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Family Feud is a U.S. television game show that pits two families against each other in a contest to name the most popular responses to a survey-type question posed to 100 people. The format, which originated in the United States, airs in numerous local formats worldwide, including in the United Kingdom (Family Fortunes), Malaysia (Famili Ceria) and Australia (Bert's Family Feud). In addition, a Spanish-language US version aired, known as ¿Qué Dice la Gente?.
The current version, having begun its tenth season on September 8, 2008, has been renewed for an eleventh season.
amily Feud was created in the wake of the massive success of the CBS hit game show Match Game, which had set daytime ratings records in 1976.
Discussion
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Quotations
Anderson: Name a famous Pat.Contestant: Pat Dixon.
Anderson: Name a talk show host you watch in the daytime.Contestant: Louie Anderson.
Anderson: Name something teenage boys can do for hours at a time.Contestant: Masturbate.
Be good to your families, come back to see the/our families on the (new) Family Feud--Louie Anderson (1999-2002)
Combs: Describe the weather with a word or phrase that could also describe your wife.Contestant: Wet!
Combs: Name a good place to keep a second phone. Contestant: The backyard.
Encyclopedia
Family Feud is a U.S. television game show that pits two families against each other in a contest to name the most popular responses to a survey-type question posed to 100 people. The format, which originated in the United States, airs in numerous local formats worldwide, including in the United Kingdom (Family Fortunes), Malaysia (Famili Ceria) and Australia (Bert's Family Feud). In addition, a Spanish-language US version aired, known as ¿Qué Dice la Gente?.
The current version, having begun its tenth season on September 8, 2008, has been renewed for an eleventh season.
Broadcast history
1976-1985
Family Feud was created in the wake of the massive success of the CBS hit game show Match Game, which had set daytime ratings records in 1976. Geoff Edwards, then hosting Treasure Hunt in syndication, was originally offered the show's Pilot; however, he turned it down after seeing The Neighbors quietly tank and also having a deal pending with Bob Stewart for what became Shoot For the Stars.
Richard Dawson, one of Match Games most popular panelists, was the immediate next choice as host of the spin-off, which incorporated the team format and form of questioning (e.g. "Name a type of fruit") from the original 1960's Match Game as well as the 1970s Match Game "Audience Match."
Family Feud premiered as an ABC daytime show on July 12, 1976 at 1:30 p.m. ET., with Richard Dawson as host and Gene Wood as the studio announcer. After its premiere, it wasn't an immediate hit, but ABC moved the show to a new time slot at 11:30 a.m. ET, six months later, where it was a ratings winner until 1984. A nighttime syndicated version was added on September 19, 1977, at first airing once weekly, then twice in January 1979, and finally every weeknight in September 1980, making it the first US game show to air ten episodes per week. When The $20,000 Pyramid was canceled in June 1980, the Feud took the 12:00 noon time slot as reruns of The Love Boat filled the 11:00 a.m. hour.
With its ratings dropping, it was moved back to 11:30 a.m. in October 1984, in a game show hour paired with Trivia Trap preceding it at 11:00 a.m. ABC canceled the daytime show on June 14, 1985, and the syndicated version left the air three months later on September 13.
Dawson hosting the Feud was best known for kissing his female contestants on the lips, especially several times if she played the "Fast Money" Round.
1988-1994
Three years after its ABC cancellation, a new daytime version of Family Feud premiered on CBS on July 4, 1988 at 10:00 a.m. EST with comedian Ray Combs as host, joined by a nightly syndicated version two and a half months later on September 19. When Wheel of Fortune was canceled by CBS, Family Feud moved to 10:30 a.m. to make room for Barbara DeAngelis' daytime talk show.
On June 29, 1992, the CBS daytime show became Family Feud Challenge, added the Bullseye Round, and expanded to a full hour. New episodes of the daytime show aired until March 29, 1993 and reruns continued through its cancellation on September 10, 1993.
On September 14, 1992 the syndicated version also added the Bullseye Round and retitled itself The New Family Feud, however it continued as a half-hour show. Combs continued to serve as host until May 27, 1994, when declining ratings led to his replacement by Richard Dawson at the request of Jonathan Goodson, who inherited Goodson-Todman Productions following his father Mark Goodson's death on December 18, 1992.
