![]() ![]() Two, the audience and contestant would disagree on the appropriate match, so the contestant would have a choice between a second date with their original selection or a first date with the audience’s selection. One, the audience and the contestant agreed on the match and the contestant would be offered a second date with the same person at the expense of the show. At this point the studio audience vote would finally be revealed to the contestants and viewers at home and four possible outcomes could play out. The contestant and (newly revealed) chosen second party would then recount the date, muse on how it went in each of their personal opinions, and decide if they would be interested in going out again. They would vote on who of the three they considered the best match, but the outcome would not be revealed until later on in the show. Instead of ignoring everything that happened on this date like its predecessor, Love Connection could then leverage the account of what went on in order to craft an entertaining episode of television.ĭuring the studio show, the audience would be presented with three choices to match with that day’s contestant. Given three choices before appearing, each contestant would pick which person they believed would be the most compatible option off-camera and then attend said date. ![]() In a stroke of brilliance (or necessity, depending on how you look at it), Love Connection flipped this format on its head and staged the date before the show (although didn’t film it), and used it as a more realistic way to gauge the match-worthiness of contestants. On The Dating Game, the date would occur after the show was filmed and was of no real import to how the filmed portion unfolded. Two people would be tested for general compatibility in order to facilitate a match between them. Although the former changed the general outline of the show and rules of the latter, the goal was more or less the same. The birth of Love Connection is itself owed to the success of the 1960s show The Dating Game. Apparently, shows born of the innocence and simplicity of the 1980s game show scene were meant to stay there. Although the popularity of both has resulted in multiple attempted re-launches or rip-offs none of those ratings have come close to replicating the popularity that the originals brought in syndication. And really, what more do you need out of a game show? Back in the 1980s, the answer was essentially “not much.” Both Love Connection and The Newlywed Game were very much a product of the decade from the hosts’ wardrobe choices to the neon lights and set design. As the selections this month will show, game shows centered on couples and coupling could be cute, hilarious, rewarding, and awkward all at the same time. This unfortunate trend has reduced any new game shows about dating to Jerry Springer-inspired concepts like Baggage (actually hosted by Springer) or the endless VH1 dating spin-offs that began with Flavor of Love.Īll in all, this is a real shame. Mass audiences aren’t about to watch a group of couples chastely answer questions about each other or recap dates that occurred off camera if there are juicier hook-ups to be found in MTV reality shows or on a nighttime soap airing a few channels over. Post- Real World, paying to produce and air game shows about romantic pairings is about as worthwhile as setting that money on fire. But in the heyday of cheesy game shows, these two were some of the best when it came to maintaining entertainment value without having to crank the sugar notch to high. Romance has generally been left behind as a game show device as the years go on due to the rise in reality shows bent on exploiting dating and marriages for all they’re worth. ![]() So, in keeping with that motif, let’s dive into a double header of romance themed game shows with The Newlywed Game and Love Connection. ![]() In case you weren’t already aware, the month of February has been a generally love-themed month around This Was TV. Game Night: Love Connection and The Newlywed Game ![]()
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