This month, TLC and CMT will be premiering their new ambush-style game shows Labor Games and Pontoon Payday. Tomorrow, TLC will be premiering sneak peek episodes of its new game show, Labor Games (May 6 at 10:00pm EDT). Hosted by Lisa Arch, expectant parents will have a chance to play the impromptu game show for prizes including cash, trips, various baby accessories, food and a $10,000 scholarship for their unborn child. The 12-episode first season is filmed at the Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center in Pomona, CA and the series will “officially” premiere later this year. Over a week later, CMT debuts its series with a similar format called Pontoon Payday (May 14 at 10:00pm EDT). On Pontoon Payday, host Frank Nicotero (The Game of Life, Street Smarts) surprises unsuspecting lake-goers with the opportunity to play on a “floating game show”. Correct answers win the contestants money while incorrect answers could get them thrown overboard. The series is produced by 495 Productions, the same creators behind Jersey Shore.
Since Cash Cab made ambush game shows relevant again in 2005 due to its national and international popularity, no game show with a similar format has yet to match its success. From SPEED’s (now FOX Sports 1) Pumped to MTV’s The Substitute, there have been a multitude of these type of game shows that have come and gone in a season or two. The only series to have come close to Cash Cab’s six-season stint on television is TBS’s Deal With It with three seasons under its belt thus far. Because ambush game shows are generally easy to create and cheap to produce, it’s no surprise to see a lot of these of type of shows pop up in a year’s time with different themes, angles and gimmicks. Whether they’ll be a hit or not is whole different story. Stay tuned for the premiere of both shows on their respective air dates. Check out previews of both shows in the videos below!
Sources: Multichannel News, New York Post
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