1994-1995
On September 12, 1994, a noticeably older and gray-haired Richard Dawson returned to the syndicated show as host after a nine-year absence. Dawson's return also included some format changes to the show. On this version, four members competed on each team instead of the traditional five. The "Bullseye" Round was retitled the "Bankroll" Round and only included three questions. Other aesthetic changes, such as a smaller version of the original set, with no moving parts or flashing lights, were made in an effort to modernize the game.
The syndicated version expanded to one hour for this season, although some markets chose to air only the second half of each episode as a stand-alone program. Despite various efforts to revive interest and an initial ratings increase, Dawson's return only lasted one season, partly due to competition from the O.J. Simpson murder trial dominating many of the syndication markets.
The last episode aired on May 26, 1995 with repeats airing until September 8.
1999-2002
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After a four-year hiatus, Family Feud returned in syndication on September 20, 1999. Dawson was offered the choice of returning to the hosting position, but declined, and has since decided to have no further involvement with the show. With Dawson's retirement, producers chose Louie Anderson to host the new incarnation of the show.
The format was changed so that the family with the most points after four rounds (the fourth round being a "Triple" round with only one strike allowed) played Fast Money, regardless if their score reached 300 points.
Anderson hosted the show from 1999-2002 and oversaw the show's increase in top prize from $10,000 to $20,000.
Anderson was dropped from the show after the May 8, 2002 episode (partly due to Anderson being bored with the role starting in 2001) was taped and replaced by Home Improvement star Richard Karn.
2002-2006
Richard Karn, who received somewhat better reviews, began hosting on September 16, 2002. For his first season, the overall fourth season of the show, the same gameplay format as Anderson's was used, and the show featured an updated set. For the 2003-2004 season, the set moved to Tribune Studios and the goal of 300 points was reinstated.
Another new set was built for Karn's final season, which began on September 12, 2005 and went until June 16, 2006.
2006-Present
On March 28, 2006, it was announced that John O'Hurley would take over hosting duties from Karn. With O'Hurley's first episode the set was overhauled into an updated version of the classic set and a new logo was introduced. Early episodes began the same as the ABC/CBS runs, with announcer Burton Richardson reading the classic opening spiel.
Beginning with the 2007-2008 season, a new logo (based somewhat on the Ray Combs one) replaced the "block" one. Beginning with the 2008-2009 season, the show began using the Combs-era theme as well along with the set changes introduced in Celebrity Family Feud the previous Summer.
Production
Other production staff
Gabrielle Johnston, a Goodson-Todman staffer since the 1970s, is currently the show's executive producer, years after she was the show's associate producer of the 1980s version. Kristin Bjorklund is a current producer and was also an associate producer of the 1980s version. Lauri Chryss is the associate director.
Previous staff members include Howard Felsher, the show's original producer before being an executive producer in the 1980s version who was also a Goodson-Todman staffer since the 1960s, Cathy Hughart Dawson, the show's original associate producer, who then became producer. Georgia Purcell assumed the associate producer role later in the series. Chester Feldman, who was a creative consultant for Goodson-Todman in the 1970s, was the show's executive producer in the 1980s version.
During the Dawson and Combs era, Gene Wood was the program announcer, with periodic fill-ins from Johnny Gilbert, Art James, and Rod Roddy. Burton Richardson has been the announcer for all episodes of the current syndicated version since 1999, except for the Gameshow Marathon finale episode, which was announced by Rich Fields in 2006.
Production company and distribution
Originally, Family Feud was billed as "A Mark Goodson/Bill Todman Production," but after Todman's death in 1979, the unit was simply known as "Mark Goodson Productions" and was announced as such on Family Feud until 1995. During the first three seasons of the 1999 revival, the show used the Mark Goodson Productions name and logo at the end of each episode, even though the original production company no longer existed. However, when Richard Karn began hosting in 2002, the traditional practice was abandoned entirely.
The show's copyright holder was called "The Family Company" for the 1976–1985 run, "The New Family Company" from 1988–1994 and "Mark Goodson Productions, L.P." from 1994-1995. Currently, Family Feuds copyright holder is called "Feudin' Productions." Since 2002, the show has been produced by RTL Group subsidiary FremantleMedia North America (as successor to Mark Goodson Productions).
