Reality on Bravo

Update: Voting remains open until Tuesday at noon! However, comments are now closed, and the winner of the Ecoist bracelet will be emailed today! For a chance to win this week’s prize, head to the latest contest post HERE!

The blogtestant entries are beginning to roll in, so that means it is time to vote for your favorite! The reader poll counts for 5 points in the overall score. First place gets 3 points, second place 2, and third place 1. Each judge also gets 5 points to distribute as they want, and the person with the overall highest score WINS! So, your votes could determine the winner this week and the blogger who gets immunity in next week’s competition.

In this week’s challenge, blogtestants were asked to give us a post that sums up themselves, their blog, and why they write. If you played along, don’t forget to send me your link!

The blogtestants:

1. Kate, Babylune: “The Blog I Write and the Woman Who Writes It”
2. Randi, Brad Pitt Watch: “The First Challenge”
3. Jodie, Gossip on Sports: “Project Blog: Week One Challenge”
4. Cynthia, TV of the Absurd: “The Five TV Shows that Changed My Life”
5. Winnie, Watching the View: “Project Blog: Why I Blog the View”
6. Sally, Style Fix: “The Fashionable Child Who Writes Becomes the Fashion Writer”
7. Kara, Colorado Review: “Why I Blog About Colorado Travel”
8. Mark, Get Incensed: “Project Blog. Bravo”

Blogtestants are listed above by time of post and below by the date they joined Project Blog (in the future it will be determined by their previous week’s points). They have until Friday at 8 AM to post! If you came here from one of their sites, I encourage you to check out the other entries before voting. You can vote once every 24 hours, and the polls officially close Tuesday at noon! Happy voting!

AND DON’T FORGET: After you vote, leave a comment here telling everyone who you’re voting for and why (it can be anonymous). Use a valid email address, because leaving a comment will put you in the running to win an Ecoist bracelet! Check out that link for more ways to win the free prize of the week, and go to www.ecoist.com for more eco-friendly items!

Project Blog is an on-going competition at Reality on Bravo where top-notch bloggers from around the world are competing to be named the ultimate “top blogger”. We’ve got some great prizes lined up, and there’s good news - you can win too! Every Monday, I’ll announce the weekly sponsor and the prize. Make sure that you play every week - you can win some amazing things, thanks to our awesome sponsors!

Week One’s Sponsor: Gillian and Food History (www.foodpast.com)
Week One’s Prize: Chronicling The Fifth Deadly Sin

I’m pumped for this week’s prize for y’all, because I have a copy already and LOVE it. This week, our Project Blog sponsor is Gillian Polack, writer, historian, and all around cool cat from the blog Food History. The prize? A copy of her e-cookbook, “Chronicling the Fifth Deadly Sin,” which is a tasty collection of recipes from around the world. And I do mean tasty.

This isn’t your typical cookbook, and Gillian’s not your typical blogger. Occasionally, I read through it just because it’s funny and interesting, even if I don’t need a good idea for dinner.

Add lemon juice to taste. Stir well. Serve hot or cold. This is a VERY filling dish - very solid (like my waistline).

Some of the recipes you’ll find in this book include Andy’s Hong Kong Curry Triangles, Trudee’s Canadian Chocolate Cheesecake (I’ve made that one - DELISH), and Medieval Style Mushroom Pastries. Mmmmmm…

If that sounds interesting to you, check out Gillian’s site for a sneak peak of what you could win! Her site includes recipes from around the world, as well as the history behind them. It’s one of my favorite blogs on the Internet (and that’s saying a lot, as I spend a good part of my day reading dozens of different blogs).

And, if you like fiction, your can also purchase Gillian’s novel, Illuminations, from Barnes and Noble,

Want a chance to win this week’s prize? You can enter up to three times!

• For one chance, leave a comment on this post on Reality on Bravo with one “food fact” that you’ve learned from any post on Gillian’s website.
• For a second chance, blog about this contest on your own site and email the link to me at allison.boyer-at-yahoo-dot-com.
• Want a third chance? Check back here on Friday, vote for your favorite in our Project Blog competition, and leave a comment showing support! The winner will be drawn at random from all qualifying entries.

Did you watch tonight’s episode of Project Runway week one? I won’t reveal the outcome in case you haven’t had a chance to tune in yet, but I will bring you a full recap tomorrow!

