Private Life of a Public Nuisance. Premiering Thursday, August 18 at 11PM ET/PT, Hidden Howie is billed as "pioneering a new genre" in which hidden-camera reality will be "juxtaposed" with scripted comedy. A six-episode half-hour series, the hybrid is billed as being based on the comedian's actual life. In addition to Mandel, Hidden Howie's "cast of characters" will include Julie Warner as Howie's wife, Estelle Harris as Nana, and special guest stars Jay Leno, Marlee Matlin, Jillian Barberie, John Mendoza.
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In addition to its Summer 2005 programming, Bravo has also announced plans for several other reality projects scheduled for broadcast in 2006. Among the shows are The Real Housewives, a series that will follow a group of affluent housewives in California's Orange County; Top Chef, a reality elimination that will search for the world's next top chef; and The Daily News, a reality documentary series that will follow the journalism staff of the New York Daily News.