Viacom Enterprises, currently known as CBS Television Distribution, distributed the syndicated version of the program from 1977-1985.
Following the death of Mark Goodson in 1992, FremantleMedia, the eventual successor of respective distributors/successors LBS Communications, All-American Television, and Pearson Television, distributed Family Feud. At the beginning of Richard Karn's run, Tribune Entertainment was awarded syndication duties when FremantleMedia chose to focus on producing rather than distribution. However, Tribune's participation in the series ended in the spring of 2007 when Tribune dismantled its television distribution arm. That fall, Lionsgate-owned Debmar-Mercury assumed distribution and 20th Television assumed ad sales.
Taping locations
- 1976: Vine Street Theater, Los Angeles, California
- 1977-1985: Studio 54, ABC Television Center, Los Angeles, California
- 1999-2000: Studio 36, CBS Television City, Hollywood, California
- 2003-Present: Sunset Bronson Studios (formerly Tribune Studios), Hollywood, California
Episodes are taped on Saturdays and Sundays.
Theme song
The original theme song for Family Feud, simply named "The Feud," was a more elaborate version of a prize cue heard on The Price Is Right. In addition, the final measure of the theme song is used to introduce the Grand Game on The Price is Right. The theme was composed by Robert Israel for Score Productions. It was remixed with synthesized drums in 1988 for the Ray Combs version, and for Richard Dawson's 1994 return, the theme was re-recorded by Edd Kalehoff with jazz instruments. In 1999, John Lewis Parker orchestrated the "party" theme complete with a portion of the original Robert Israel theme in the opening.
This theme was remixed in 2002 and again in 2006. These versions did not feature the sample from the original theme. The 1988-1994 Feud theme from the Ray Combs version was brought back in an edited form for the latter part of Richard Karn's first season from November 2002May 2003. It was revived yet again in June 2008 for NBC's Celebrity Family Feud, with a looped intro, and was used as the opening/closing themes and as face-off/commercial cues, and has also been useduneditedsince the beginning of the 2008-2009 syndicated season.
For the Gameshow Marathon episode, both the 1976 and 1988 versions were used. The 1988 version used for the opening was toned down to emulate the 1976 version as it was heard during Family Feuds first season on ABC. The 1988 opening cue was used, however, without manipulation of any kind, yet when the announcer introduced the second family, the song started over instead. However, the actual 1976 main theme and its related music, which was also toned down, was used for face-offs and bumper music going to and returning from commercial breaks. The survey oval was built upside down.
Gameplay
Representatives of the family are posed questions that have already been answered by 100 people. An answer is considered correct if it is one of the concealed answers on the game board. More points are given for answers that have been given by more people in the survey (one point per person; dollars were used prior to 1992see below for more information). Answers must have been given by at least two of the 100 people in order to be included on the board. There are five members on each team; this was reduced to four during the 1994–1995 season.
Examples of questions might be "Name a famous George," "Tell me a popular family vacation spot," or "Name something you do at school."
The participants are not asked questions about what is true or how things really are; instead, they are asked questions about what other people think are true. As thus, a perfectly logical answer may be considered incorrect because it failed to make the survey (e.g.: for the question about Georges, George Jones was a popular country singer, but if his name was given by fewer than two people, it would be considered "wrong;" indeed it did not appear on the survey board on the first episode).
Basics
Two family members "face off" to see which family will gain control of that particular question. Traditionally, they greet each other with a handshake before the question is read. Whoever guesses the more popular answer in the survey has the option to play the question or pass it to the other family except during the 1988–1995 version, when they were automatically given control of the board. If neither player gives a valid answer, the next member of each family gets a chance to answer, with control again going to the family giving the more popular answer. If both answers are worth the same amount of points, control goes to the player that buzzed in first.
