Reality TV dominated the content at yesterday’s TCA 2012 Winter Press Tour, as Bravo and Syfy showcased panels for several new and returning programs. Bravo featured panels for INTERIOR THERAPY, BETHENNY EVER AFTER and WATCH WHAT HAPPENS LIVE, while Syfy highlighted a new extreme/comedy game show, TOTAL BLACKOUT.

Bravo held the beefiest panel with three shows in the spotlight, beginning with the new show INTERIOR THERAPY, which stars returning Bravo personality Jeff Lewis from FLIPPING OUT. In the new program, Lewis helps clients redesign their home interiors by psychoanalyzing their houses, dumping the excess baggage, and brutally reworking the interior structures. Clips from the preview trailer depicted one couple weeping over a pile of dusty books Lewis insisted they discard, revealing that Lewis’ OCD working style -- and its problems -- returns in full force for the new series. “It’s conflict by design,” said series executive producer Andrew Hoegl. THERAPY will focus equally on design and human relationships, paralleling Lewis’ role as an interior designer with that of a therapist, as each episode plays out like an architectural psychology session. Lewis’ dealings with the clients won’t always be pretty: “I sometimes hated them, wanted them dead, and wanted to go to the neighbors and see what I could do there,” he says.

Jeff Lewis of INTERIOR THERAPY.

Photo credit: Chris Haston/Bravo.

Jenni Pulos, Lewis’ assistant from FLIPPING OUT, will have a featured role in the show, and Lewis assured the press today that housekeeper Zoila from FLIPPING will be present in episodes to help clean and organize the houses before Lewis digs into the property. “Does she want to be there? No. Does she eat craft services all day? Yes,” Lewis jokes about Zoila’s involvement.

Jenni Pulos of INTERIOR THERAPY.

Photo credit: Chris Haston/Bravo.

INTERIOR THERAPY premieres March 14 at 9pm on Bravo.

Next up was BETHENNY EVER AFTER, the third season of REAL HOUSWIFE Bethenny Frankel’s spinoff that will follow her life as a newlywed and mother. When asked why she would need a third season of her series after reaching her professional goals, Frankel replied, “There’s still a lot of things I wanted to say to my fans. And I’ve always wanted to speak to people and be exactly who I am … It’s certainly not about the paycheck.”

Bethenny Frankel of BETHENNY EVER AFTER.

Photo credit: Chris Haston/Bravo.

Despite her mostly positive attitude, Frankel admits that her new life and marriage are far from perfect. “I just turned 41, and to be perfectly honest, I unintentionally crammed everything in. I got pregnant. I got married eight-and-a-half, eight months pregnant, and now I sold my business or part of my business, and now we’re just settling into what married life really is without the excitement of a wedding and the baby. And we come from totally different backgrounds, and we’re going through it. I’m in therapy. I’ve always been good at business, but I’ve always struggled with relationships based on my background, and we kind of get into that this season.”

In the midst of all of the drama, Frankel remains optimistic: “I’m definitely a survivor.”

BETHENNY EVER AFTER’s third season premieres February 20th at 9pm on Bravo.

For Bravo’s final panel, Bravo exec and late-night host Andy Cohen took the stage to chat about this season of WATCH WHAT HAPPENS LIVE, but not before providing the press with mimosas to lubricate the Q&A a bit. Cohen says he gives his audience and guests plenty of drink before the show to “fulfill their needs.” In fact, his only pre-show question for his guests is, “What do you drink?” 

Andy Cohen, host of WATCH WHAT HAPPENS LIVE.

Photo credit: Chris Haston/Bravo.

Cohen shared his thoughts on a number of subjects ranging from the quality of past interviews to the content of future episodes. His worst interview to date, in his opinion, was with actor/rapper Tyrese, who was unsettled by the live format and refused to bare his abs on television… for once. For future interviews, Cohen revealed viewers can expect such guests as Rosie O’Donnell, Jimmy Fallon, and Holly Hunter, and he hopes to someday book Michelle Obama on the show. Cohen’s favorite guest for this season, though, had to be Ralph Fiennes, who will be joining Cohen in the WATCH WHAT HAPPENS Clubhouse for the first annual Ralph Fiennes Pajama Party.

On a more serious note, Cohen discussed the suicide of REAL HOUSEWIVES personality Russell Armstrong and its connection to the reality star’s involvement with the Bravo network. “He was given the option not to come back or to come back and he chose to come back,” said Cohen, who denied any responsibility for Armstrong’s suicide, which occurred mere days before the series return of HOUSEWIVES on Bravo.

WATCH WHAT HAPPENS LIVE now airs five nights a week, Sunday-Thursday at 11pm on Bravo, with actress/comedian Sandra Bernhard joining the cast once a week as a correspondent.

One of the highlights of the day came during the panel for TOTAL BLACKOUT, a new Syfy comedy game show in which contestants are forced to complete challenges in total darkness, like if FEAR FACTOR had sensory deprivation and was shot entirely in night vision. Host Jaleel White and series creator Henrik Nielsen treated the press to a live-feed demonstration of the game show as it was filmed in the next room. Celebrities such as Sam Huntington (BEING HUMAN), Sarah Colonna (AFTER LATELY), Sabina Kelley (BEST INK), Brad Wollack (AFTER LATELY), and Jenni Pulos (INTERIOR THERAPY) were ushered into the pitch dark room and asked to identify three items -- a feather duster, live eels, and a human foot (still attached to its owner, thankfully) -- using only their sense of touch. The demo was a hit with press at the panel, grabbing up huge laughs from the audience.

Jaleel White, host of TOTAL BLACKOUT.

Photo credit: Chris Haston/Bravo.

Following the demonstration, White and Nielson answered questions about their plans for the series. Nielsen, who adapted the show from a Danish program of the same name, dismissed the original show’s execution as “silly,” adding that his take on the material will pair two contestants together in order to play off of their mutual fear rather than simply subjecting them to cheap gimmicks. White said that he and the creators have plans for keeping the show fresh and preventing the contestants from getting wise to the show’s formula, much like how PUNK’D outsmarted its guests with more complex tricks in later seasons. While there initially won’t be any celebrity contestants on BLACKOUT, White hinted that he’d love to get some famous guests on board for future episodes.

Finally, when asked about his future plans, White was unsure whether he’d return to previous endeavors such as his web series, FAKE IT TIL YOU MAKE IT, though he was enthusiastic about his involvement in BLACKOUT: “I’m having fun doing this right now.”

TOTAL BLACKOUT premieres later this Spring on the Syfy network.