Love Connection

Love Connection
Genre	Dating game show
Created by	Eric Lieber
Directed by	Paul Miller[1] Deborah Miller[1] Tom McConnell[1]
Presented by	Chuck Woolery (1983–1994) Pat Bullard (1998–1999) Andy Cohen (2017–)
Narrated by	Rod Roddy (1983–1985, 1986) Gene Wood (1985–1987) Rich Jeffries (1987–1988) Johnny Gilbert (1988–1989) John Cervenka (1989–1994, 1998–1999)
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	11 (1983–1994) 1 (1998–1999) 2 (2017–)
No. of episodes	2,120 (1983–94 and 1998–99 series) 28 (2017 revival) Total: 2,148
Production
Executive producer(s)	Eric Lieber (1983–1994, 1998–1999) Mike Fleiss (2017–) James Breen (2017–) Jason Ehrlich (2017–) Martin Hilton (2017–)
Producer(s)	Sid Marsh[1] Tom Weitzel[1] Louise Brooks[1] Tom McConnell[1] John Ryder[1]
Production location(s)	KTTV Metromedia Square, Hollywood, California (1983–1984) ABC Television Center, Hollywood, California (1984–1987) TAV Celebrity Theater, Hollywood, California (1987–1991) Hollywood Center Studios, Hollywood, California (1991–1994) CBS Television City, Hollywood, California (2017–)
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	21–22 minutes (1983–94 and 1998–99 versions) 44 minutes (2017 version)
Production company(s)	Eric Lieber Productions (1983–1994) NEXT Entertainment (2017–) PEL Productions (1998–1999) Telepictures Productions (1998–1999, 2017–) Warner Horizon Television (2017–)
Distributor	Telepictures (1983–1986) Lorimar-Telepictures (1986–1989) Lorimar Television (1989–1990) Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution (1989–1994, 1998–1999 via Telepictures Distribution, 2017–)
Release
Original network	First-run syndication (1983–1994, 1998–1999) Fox (2017–)
Original release	September 19, 1983 (1983-09-19) – July 1, 1994 (1994-07-01) (original series) September 21, 1998 (1998-09-21) – June 25, 1999 (1999-06-25) (first revival) May 25, 2017 (2017-05-25) – present (present) (second revival)
External links
Website

Love Connection is an American television dating game show, hosted by Andy Cohen, in which singles attempt to connect with a compatible partner of the opposite gender. Originally hosted by Chuck Woolery, the show debuted in syndication on September 19, 1983, and ended on July 1, 1994, after 2,120 shows. Reruns continued to air until September 8, 1995.^[2] The series was relaunched for one season in 1998 under the same title with Pat Bullard as host. In 2017, the series returned on Fox with Andy Cohen hosting. On August 10, 2017, Fox renewed the series for another season.^[3]

Love Connection was produced by Eric Lieber Productions in association with and distributed by Telepictures (1983–1986), Lorimar-Telepictures (1986–1989), Lorimar Television (1989–1990), and Warner Bros. Television (1989–1994).

Format

Love Connection's main premise was to arrange dates for couples. A guest appeared on the show after going on a date with one of three contestants, having chosen on the basis of the contestants' videotaped profiles. After the date, the televised appearance was scheduled.^[1]

Love Connection tapings took place before a live studio audience. Woolery introduced the guest and show excerpts from the three candidates' videos. The studio audience then secretly voted on which candidate they preferred for the guest. (In the 1998–99 version, home viewers voted online and were included in the tally.) The guest then revealed whom he or she had actually dated, and the date joined the conversation from backstage via closed-circuit television camera. Woolery led the guest and date to discuss their time together. If they both agreed that the date had been successful, the couple would be reunited onstage; otherwise, the date's participation in the show ended. Woolery then revealed the vote result; if the guest had had a successful date with the vote winner, Woolery congratulated the couple for making a "love connection," and they would usually (but not always) accept the offered prize of a second date at the show's expense.

After a successful date, the guest was always offered another date with that person. However, if the vote winner was one of the other contestants, the guest could choose a date with the vote winner, regardless of the success of the first date. In addition, if the guest had already unsuccessfully dated the audience pick, the guest could choose to go on a date with either of the other contestants. If a second date took place, the couple would be invited back for a second interview at a later taping. Two or three segments usually aired per show. In a variation that aired on Fridays, a bachelor or bachelorette who had not yet chosen a date made an appearance and allow the studio audience to make the choice for him or her, based on video excerpts. The couple would report back in the usual fashion 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 two losing candidates for the second date.

In the 2017 revival, the guest appeared on the show after having gone on a date with each of the three contestants, and all three were interviewed from backstage after the video intros and audience vote. This version added a segment where guests and contestants rated their first impressions of each other's looks on a scale of 1–10 (while the date's physical appearance is intended as the basis of the score, some contestants have based their scores in part on other factors, including their date's style of dress, personality, and personal physical preferences). After the interviews, the guest received an overnight date with the contestant of his or her choice, along with a $10,000 cash prize; in season 1, if the audience votes for a contestant other than the one with which the guest chose to go on a second date, the guest must choose to either spend the overnight date with the vote winner in order to win the $10,000 prize or go with the person that he or she had chosen beforehand and not win the $10,000 prize; in season 2, if the audience choice was different from the guest's choice, the guest wouldn't receive $10,000 but would still have an overnight date with the person that he or she had chosen beforehand. Thus ending the aforementioned 'Love or Money' twist.

The great majority of contestants in the original series were in their twenties and had never been married. However, older never-married, widowed, and divorced (some multiple times) contestants were occasionally selected as well. (The relationship status of the contestants was noted on-screen in their profile summary in both syndicated iterations of the show, but is not referenced in the 2017 revival.) The show paid the expenses incurred on the date, plus $75 for incidentals.^[4] The incidental amount was increased to $100 for the 1998–1999 revival. In the 2017 revival, contestants were given $500 for each date.

Legacy

The show was one of the biggest game show hits of the 1980s and early 1990s, and helped revive Chuck Woolery's hosting career. At 11 seasons and 2,120 episodes, it was one of the longest lasting game shows in syndication. For many years it was third behind Merv Griffin's Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune (formerly hosted by Woolery) for longest lasting game show in syndication, but since has been surpassed by Family Feud and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Coincidentally, the show premiered on the same date (September 19) that Woolery's former show, Wheel of Fortune, debuted its syndicated edition in 1983.

As of 1993, among the couples who met on the show, there were a total of 29 marriages, 8 engagements, and 15 children, according to Woolery.^[5]

A year later, in a Daily Variety trade ad promoting the end of the original show's run after 11 seasons, it was stated that there were 35,478 taped interviews, 2,120 episodes, 31 marriages, and 20 babies.^[6]

Ratings

References

External links

• Official site (Fox)
• Love Connection (1983–1998) on IMDb
• Love Connection (2017–Present) on IMDb
• Love Connection at TV.com