The family in control can keep the question in which the family attempts to give all the remaining answers on the board, or pass to the other family. Starting with the next family member in line, each gets a chance to give one answer. Family members may not confer with one another while in control of the board. The family gets a "strike" if a player gives an answer that is not on the board or fails to respond. There is no firm time limit, but the host has the discretion to impose a three second count if time is short or the contestant appears to be stalling. Three strikes cause the family to relinquish control of the board, giving the other family one chance to steal the points in the bank by correctly guessing one of the remaining answers. Any revealed answer is met with a clanging bell (and starting in 2008, a "swoosh" sound effect as the answer is being revealed), and a strike is accompanied by at least one red "X" inside a rectangular outline and the famous "strike" buzzer. This buzzer is also used on the NBC talent-search show America's Got Talent, when a panelist dislikes the currently-showcased act; that show also is an RTL Group programme. (For a brief period in Ray Combs' run, when a strike was received, the person who got the strike was given a placard with the rectangle-"X" design and was instructed to hold it for the remainder of the round.)
In all versions except the 1988–1994 version, the entire family could confer before the answer was given. In the 1988-1994 and the 2008 prime time versions, each family member gave his or her opinion one at a time. The head of household could then either select one of those four or give his or her own. On all other versions, a different-sounding triple-buzzer was used when the host asked for a final answer from the family who was attempting the steal.
After determining who takes the bank for a round, any remaining answers are then revealed; per tradition, the audience yells each unrevealed answer in a choral response.
From 1992 until 1995, and from 1999 until 2003, if the family stole the points in the bank by guessing one of the remaining answers, the value of the answer that "stole" would also be added to the banka rule first instituted in the 1987 computer version (see "Home versions" below).
Richard Dawson, on at least one occasion early in the show's run, said that a team that "steals" gets only the amount built up during the round, rather than adding the value of the "steal."
Bullseye/Bankroll round
From 1992-1995, before any regular rounds were played, new preliminary rounds were introduced, named the "Bullseye Round" from 1992–1994 and the "Bankroll Round" from 1994-1995. One at a time and starting with the team captain, each member of the family would go up to the podium to answer a survey question that was worth a dollar amount; only the number one answer was accepted. Correctly guessing the number one answer added the worth of that question to the family's "bankroll," seen displayed on their podium.
The Bullseye Round featured five questions. In Family Feud Challenge, the Bullseye Round was played in both halves of the show. Each family had $2,500 as their starting bankroll. The questions were worth in order: $500/$1,000/$1,500/$2,000/$2,500. The highest amount for a family to earn was $10,000. For the second half, all of these values were doubled, with the starting bankroll at $5,000 and the questions worth $1,000/$2,000/$3,000/$4,000/$5,000. The highest amount was doubled to $20,000 for the second half. The half-hour version, The New Family Feud, used the values in the Challenges second half. Number-one answers were seen on a specially-constructed prop that was lowered from the ceiling every time the round began and raised back up every time the round ended.
The Bankroll Round featured only three questions. Like the daytime Bullseye Round, the Bankroll Round was played in both halves of the show. Instead of each family member going up to answer a question, only one person on each team was required, and the two contestants participated in all three questions. The starting bankroll remained the same in both halves, but the values were changed to: $500/$1,500/$2,500 for the first half and $1,000/$3,000/$5,000 in the second half. The maximum amount was $7,000 in the first half and $14,000 in the second half; both were reached many times. The prop from the Bullseye Round was discarded, and two different methods were used for displaying the #1 answer: the Fast Money board also used for regular main game rounds was used in the studio, while a computer-generated design was seen superimposed over the board for TV viewers.
This round was discontinued when Family Feud returned in 1999, reverting back to a $10,000 jackpot for winning Fast Money (see below for more information). Also at this time families no longer received money in the amount of their main game score; a practice that continues on the current version of the program.
Though the round is no longer played (and has not been played since 1995), the "point" scoring system remains intact.