The task at hand tonight, though? IT’S TIME FOR PROJECT BLOG! In case you’ve not been staying up to date with your Reality on Bravo news, Project Blog is the blogger’s answer to Project Runway. We’ve got the best of the best in bloggers ready to go head to head in weekly competitions for the grand prize:

• An autographed picture of Jackie Warner, courtesy of Sky Sport and Spa (Jackie Warner’s gym from Work Out)
• A pair of shoes from the newest line from Jonathan Kayne (one of my favorite Project Runway Alums)
• A Soffe college hoodie, courtesy ofBCS Frenzy
• Gold-plated earrings from Aurora at Between the Sheets
• A pet portrait, courtesy of Intricate Art

And as a reader here are Reality on Bravo, YOU CAN WIN TOO! Every week, Reality on Bravo is teaming up with some awesome sponsors to offer prizes for lucky readers. Head over to this post to read about this week’s giveaway, bracelets from Ecoist!

As for the competition, you have a say in that too! Every week after Project Runway, I’ll announce the weekly challenge and our 10 competitors will scurry away to write some amazing posts. Read them, and on Friday, vote for your favorites. Your votes, along with the opinions of our amazing judges, Bethany (the winner of the RoB “Create Your Own Reality Show” contest) and April (an extraordinary professional writer and blogger) determine who stays and who “goes home”

And now, here’s what you really want to know - THIS WEEK’S CHALLENGE:

On Project Runway, contestants were asked to create an outfit that showed who they are as designers. Bloggers, your challenge is equally simple - give us a post about why you do what you do. Why do you blog? Why do you blog about your particular subject? What sets your blog apart? How did you get started? These are just some of the questions you may choose to answer in your post, but the actual content is totally up to you! (For an example of a good post following these guidelines, see “Why NCAA Football has Me in a BCS Frenzy” at BCS Frenzy. Don’t copy this post, though - do you own thaaaang!)

Bloggers, start your engines! Check back on Friday for a complete list of posts from our blogtestants, and don’t forget to vote on your favorite! Oh, and if anyone else out there wants to play along, send me the link to your post and I’ll include it on the list - you won’t be eligible for the grand prize, but you will get a little link love.

Good luck, bloggers!

UPDATE: Commenting for this contest is now closed! However, you can enter into the Project Blog week two contest HERE!

Project Blog is an on-going competition at Reality on Bravo where top-notch bloggers from around the world are competing to be named the ultimate “top blogger”. We’ve got some great prizes lined up, and there’s good news - you can win too! Every Monday, I’ll announce the weekly sponsor and the prize. Make sure that you play every week - you can win some amazing things, thanks to our awesome sponsors!

Week One’s Sponsor: Ecoist (www.ecoist.com)
Week One’s Prize: The official “Stop Global Warming” Ecoist bracelet

I’m a huge fan of any company working to help the environment, and at Ecoist, they’re combining environmental responsibility with something else I love - fashion! Their eco-friendly bracelets are created for recycled papers like candy wrappers and soda labels,and for every “Stop Global Warming” bracelet sold, the company will plant a tree! Now that’s what I call environmental responsibility!

Says Jonathan Marcoschamer from Ecoist, “Our objective is to merge design with social and environmental consciousness to provide stylish, functional, and durable products that people will love to own. All our products are made from recycled, organic, or earth-friendly materials, and are manufactured through our network of fair trade partnerships around the world.”

They don’t just make bracelets either - at Ecoist’s website, you can find all sorts of handmade items made from recycled products. Check out the movie billboard handbags, the recycled records bowls, the reusable shopping bags, and all of the other great products available for purchase at their site. The best part? Everything is moderately priced, so you don’t have to break your budget to grab some great gear at their site!

Want a chance to win this week’s prize? You can enter up to three times! For one chance, leave a comment on this post on Reality on Bravo with your favorite product from Ecoist’s website (make sure to use a valid email address to win). For a second chance, blog about this contest on your own site and email the link to me at allison.boyer-at-yahoo-dot-com. Want a third chance? Check back here on Friday, vote for your favorite in our Project Blog competition, and leave a comment showing support! The winner will be drawn at random from all qualifying entries.

Project Runway is starting on Wednesday (less than a week!), and in celebration, Reality on Bravo and a number of awesome sponsors are teaming up to bring you PROJECT BLOG! In this weekly competition “the best of the best” in blogging will be going head to head in grueling challenges for a chance to win some amazing prizes.

And that’s not all - YOU CAN WIN TOO!

Every week, you’ll be able to vote on your favorite contestant on Project Blog, and if you leave a comment cheering on your favorite, you’ll be entered into the drawing for a prize! New prizes will be offered every week, and you can vote/comment once every day, so check back often to maximize your winning potential.

Here are some of the sponsors and their great prizes up for grabs (so far - more to come!):

~Sky Sport and Spa (Jackie Warner’s gym from Work Out) is giving away an autographed picture of Jackie Warner

~Jonathan Kayne (Project Runway Alum) is giving away a pair of shoes from his new line

~Beth at Astrology Explored is giving away a reading, just like you saw on last season of the Real Housewives of Orange County

~Winnie at Watching the View is giving away a View mug from this season

~BCS Frenzy is giving away a Soffe college hoodie

~The Ecoist is giving away eco-friendly bracelets

~Aurora at Between the Sheets is giving away gold-plated earrings

~Intricate Art is giving away a pet portrait

~Teens Read Too is giving away a novel

Still want to participate? Bloggers everywhere are welcome to play along with the contestants, and if you send me your link for the week, I’ll link back to you! You won’t be eligible for the grand prize, but you will get some free link love!

