When in doubt, re-clone what's been working best for you, apparently. 

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Bravo is revamping its Make Me A Supermodel reality competition series and bringing its format more in line with the format of the network's more popular competition series like Project Runway and Top Chef, a network spokesperson told Reality TV World on Thursday.

In addition to completely replacing Make Me A Supermodel's first-season judging panel and dropping a co-host and moving to a single-host format, the network is also doing away with the Big Brother-like near real-time production format that allowed the show's home viewers to determine each week's eliminations and the competition's eventual winner.

Instead, Make Me A Supermodel's second season -- which has already been filmed and scheduled to premiere sometime in the first quarter of 2009 -- will adopt a "new creative direction" and, similar to the rest of Bravo's current reality competition series, use a format in which the members of the show's judging panel, not viewers, will get to determine the competition's eliminations and eventual winner.

None of the first season's four regular judges -- supermodels Tyson Beckford and Niki Taylor, fashion casting director Jennifer Starr and New York Model Management agency director Cory Bautista -- will be part of the second season's judging panel. 

However, Beckford -- who also co-hosted Make Me A Supermodel's first season with Taylor -- will return as the new season's sole host and also still serve as a mentor to the show's male contestants. 

Nicole Trunfio, a 23-year-old Australian supermodel who wasn't part of Make Me A Supermodel's first-season cast, will replace Taylor as a mentor to the second season's female contestants.

The new regular judges -- which will also be joined by additional guest judges -- will be designer Catherine Malandrino; model Jenny Shimizu; international model scout Marlon; and Perou, a fashion photographer who served as a judge on the original U.K. Make Me A Supermodel reality series that Bravo's edition is based on.

Neither Taylor or Starr will appear on the second season, however Bautista will still make some appearances since New York Model Management, the modeling agency that was part of the show's first-season prize package, will still be one of the show's second-season sponsors.

Bravo premiered the first season of Make Me A Supermodel, which features a group of men and women living together and competing in a series of challenges designed to determine their modeling potential, in January 2008.  It was the first -- and thus far only -- Bravo reality competition series to use an American Idol-like format in which home viewers were allowed to determine each week's elimination. 

Make Me A Supermodel's initial 2005 U.K. edition had only allowed home viewers to determine the show's winner, however the show's second 2006 edition -- which was also the first edition to include male models -- allowed home viewers to determine every elimination but the first one.

Holly Kiser, a 21-year-old from Coeburn, VA, took home Make Me a Supermodel's title, which included $100,000 and a modeling agency contract with New York Model management.

Make Me A Supermodel's first season averaged 1.083 million overall viewers and 759,000 viewers in the Adults 18-49 ratings demographic.

Bravo had announced the show's second season renewal in July and conducted auditions in July and August.  In September, the network had -- similar to the show's first season -- allowed Make Me A Supermodel viewers to vote online and determine two members of the second season's contestant cast.
About The Author: Steven Rogers

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