Scoring format
Questions are played for double and triple points toward the end of the game. The number of double- and triple-point questions in the game has varied over the years:
Daytime version| From | To | Goal | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Round 5 | Round 6+ |
|---|
| 1976 | 1979 | 200 | Single | Double | | 1979 | 300 | Single | Double | Triple | | 1979 | 1982 | 300 | Single | Double | Triple | | 1982 | 1984 | 300 | Single | Double | Triple | | 1984 | 1985 | 400 | Single | Double | Triple | | 1988 | 300 | Single | Double | Triple | | 1988 | 1990 | 300 | Single | Double | Triple | | 1990 | 1992 | 300 | Single | Double | Triple | | 1992 | 1993 | 300 | Single | Double | Triple | | 1993 | 300 | Single | Double | Triple |
Syndicated version| From | To | Goal | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Round 5 | Round 6+ |
|---|
| 1977 | 200 | Single | Double | | 1977 | 1984 | 300 | Single | Double | Triple | | 1984 | 1985 | 400 | Single | Double | Triple | | 1988 | 300 | Single | Double | Triple | | 1988 | 1990 | 300 | Single | Double | Triple | | 1990 | 1992 | 300 | Single | Double | Triple | | 1992 | 1995 | 300 | Single | Double | Triple | | 1999 | 2003 | Lead | Single | Triple | Tiebreaker1 | | 2003 | present | 300 | Single | Double | Triple | Sudden Death2 |
1From 1999-2003, the family in the lead after round four automatically won the game, regardless of their score (though the majority of the winning families of that period still reached 300 points). Also, in Round Four, the family in control was only allowed one strike; this sometimes created an unusual situation in which a family could give an incorrect answer and still win if there were not enough points in the bank for the other family to win by a successful steal. If necessary, a one-answer survey tiebreaker was played, similar to one from the 1992-1994 Bullseye Round.
2Beginning in 2003, Round 5 and subsequent rounds offer only the number one answer presented on the survey board, similar to the tiebreaker used from 1999-2003. The family that identifies this answer automatically wins triple the value of the answer and the round. New survey questions continue in this fashion until a family's score reaches or exceeds 300 points.
Lollipop trees
Starting with the episode aired March 7, 1983 on ABC and continuing through the Dawson-hosted shows, a "lollipop tree" was placed next to the anchor player on each team. That player, when introduced, chose a lollipop and if it had a black stem, the team won a $100 bonus (not related to the score).
Fast Money round
The winning family goes on to play Fast Money and chooses two family members to play the round. One family member leaves the stage and is placed in an isolation booth, while the other is given 20 seconds (15 seconds prior to 1994) to answer five questions. The clock begins counting down after the host finishes reading the first question. If he or she cannot think up an answer to a question, he or she may pass. Except in the earliest episodes, a contestant may revisit a passed question at the end if time permits. The number of people giving each answer is revealed once all five answers are given or time has expired, whichever comes first. The player earns one point for each person that gave the same answer; at least two people must have given that answer for it to score. When revealing the number of people giving the same response, most commonly revealed with the phrase "(Our) Survey said!"
Once all the points for the first player are tallied, the second family member comes back on stage (with the first contestant's answers covered) and is given 25 seconds (20 seconds prior to 1994) to answer the same five questions. The host will ask for another response should a duplicate answer be given; the contestant will know if they've duplicated an answer by way of a short double-buzzer and the host saying "Try again."
If one or both family members accumulate a total of 200 points or more, the family wins the top prize, and if they score less than 200, they earn $5 for every point. Until 1992, the top prize a family could win in Fast Money was $5,000 on all daytime versions and $10,000 on the syndicated versions. From 1992-1995, the prize was the amount accumulated in the Bullseye/Bankroll Round (see above). The top prize reverted to $10,000 in 1999 and was raised to its current $20,000 in 2001, although there has not been an increase to the dollars-per-point if Fast Money is lost, which has remained at $5 since 1976.
On the Gameshow Marathon episode in 2006, the top prize was increased to $50,000 for a home viewer. On Celebrity Family Feud, the jackpot was $50,000 to the winners' charity. If the goal was not reached the $5/point rule was discarded and $25,000 was awarded to the charity instead.
Returning champions
On the ABC daytime show, champion families could stay until they were defeated or won over $25,000. This limit was increased to $30,000 towards the end of the run. On the syndicated versions from 1977-1985 and again from 1999-2002, two new families competed on each episode.
The 1988–1995 versions featured returning champions, as has the current version since 2002. From 1988-1992 and again since 2002, the limit has been five appearances. From 1992-1995, a tournament of champions format was used (see below), but in the syndicated version there was no returning champion limit.
Tournament of Champions
1988-1994
The 1988–1994 version carried special tournaments for the four highest winning families from certain periods of time returning for a Winner-Take-All Tournament of Champions. These were held rarely at first for both the CBS and the syndicated versions.
