Love Connection

Love Connection was an American television game show, where singles tried to find the best date and/or to have something in common with each other. The show debuted in syndication in 1983 and ended in 1994 after more than 2,000 shows, although reruns continued to air through June 30, 1995.

Format
The show was a variant of The Dating Game in which a bachelor or bachelorette would select from three potential dates of the opposite sex. A large majority of the contestants were in their 20s and looking for Mr. or Miss Right for the first time; however, there were plenty of older contestants who were single (officially listed as "never been married"), widowed or divorced (multiple times, in some cases). Daters were given $75 for the date (mentioned on a 1985 episode re-aired on GSN) during the show's initial run. This amount was increased to $100 for the 1998-1999 syndicated revival, and up to $500 for the 2017 FOX revival.

Following a short interview, the audience was shown video excerpts of the three potential dates (of which the contestant had screened in their entirety). The audience is then asked to vote on which date they believe was the right match for the bachelor(ette).

The contestant, who had already gone on the blind date, would introduce his/her choice. Since contestants were not permitted to see each other or make contact between the time they went on their date and when they appeared on the show, this was their first meeting since going out. The date is introduced, then appears on-screen via backstage hookup. Chuck then proceeds to interview both about what happened on their date.

Sometimes, the couple really hit it off and couldn't wait to see each other again, prompting Chuck to reunite the couple onstage. Other times, the dates went poorly and, in extreme cases, were disastrous. Regardless of the outcome, Chuck then revealed the audience's vote. If the contestant's and the audience's (majority) choices agreed, Chuck would congratulate the couple for making a "love connection" and pay for their next date if they hit it off. If the audience vote favored another contestant, or if the date went badly, Chuck would offer to pay up to $75 for a date with the audience's choice; the contestant could choose the second date or elect to remain on his/her own. No matter how obvious a connection, Chuck always asked both parties if they wanted to see each other again. To the casual observer, it seemed to be a needless formality, but in rare instances, a couple appeared to have a good time on their first date, but for one reason or another one or both parties decided not to pursue a second date. On one occasion, a contestant actually got engaged to someone else between the time of the date and when the episode aired. Throughout the show's run, many bachelors or bachelorettes came back to share the story about their second date (for the date the audience had already chosen for him/her), after their falling attempt of their first date.

Usually, two or three segments aired per show. On Friday shows, a bachelor(ette) would have the audience determine their date, and he/she would report back several weeks later. If the couple hit it off, they were entitled to a second date at the show's expense. If not, the contestant could choose between the other two matches as before or stay on their own.

Of the roughly 22,000 couples who met on the show, 31 eventually married. One marriage resulted when a woman wrote a letter in care of the program to a gentleman that she saw on the show and wanted to meet him. He'd gone out on dates with two different women, both of which went badly. They were both featured on the show. There were at least two proposals on the air after the couples were reunited onstage.

Unlike The Dating Game, where contestants only needed to be at least 18 years old, participants on the Woolery edition of Love Connection initally had to be at least 23; this was later lowered to 21.

While Chuck was hosting Love Connection, he also hosted the daytime game show Scrabble on NBC.

This show was produced by Eric Lieber Productions in association with and distributed by: Telepictures (1983-86, 1998-99); Lorimar-Telepictures (1986-89); Lorimar Television (1989-90); Warner Bros. Television (1990-95).

2017 Version
The premise is still the same, only here, the picker went out with all three members of the opposite sex, but they did it one at a time. At the start of each interview between the mate and the picker, host Andy Cohen reveals how they rated each other. After all three interviews, the picker will decide during the break which of the three s/he'll go out with again. Now if the picker's choice matches with the audience's, the picker wins $10,000. If not, then the picker must decide between the money and the audience's pick or the date.

"Two and two"
Chuck Woolery created his trademark phrase "Two and Two" on the show. The line referred to the fact that the program would return in two minutes and two seconds due to commercials (before, he just said either "in a couple minutes," or just simply "in two minutes"; initially, however, he said "two minutes [and] two seconds" prior to creating the catchphrase). He would take this catchphrase with him to Lingo and other game shows.

2016 remake
In 2015, a reboot was going to be made by Warner Brothers for 2016 with comedienne Loni Love as host. However, plans for it fell through at the last minute.

Episode status
Reruns of Love Connection previously aired on the USA Network (1995-1996) and GSN. Before January 1, 2007, GSN aired 1988-1992 episodes; for Valentine's Day 2004, older episodes were shown. Near Valentine's Day 2008, 1986 episodes were shown. Currently, they are not airing the show.

Trivia
The short-lived 1998 revival of the series was once paired up with Change of Heart in syndication.

Love Connection just returned this summer on FOX, with Andy Cohen as the host.

Love Connection Interactive
GSN's very own website once had an Interactive online game based on the show where you can play along while watching classic reruns of the show at the time.

Studios
KTTV Metromedia Square, Hollywood, CA (1983–1984)

ABC Television Center, Hollywood, CA (1984–1987)

TAV Celebrity Theater, Hollywood, CA (1987–1991)

Hollywood Center Studios, Hollywood, CA (1991–1994)

CBS Television City, Hollywood, CA (2017–Present)

Additional Page
Love Connection/Catchphrases

Links
Love Connection: The 1998 Version @ Game Show Garbage

Official Site for the 2017 version