Life isn’t all Diamonds and Rosé, but it should be! Luckily, at Bravo’s pop up experience, we got to pretend like it was.
In lieu of Bravo Con, the network announced a bicoastal experience both in LA and NYC.
Bravo teamed up with Bucket Listers to provide Bravo fans an opportunity to mix and mingle with fellow Bravoholics set to a backdrop of iconic Bravo moments and paired with light bites and “cockies.”
What Bravo fans could expect as stated by the website:
“This exclusive, can’t-miss Bravo experience in the heart of New York City [and Los Angeles] promises to be the highlight of your week! The immersive space is adorned with an array of dazzling decor, vibrant hues, and odes to all things Bravo. You’ll Whoop it Up with a lineup of table flip-worthy photo opps, memorable Bravo moments, themed tableside games, and a collection of exclusive merchandise.”
Our Diamonds and Rosé Experience:
We purchased 2 Diamonds & Rosé reserved seating tickets which totaled $81.98 after taxes and fees. Each ticket included a welcome glass of rosé.
Our reservation was from 4:15-5:45 PM.
The Pros
Location:
The event was centrally located and had a lot of shops and restaurants near it. It’s minutes from Sur, Tom Tom, Something About Her — all the cool VPR locations.
We specifically traveled to LA to attend the experience, and we stayed in West Hollywood at Hotel Ziggy. The location was phenomenal.
The Event Space:
Ashley and I had different opinions on the set up. For me, let me start by saying it was worth $36. With that in mind, I wasn’t as critical of what we were getting because it was under $50.
There were a few “photo ops” and decor Ashley felt was reminiscent of her days as a teacher – aka, DIY. I could see that perspective but it didn’t detract from my experience. It was still really cool to be immersed in the Bravoverse even if a hot glue-gun was involved in its origin. Especially keeping in mind the ticket cost.
After being seated, we were given a glass of rosé and a menu. On the menu was a selection of thematic drinks (like a shotski) and food. The menu also had Bravo ice breaker questions that you could ask your table and those around you.
The playlist was everything you’d think. It was chuck full of Bravoleb and mainstream bops alike. We were dancing and enjoying the vibe set.
There were about 3-5 photo opportunities for you to take photos with to include a replica of Teresa’s “table flipping moment.”
By way of pros, that about exhausts the list.
The Cons:
The Event Space:
It was HOT in there. With the amount of people in attendance, it really shouldn’t be.
Besides Ashley and myself, there were 3 tables and one couple sitting at the bar. We were SHOCKED at how empty it was. Fair enough we went at 4 PM on a Friday, but it was a no man’s land. It was no different during our drag brunch on Sunday. Stay tuned for Ashley’s review on that.
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The staff were lovely but seemed wildly unprepared. No one knew anything and had to ask around for simple questions.
One of the photo ops had a photo booth style screen which was out of commission majority of the experience. I ended up asking one of the employees to fix it and after clicking various buttons, we figured out.
How many people does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Probably less than it took for us to figure out an automatic photo booth LOL.
Our group wasn’t even the first reservation offered but it seemed like opening shift due to the lack of preparation.
When we ordered our shotski, the waitress and her colleague brought over regular sized cups. We explained to them the fun of a shotski is to have the shots in the holes to take it. You could tell they didn’t get the reference but they obliged and redid the drinks to ensure it fit within the holes of the shotski.
Again, they were so sweet and lovely, but we were in the trenches together and you could tell.
The experience started a little late, however that did not stop the staff from giving you a five minute warning that your reservation was coming to a close. We had just figured out the selfie machine so we wanted to take advantage of it as best we could.
Final Thoughts
All and all, we would not recommend getting on an airplane to attend the LA Bravo experience. If you live local and want to party with fellow enthusiasts, this is the experience for you.
I keep reiterating that since it was only $36, I wasn’t too offended by the things that were lacking. We made a VPR restaurant crawl out of the trip so it wasn’t too upsetting for me. There were no Bravoleb spottings which is fine because none were promised.
It was worth the price of admission. They delivered what they said, no more and no less.
I’m sure by now the kinks have been worked out and our experience might not ring true anymore.
We made friends with the girls sitting next to us and we had a blast chatting about Bravo and life. Like anything, your experience is how you make it. W were determined to have a good time.
I think Bravo is on the right path with pop ups. Keeping your audience engaged is critical. Viewers get so engrossed in these shows and the people in them. Capitalizing on that perceived proximity to the Bravolebs is genius.
However, after how well done last year’s Bravo Con was, I had higher expectations of execution. Our experience this time was just, okay.
I’d rate the decor, space, and overall vibe a 3.5/5. You didn’t miss anything by not going, but my life isn’t any better because I did.
Bravo also just recently announced an event in Miami in November that features WWHL tapings. Unfortunately I will be at Club Giggly Squad that same weekend despite my living in Florida. We will hold out and save for Bravo Con 2025.
If someone at Bravo happens to read this, your girls at Taste of Reality are ready and available to visit and review other Bravo hotspots.