The main game rules applied, but if a family reached 200 points in Fast Money, $5,000 went into a jackpot that started at $25,000, and went up to potentially $55,000 on the CBS version. Likewise, on the syndicated version, the jackpot started at $50,000 and went up $10,000 for each time Fast Money was won, up to a possible $110,000. If the score was less than 200, nothing was added to the jackpot as the $5 a point rule was discarded for the tournament. Each semifinal was best-of-three games, with the first family in each one to win two games advancing to the finals, which was also best-of-three. There was no Fast Money round played during the finals. The scoring was similar to the 1984–1985 season (single-single-single-single-double-triple) or the Combs' regular CBS/Syndicated version from late 1989-1990 (single-single-single-double-triple) in the finals, with the first family to reach $400 winning the game instead of $300. The first family to win two out of three games won everything in the jackpot in addition to what they won in the regular game. No Fast Money was played.
No more of these were done on the syndicated version after the second season. The CBS version continued doing them, but in mid-1990 started doing them every month, with the top four money-winning families of the previous month returning. The main game point goals for winning a semifinal and a final game were the same, but the match format was changed from best-of-three to a one-game match for both the semifinals and the finals. Thus, the potential maximum was lowered to $35,000.
2002-Present
The current syndicated version began doing tournaments in 2002. The first occurred in May 2002 with the Family Circle Tournament of Champions, with eight winning families returning in a single-elimination tournament. The jackpot started at $50,000, and went up $20,000 for each time Fast Money was won, up to a possible $170,000. For this particular tournament only, if Fast Money was not won, $5 per point was added to the jackpot. Each game was played to 300 points except for the finals, which required 500 points to win the game and the jackpot. The winning team for this tournament won a trip to Charleston, South Carolina and tickets to the Family Circle Cup women's tennis tournament in nearby Daniel Island, in addition to the money, which was $112,230. The runners-up for this tournament won a trip to Jamaica.
This version, however, did not do tournaments on an occasional basis again until three years later, May 2005. Again, eight families were brought back, but this time consisted of either families who previously lost their first game for the tournament that was held in May 2005 and May 2006, or previously winning families but not necessarily focusing on the higher winning families of the past for the Tournament held in February 2006. The differences at this point for the tournaments were that the jackpot started with nothing, except for the February 2006 Tournament of Champions, which started at $10,000. Losses in Fast Money did not add anything to the jackpot as in the 1988–1995 version, and the championship game was played to 400 points. Trips were sometimes also awarded to the jackpot-winning family, including Hawaii during the February 2006 tournament and Mexico during the May 2006 tournament. Again, no Fast Money was played in the finals. Last season's Big Money Tournament champions took home $60,000 out of a possible $120,000, and nothing else was awarded.
Special weeks
Special-themed weeks have been prominent during "sweeps" weeks during the show's long history, through all versions. Among them were soap opera stars playing against each other; a week of "Hatfields vs McCoys" with the podium buzz-in sound replaced with the sound of a gun shot, and a staged "shootout" at the end of the Friday show, pro wrestlers also played for a week with a special "Beauties Vs. Beasts" opening in which Gene Wood would imitate a referee going out onstage; stars from Baywatch; and even a week of game show hosts competing against each other in 1983, featuring on one team, Jim Perry, Bob Eubanks, Nipsey Russell, Betty White and Bill Cullen; and on the other team, Bert Parks, Jim Lange, Tom Kennedy, Leslie Uggams and Peter Marshall.
In 1980, members of the Kansas City Royals and the Philadelphia Phillies squared off against each other in a 6-show series, to reflect the teams' 6-game World Series that was held shortly before taping. ABC held Major League Baseball rights, and aired Family Feud.
There were several weeks of The Price is Right vs. The Young and the Restless, played for charity in November 1991, 1993, and 1994.
In September 1993, three special weeks of shows were also filmed at Opryland in Nashville, Tennessee, using certain set/game elements that were later be seen on the syndicated 1994-1995 version. The second week featured Barbara Mandrell and her sisters against the Statler Brothers, with special guest Brenda Lee. The third week featured regular contestants, with the winning family of the final day receiving the right to compete in the next show back in LA.
