Foursquare meets reality TV, partners up with Bravo for new badges

Foursquare's exhausting week continues. After drawing some big-name competition from Facebook and getting an unofficial WIndows Mobile client, now the trendy location-based game is partnering up with the Bravo TV network. Viewers of Bravo TV shows (including "The Real Housewives," "The Millionaire Matchmaker," "Top Chef," "Kell on Earth," and "Shear Genius") can now hunt for custom Bravo Foursquare badges at locations from the shows.

Foursquare has always been about interaction between technology and physical locations, so it's not a stretch to use it to bring some sorely-needed activity to the whole reality-show phenomenon. Bravo needs Foursquare to get viewers engaged in its shows, but Foursquare needs Bravo to expand its audience beyond the early-adopted nerd crowd. "I don't think checkins are a nerd-only experience," Foursquare co-founder Dennis Crowley told the New York Times.

Am I the only one who's sweating the increased competition for mayorships? I do hope Foursquare goes mainstream in a big way, but I'm barely hanging on to my title of Mayor of the 7-11!

[via The New York Times]

Tags: badges, bravo, checkin, foursquare, location-based, reality tv, RealityTv, SocialNetworking, tv