BRAVO SETS RECORD RATINGS WITH THE FINALE OF "THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF ORANGE COUNTY" AND THE PREMIERE OF "THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NEW YORK CITY"

OC Delivered Highest-Rated Season Finale For Series, NYC Delivered Highest-Rated Premiere For Series

Watch What Happens: Live Scores Highest Ratings Ever Breaking the One Million Total Viewer Mark

NEW YORK - March 5, 2010 - Bravo's Real Housewives of Orange County and New York City kicked it up a notch last night earning record ratings for both series with 2.45 million people tuning in for the Real Housewives of Orange County finale and 2.04 million total viewers for the season three premiere of Real Housewives of New York City, according to Nielsen Media Research. This was the highest-rated season finale of the OC series ever among all key demos with 1.81 million adults 18-49 and the highest-rated New York City premiere ever among all key demos.

The fifth season of "The Real Housewives of Orange County" bowed with a bombshell as Tamra Barney asked her husband, Simon for a divorce. The season five finale marked a 25 percent increase among both total viewers and adults 18-49 from season 4, making it the highest rated OC finale ever. Additionally, the fifth season became the OC's most watched cycle to date, averaging 2.01 million total viewers and 1.47 million adults (a 17 percent increase in both total viewers and adults 18-49 from season 4 and the previous record).

"The Real Housewives of New York City" season three premiere was up 25 percent in total viewers (2.04 million vs. 1.64 million) and 18 percent in adults 18-49 (1.45 million vs. 1.22 million) compared to the season two premiere (2/17/09), making it the highest-rated episode ever in total viewers for the NYC series.

"Watch What Happens: Live" saw triple digit increases and scored the series highest-ratings ever with 1.27 million total viewers, up 119 percent from last week (vs. 581,000) and 952,000 adults 18-49, up 167 percent from last week (vs. 357,000). New York Housewife Jill Zarin will join Andy Cohen in the Bravo Clubhouse at midnight next Thursday, March 11 on "Watch What Happens: Live."

The glamour girls of Orange County will gather again on a special two-part reunion for Bravo's hit docu-series "The Real Housewives of Orange County," Wednesday, March 10 and Thursday, March 11 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT. The reunion will feature new interviews with Housewives Tamra Barney, Alexis Bellino, Lynne Curtin, Vicki Gunvalson and Gretchen Rossi, significant others Jim Bellino, Frank Curtin, Donn Gunvalson and Slade Smiley and a special visit by former Housewife Jeana Keough.

On next week's "The Real Housewives of New York City", Thursday, March 11 at 10 p.m. ET/PT, LuAnn and her kids get a surprise visit from Rosie who is no longer their housekeeper but is still concerned about the family as a whole. The Singers and the Van Kempens meet for dinner and the subject of a comment Mario made to LuAnn comes up. Ramona chastises Mario for the comment so he decides to make a peace offering and leaves LuAnn a voicemail and an invitation. LuAnn isn't so sure about Mario's voicemail and leans on Jill for advice. Bethenny and Jason head out for a romantic dinner and Jason asks Bethenny to move in with him. It's Labor Day weekend and both Ramona and LuAnn decide to throw parties - the issue becomes which party will the ladies go to? Kelly arrives at LuAnn's with a secret to share with the other women.

Source: Nielsen Media Research, Live + Same Day through 3/4/10; Omniture SiteCatalyst.

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