Five Reasons to Watch Bravo TV

Within the last few years, Bravo has emerged as THE cable channel to watch. The onetime highbrow channel that showcased the performing arts has morphed into must-see TV for a new generation. Once its breakout show Queer Eye for the Straight Guy blew the lid off of Bravo's artsy focus back in 2003, the channel never looked back. Which such fare as Flipping Out and Kathy Griffin's My Life on the D-List, Bravo's critically acclaimed, yet outrageous reality shows are what people are buzzing about around the water cooler in the morning.

I am an admitted Bravo junkie, logging many a prime time night and Sunday afternoon with the channel. While Bravo seemingly has something for every taste (food, fashion, real estate), here are my top five reasons why you should watch Bravo - if you don't already:

1. The Real Housewives, any city

While most of us Real Housewives fans have our favorite city (I am an unapologetic New York girl), you really can't help but get sucked into the vortex of the other casts. Whether it's the drama of the OC's Gretchen and the did-she-or-didn't-she-cheat on her dying fiancé question, the speculation over Big Poppa's identity over in Atlanta or "the book" with Danielle's mug shot in New Jersey, the Real Housewives is like the proverbial train wreck. You know you should move along, but you just can't avert your eyes.

2. Tom Colicchio's shiny bald head

While money should be on model- turned-TV host, Padma Lakshmi, as the eye candy for Top Chef, head judge Tom Colicchio has become the show's de facto sex symbol. The "cheftestants" all worship him and really, his comments on the humble cuisine offered up each week are the only one's worth noting (except for when Anthony Bourdain appears, though he was curiously MIA this past season.) While Top Chef hopefuls come and go, "Chef Tom" remains a shiny constant in the kitchen.

3. Patti Stanger

Ladies, let the man chase you. That's just one of the dating commandments as preached by millionaire matchmaker, Patti Stanger. Call it the dating gospel of the 21^st Century. Patti's "dating rules," hearken back to simpler times, but with a self-proclaimed 99 percent success rate, it's hard to argue with the results. Part of the genius of this show is watching Patti ride roughshod over mostly clueless bachelors (like handsome Frenchman, Julien from Season One who still lived in a ramshackle house with his college roommates) and their potential dates (men like long, straight glossy hair they can run their fingers through.) While not every match we see on screen is a love connection, it almost doesn't matter. We love watching the journey, no matter how it turns out.

4. Andy Cohen

How many networks can say their head of programming is one of its stars? Cohen has overseen many of the channel's standout shows including Shear Genius, Work Out and Make Me A Supermodel. In addition, he has become the literal face of Bravo, presiding over heated reunion shows (see Real Housewives reunion specials - any city) blogging about juicy behind-the-scenes tidbits and his overall fabulous life. And now with his new show, Watch What Happens Live, we get even more Andy.

5. Totally Terrific Tabatha

Though we haven't heard hide nor hair about Season 2's premiere, the first season of Tabatha's Salon Takeover hovered somewhere between train wreck and terrific. Train wreck in that the featured salons and their owners were literal nightmares and it was no wonder they were going out of business. Terrific because Tabatha took smack from no one. Here's to hoping more salon takeovers are on the horizon with Tabatha firmly at the helm.

Honorable Mention - Project Runway

Deciding my favorite season is a tossup - Santino Rice's sidesplitting impersonation of Tim Gunn and his musings on an imaginary tiff between Gunn and fellow contest Andrae Gonzalo at Red Lobster or Season Three's Laura Bennett comments about all the "some kinda ugly," going on in the workroom? No matter - Project Runaway was another gem that brought Bravo to the mainstream and eventually became a cultural phenomenon in its own right. Legal maneuvering brought an end to PR's reign on Bravo, and though the show has found a new home on Lifetime TV, somehow, it just won't be the same.

http://www.bravotv.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bravo_(US_TV_network)