Some special weeks on the aforementioned 1994 season included one featuring Carol Burnett and her family playing against Betty White and her poker players. In fact, there were so many special weeks during the 1994–1995 season that the show's Finale Week itself was special featuring the Los Angeles Fire Department playing against the Los Angeles Police Department.
Both the original and 2008 revival editions of the American Gladiators have participated in the Feud, with appearances in 1993 (Combs), 1994 (Dawson), and as one of the families in the 2008 Roker prime time series. Battles of divorced couples were also held throughout all versions, with the ex-husbands facing off against the ex-wives in each face-off.
Special holiday-themed weeks and Celebrity Look-Alike themed weeks have aired throughout all versions.
During the first season with Louie Anderson, a special "Playboy Playmates vs. WCW Superstars" edition was held. Playing on the "Playboy Playmates" team were Angela Little, Daphne Duplaix, Heather Kozar, Lisa Dergen, Deanna Brooks. While Scotty Riggs, Jimmy Hart, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, Hugh Morris, and Brian Knobbs played on the "WCW Superstars" team.
A few weeks after the September 11, 2001 attacks, a special week of shows featured the New York Fire Department playing against the New York Police Department with their combined winnings going to help the victims and families of the attacks. Louie Anderson, who was host at the time, donated $75,000 of his own money and this was built on as a jackpot.
RTL, which produces Family Feud through FremantleMedia, has featured in recent years as sweeps weeks cast members of Survivor, even though they weren't allowed to use the name in the US. RTL holds international rights to the show, but not US rights, which is also the case with many Mark Burnett shows. Also included were figure skaters from the Stars on Ice Tour, finalists from varying seasons of American Idol, another RTL production, and NASCAR, with Family Feuds "NASCAR week", taped during Pop Secret 500 weekend in late August 2004, airing in the week leading to the NASCAR Championship Weekend in Homestead, Florida, featuring teams from all three national series.
During the NASCAR themed week, a Nextel Cup show car appeared on the stage, and NASCAR's own theme music used in the post-race disclaimer, and also as the base theme music for international broadcasts played instead of the usual music as the teams lined up for the face-off.
During the week of November 5, 2007, there was a WWE edition of the show featuring five WWE wrestlers: Batista, Ric Flair, Mr. Kennedy, King Booker, and Jonathan Coachman, versus five WWE Divas: Candice Michelle, Layla El, Michelle McCool, Maria Kanellis, and Queen Sharmell.
During the week of November 12, 2007, there was an NBA edition of the show featuring six NBA Superstars, including Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh, Grant Hill, David Lee, and Richard Jefferson versus their mothers.
From November 10, 2008 to November 18, 2008, a College Tournament aired that included teams from University of Notre Dame, University of Southern California, The Ohio State University, The University of Michigan, University of Texas-Austin, University of California-Los Angeles, Harvard University, and Caltech. A jackpot of $60,000 was won out of a possible $120,000.
Prime Time "All-Star Specials"
The Dawson version's increasing popularity led ABC to green light several hour-long All-Star Family Feud Specials, played between cast members of hit prime time and on rare occasions, daytime series for charity (as was the case with all-celebrity shows). The first installment aired on May 8, 1978 and did so well in the ratings that new specials continued to air as a semi-regular sweeps event on the network until May 25, 1984.
In the first half of the special, two teams played until one reached $200 or more; that team went on to play Fast Money for $5,000 and competed in the finals against the team that won in the second half, which was played the same way. The two winning teams then faced each other in a one-question showdown, with the team that won the pot going on to play Fast Money for an additional $10,000.
Originally, only the cast members of ABC series competed in the All-Star Specials, but when high ratings made it apparent that continuing to do so would soon exhaust the network's stable of celebrities, an agreement was reached with CBS, NBC and the production companies, and stars from all three networks began appearing in the fall of 1979, similar to ABC's Battle of the Network Stars concept. At the time, networks did not own their own programming and had to rely on programming from the studios, who dealt with all three networks and often, the battles were between shows from two different networks, even if it was the same production company. Among the series represented were:
Dallas The Dukes of Hazzard Dynasty Eight is Enough The Jeffersons Real People Soap Three's Company WKRP in Cincinnati The Waltons
Occasionally, there would be an underlying theme to the series casts featured such as Nighttime vs. Daytime, featuring daytime soap stars competing against prime time TV stars, and some specials even scrapped the traditional "TV series cast" format, instead opting for a single unifying theme among the four teams competing such as Mutiny On The Love Boat, in which the cast of that show competed alongside such past guest stars as Robert Goulet, Jill St. John, Bert Parks, and Rhonda Fleming.
