Perfect Match (2)

Hosts
Jim Lange (pilot) Bob Goen (series)
Announcer
Johnny Gilbert
Broadcast
Pilot: 1985 Syndication (Daily): 1/13/1986 – 9/12/1986
Packagers
XPTLA Company/Lorimar-Telepictures

"This is an article for the 1986 version. For the 1967 version, see The Perfect Match. For the 1994 version, see Perfect Match (3) and for the 2023 version, see Perfect Match (4)"

"It's Perfect Match! And now, here is your host, Bob Goen!"

This version of Perfect Match (originally, Make a Match in the 1985 pilot) was a Newlywed Game-typed show where the more the couples knew about each other, the more money they could win.

Gameplay[]

Three married couples competed in each episode. Before the show, they were asked questions about their relationships (each other), and during the show, each spouse tried to match his/her mate's answers. Each couple was asked the exact same questions in the exact same order.

Pilot[]

Each question had three possible answers revealed on a ring game board on Ferranti-Packer displays. The couples had Ferranti-Packer displays in front of them to show everybody but the couples their answers. Their scoreboards were over their heads (ala The Who What or Where Game). The first set of questions was worth $100 each and the second set was worth $200 each.

Plus according to the clips in the sales pitch, the audience was asked to vote at some point.

Series[]

Main Round[]

The couples were each given a bankroll of $200 to start the game, and for each question, the original spouse's answer was shown to the audience in a thought bubble. The other spouse would bet anywhere from $10 to their current score, based on how strong he/she felt about his/her answer. Successfully making a match added the wager, but failing to do so deducted it. Three questions were played in this round.

Bonus Round: Love Notes[]

In this round, each contestant read a "Love Letter" to his/her mate, which he/she had written before the show. Each letter had three blanks in it (sometimes two), and the spouses' job was to fill them in with the correct words previously given by the first spouse. Each match made on the first letter was worth $100, while each match made on the second letter was worth $200. Any couple who matched all four/six answers in this round "made a perfect match" and won a total of $5,000; if there were no $5,000 winners, however, the couple with the most money at the end of the game won a $1,000 bonus, with tied couples splitting the money.

Win or lose, all three couples kept whatever money they had won during the game.