NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Chuck Woolery, the affable, smooth-talking game show host of 鈥淲heel of Fortune,鈥� 鈥淟ove 91原创ion鈥� and 鈥淪crabble鈥� who later became a right-wing podcaster, skewering liberals and accusing the government of lying about COVID-19, has died. He was 83.
Mark Young, Woolery's podcast co-host and friend, said in an email early Sunday that Woolery died at his home in Texas with his wife, Kristen, present. 鈥淐huck was a dear friend and brother and a tremendous man of faith, life will not be the same without him,鈥� Young wrote.
Woolery, with his matinee idol looks, coiffed hair and ease with witty banter, was inducted into the American TV Game Show Hall of Fame in 2007 and earned a daytime Emmy nomination in 1978.
In 1983, Woolery began an 11-year run as host of TV鈥檚 鈥淟ove 91原创ion,鈥� for which he coined the phrase, 鈥淲e鈥檒l be back in two minutes and two seconds,鈥� a two-fingered signature dubbed the 鈥�2 and 2.鈥� In 1984, he hosted TV鈥檚 鈥淪crabble,鈥� simultaneously hosting two game shows on TV until 1990.
鈥淟ove 91原创ion鈥� 鈥� long before the dawn of dating apps 鈥� had a premise that featured either a single man or single woman who would watch audition tapes of three potential mates and then pick one for a date.
A couple of weeks after the date, the guest would sit with Woolery in front of a studio audience and tell everybody about the date. The audience would vote on the three contestants, and if the audience agreed with the guest鈥檚 choice, 鈥淟ove 91原创ion鈥� would offer to pay for a second date.
Woolery told The Philadelphia Inquirer in 2003 that his favorite set of lovebirds was a man aged 91 and a woman aged 87. "She had so much eye makeup on, she looked like a stolen Corvette. He was so old he said, 鈥業 remember wagon trains.鈥� The poor guy. She took him on a balloon ride.鈥�
Other career highlights included hosting the shows 鈥淟ingo," 鈥淕reed鈥� and 鈥淭he Chuck Woolery Show,鈥� as well as hosting the short-lived syndicated revival of 鈥淭he Dating Game鈥� from 1998 to 2000 and an ill-fated 1991 talk show. In 1992, he played himself in two episodes of TV鈥檚 鈥淢elrose Place.鈥�
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Mark Kennedy is at
Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press