And there are still lots of sponsorship opportunities available for anyone interested! We’ll be reviewing all of our great sponsors over the next few weeks, so it’s a great way to boost your traffic. Contact me at allison.boyer-at-yahoo-dot-com for more details!

Check out all of our sponsors:

Last night during part one of the Top Chef finale, Bravo announced that Project Runway will premier on November 14, the typical Wed. 10 PM time slot. That should put an end to all the “When does Project Runway premier?” emails I’ve been getting!

And you know what that means, don’t you? Reality on Bravo’s PROJECT BLOG competition will premier on November 14 as well! In case you missed that announcement, Project Blog is the Project Runway of the blogging world and anyone with a blog can apply to be a “blogtestant”! You don’t have to be a Bravo or fashion blog to participate - some of the blogs in the lead for participation right now include a blog about football and a blog about celebrities. It will be a fun contest for ALL bloggers. We have some great prizes to give away every week, including books, gift certificates, and home decor items.

This will be a fun time for readers, too! You’ll get to participate by voting on your favorites, and every week, one lucky reader will win a prize as well!

There’s still time to apply! Originally, I had set a cut-off date for application on October 1, but because Project Runway isn’t premiering now until mid-November, I’m extending that deadline to October 15! Again, anyone with ANY blog (live journal, myspace, wordpress, blogger, networks, personal) of ANY subject can take part! To apply, click on THIS APPLICATION FORM.

I’m also still looking for a few sponsors. If you’re interested in sponsoring a prize in exchange for promotion on 15+ sites, email me at allison.boyer-at-yahoo-dot-com!

blogging, project blog, bloggers, project runway

I’m still looking for more blogtestants, so here’s a quick reminder:

Have you ever watched Top Chef and wished you could be a contestant…if only you could cook? Or wished you could be on Shear Genius…if only you could cut hair? Or wish you could be on Project Runway…if only you could design clothing?

Well, now’s your chance to take part in a competition that’s perfect for you—Project Blog.

Project blog will begin this fall to coincide with the new season of Project Runway. Every week, you’ll take part in a competition that mimics the PR challenge, and readers will have a week to vote. The contestant with the lowest number of votes gets eliminated, and the winner will get a special prize. It doesn’t matter what kind of blog you write–all topics can participate. For example, if the challenge on Project Runway is to design an outfit from recyclable trash, I might as you to write a post that “recycles” a post you’ve written in the past.

And oh, there are some great prizes lined up for those who rise to meet the challenge, including gift certificates, books, DVDs, beauty items, magazine subscriptions, and fashion products. The winner, choose by a panel of judges and popularity (not by votes alone), will receive a prize every week, as will one lucky reader who votes and leaves a comment. At the end of the competition, the two bloggers still standing will compete for an extra-special prize pack full of goodies from our wonderful sponsors and maybe even some cold, hard cash!

To apply for a spot in Project Blog, click here. PLEASE GET YOUR ENTRIES IN BY OCTOBER 1 AT MIDNIGHT!

To sponsor one of the challenges email me at allison.boyer-at-yahoo.com.

I can’t wait to get started! Good luck to everyone involved!

blogging, contests, win, prizes

Have you ever watched Top Chef and wished you could be a contestant…if only you could cook? Or wished you could be on Shear Genius…if only you could cut hair? Or wish you could be on Project Runway…if only you could design clothing?

Well, now’s your chance to take part in a competition that’s perfect for you—Project Blog.

Project blog will begin this fall to coincide with the new season of Project Runway. Every week, you’ll take part in a competition that mimics the PR challenge, and readers will have a week to vote. The contestant with the lowest number of votes gets eliminated, and the winner will get a special prize. It doesn’t matter what kind of blog you write–all topics can participate. For example, if the challenge on Project Runway is to design an outfit from recyclable trash, I might as you to write a post that “recycles” a post you’ve written in the past.

And oh, there are some great prizes lined up for those who rise to meet the challenge. The winner, choose by a panel of judges and popularity (not by votes alone), will receive a prize every week, as will one lucky reader who votes and leaves a comment. At the end of the competition, the two bloggers still standing will compete for an extra-special prize pack full of goodies from our wonderful sponsors and maybe even some cold, hard cash!

To apply for a spot in Project Blog, click here.

To sponsor one of the challenges email me at allison.boyer-at-yahoo.com.

I can’t wait to get started! Good luck to everyone involved!