Celebrity Family Feud
A new series of prime time specials entitled Celebrity Family Feud debuted on NBC, the Feuds third network, on June 24, 2008, this time with Al Roker at the helm. This version featured teams composed of a celebrity captain and four friends or relatives, with a $50,000 charity payoff at stake. In addition, this version's set would be used for the 2008-2009 syndicated version as well.
This six-week mini-series was part of NBC's "All-American Summer" which also included fellow RTL programme America's Got Talent and MGM's The New American Gladiators.
International versions
With the success of the US, UK and Australian versions, countries all over the world have attempted to emulate the success of these game shows. A summary of such attempts may be found at the article above.
Home versions
Milton Bradley made eight editions of the ABC version after 1976 which were given to contestants on the show. Pressman Games created two editions similar to the MB editions based on the CBS version: one from 1990 and one from 1993 with the 'Bullseye' Round called The New Family Feud. Endless Games has made three editions since 1998.
The first computer version of Family Feud was released in 1983 for the Coleco Adam. Sharedata released versions for MS-DOS, Commodore 64 and Apple II computers in 1987 that were similar to the Adam version and based on the first Richard Dawson era. A 1989 sequel, The All New Family Feud, was based on the syndicated version of the Ray Combs era. GameTek released versions in 1990 for NES similar to Dawson even though the package shows the Combs set, 1993 for SNES and Sega Genesis, 1994 for Panasonic 3DO and 1995 on CD-ROM based on the 1992–1994 version, although the host resembles Dawson. Hasbro Interactive released a version from 2000 for the PC and Sony PlayStation. In 2004, Imagination Entertainment released a DVD game of Family Feud with former host Richard Karn providing the welcome, rules, and expectations, while announcer Burton Richardson narrated the questions and revealed the answers. A 2nd edition was released in 2006, with announcer Burton Richardson as host, and a 3rd edition was released in August 2007, with John O'Hurley hosting. A movie edition was released that same year, also with John O'Hurley hosting.
Uproar.com once had an online version of the show using the format from 1999, although this online version included a double- and triple-point round, while at the time the show was only using the triple-point round. In September 2006, however, Uproar.com removed all games from its lineup and functioned as a regular search engine site.
A new computer version, released in 2005, was created by IWin.com and can be bought online or downloaded for a free trial; it is based on the Karn version and can be played by single or team players. IWin.com also released a Holiday Edition of the game that was made available on a limited basis. A third version, the "Family Feud Online Party" allows multiple players to play on a team against other players. Several other versions, such as a Hollywood-themed edition and "Family Feud II," a sequel to the original, and this year, "Family Feud III: Dream House,", have also been available.
Seattle-based Mobliss Inc. also released a mobile version of Family Feud that is available on Sprint, Verizon, and Cingular. Currently, Glu Mobile has released a newer mobile version of Family Feud for other carriers.
In 2006, a PlayStation 2 and PC version was released. Even though it has the logo from John O'Hurley's first season, the first set used and the set depicted on the packaging is the one from Richard Karn's last season; the 1976–1985 and 1988-1994 sets are available for use also.
A Game Boy Advance version was also released in 2006. Like the Playstation 2 version, it featured the first O'Hurley logo, but its set and title graphic was based on the final Karn set.
Episode status
The recordings of all episodes are believed to still exist. Repeats of the show have aired on Game Show Network since GSN's inception in 1994. The network currently airs the ABC Richard Dawson version (1976–1985), the syndicated Ray Combs version (1988-1994), the Richard Karn version (2002–2006), and the first season of the John O'Hurley version (2006-2007). ION Television also currently airs the second season of the John O'Hurley version.
A DVD set titled All-Star Family Feud was released in January 2008, and featured celebrity episodes from the original ABC/syndicated versions on its four discs.
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