Oh Bouy! Drunken Trivia on CMT’s “Pontoon Payday”

CMT is setting sail with the premiere of Pontoon Payday, the first-ever game show on a boat. A boat? Yes, a boat. And thankfully, most of Pontoon Paydays’ contestants come with personal safety devices in the form of inflated egos, pumped up muscles, or buoyant bosoms, and everyone is protected by a healthy dose of alcohol. In the hot and hilarious new series, unsuspecting lake-goers are plucked from their party boats to compete on the floating game show hosted by comedian Frank Nicotero (Street Smarts).

If the buzzed boaters can answer trivia questions correctly, they win quick cash. But if they get the questions wrong, they face consequences. “OMG — 3 questions wrong and off the boat you go!” says SallyAnn Salsano, the show’s creator and executive producer. “But you get one chance to stay in the game before that happens … but you have to earn it.” Salsano teases that some of the outrageous challenges that contestants face include, “A 3-second haircut down the middle of your head; eating a plate of worms; Taser a friend; or eating a stick of butter.” And since the contestants are pretty drunk by the time they step aboard, expect plenty of hilarious happenings when sexy twenty-somethings mix beer-fueled courage with drunk brain.

Whip out your “Official Bikini Inspector” t-shirt, and dust off your trivia know-how; we’re heading to Lake Havasu (home to the smartest brains on the planet *wink*) for a day of fun and sun! I asked Salsano, who is adept at discovering partying Meccas, “Why do a gameshow on a boat?” She shared, “Boating is such a part of the culture [of Lake Havasu, that] it was a no-brainer … Everyone packs up, loads up and heads out for the day … It’s a great thing to do with a fun group … or to meet new people … It’s like going to a giant BBQ; everyone is looking to have a good time.”

Back-to-back episodes of Pontoon Payday will premiere at 10pm ET/PT after the Season 2 premiere of Party Down South 2.

Party Down South 2 and Pontoon Payday come from the producing mind of SallyAnn Salsano and her 495 Productions; the same production company behind reality hits like Freak Out (ABC Family), Tattoo Nightmares (Spike), Big Women: Big Love (Lifetime), and MTV’s Jersey Shore franchise.