Why ‘Love Overboard’ Will Be Your New Reality Dating TV Obsession

All hull is about to break loose on the high seas, and we have a feeling Love Overboard will be a must-visit destination for reality fans.

Executive produced by Call Her Daddy podcasting phenom Alex Cooper in partnership with Jeff Jenkins Productions (The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives), this heady, horny hybrid of Bachelor in Paradise, Below Deck, and the late, great Temptation Island gathers 16 sexy singles aboard the Chakra, a 280-foot super-yacht anchored in the Mediterranean Sea in Malta. Up for grabs: a $100K trip around the world and, by Episode 2, a ton of casual sex. Because once these hardbodies climb on (the vessel, that is) to “flirt, fondle and hopefully fall in love,” as host and self-ordained “Love Captain” Gabby Windey says, things heat up exponentially.

First, the players are given a chance to partner with anyone they’ve clicked with and explore their initial connection as “Topsiders” amid the Chakra‘s lavish state rooms and luxurious service. Those who don’t spark with anyone, the “Downsiders,” are tasked with taking care of the Topsiders… when not crammed in their windowless, funky-smelling crew cabins. This hilariously unpleasant assignment is an immediate “No” from a certain surgically enhanced hottie. The resulting tantrum face could launch a thousand memes.

As the Topsiders get frisky under the sun, the Downsiders get wind from Windey that they don’t have to be stuck in steerage.

“If you want the opportunity to win the trip around the world and be considered an official couple, you will have to move to the Topside and enjoy the life of luxury with your lover,” she tells them giddily. “But the only way to get to the Topside deck is by breaking up another couple.”

From that point on, plots are hatched, and loyalties are tossed aside, and it soon becomes clear that very few of them packed any sense of shame in their luggage. The simple act of ordering a drink turns into deception, and clothing becomes as optional as honesty. It’s The Traitors with tan lines, and cocktails meet Jiggle TV 2.0.

Disney / Andrea Miconi

It’s also hilarious, due in large part to the breathy, bawdy Windey. The increasingly popular podcaster has dipped her toes in almost every reality TV pool: She first appeared on Season 26 of The Bachelor, shared the 19th season as The Bachelorette with Rachel Recchia, placed second on Dancing With the Stars‘ 31st edition, and actually won Season 3 of The Traitors.

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Meet the Cast of Hulu's New Dating Show 'Love Overboard'

In other words, she knows what’s worth calling someone out on. When a player refuses to choose between two paramours during an elimination ceremony — where they literally walk the plank and are dropped into the sea! — she’s yelling at him the same way that viewers would at home. And when a couple’s stateroom is rockin’, she’s mockin’ ’em in a voiceover peppered with double entendres.

Will any true romance surface here? It’s hard to tell, but Windey’s energy and a bunch of twists on the itinerary keep this utter ship-show awash in fun. All aboard!

Love Overboard, Series Premiere Thursday, March 26, Hulu