| Family Feud | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Game show |
| Created by | Mark Goodson |
| Directed by |
|
| Presented by | |
| Announcer |
|
| Theme music composer |
|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 26 |
| No. of episodes |
|
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Gaby Johnston |
| Producers |
|
| Running time | Approx. 22–26 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | July 12, 1976 (1976-07-12) – June 14, 1985 (1985-06-14) |
| Network | Syndication |
| Release | September 19, 1977 (1977-09-19) – May 17, 1985 (1985-05-17) |
| Network | CBS |
| Release | July 4, 1988 (1988-07-04) – March 26, 1993 (1993-03-26) |
| Network | Syndication |
| Release | September 19, 1988 (1988-09-19) – May 26, 1995 (1995-05-26) |
| Release | September 20, 1999 (1999-09-20) – present |
| Related | |
Family Feud (or simplyThe Feud and known for sponsorship purposes asFamily Feud presented by Universal Orlando Resort) is an American televisiongame show created byMark Goodson. Two families compete on each episode to name the most popular answers to survey questions in order to win cash and prizes.
The show has had three separate runs, the first of which started in 1976. Its original run from 1976 to 1985 aired onABC and insyndication, withRichard Dawson as host. In 1987, the series was revived as a pilot and later in 1988 aired onCBS and in syndication withRay Combs hosting until 1994, with Dawson returning until the latter version ended in 1995. In 1999, the series was revived through its first-run syndication with four different hosts:Louie Anderson (1999–2002),Richard Karn (2002–2006),John O'Hurley (2006–2010), andSteve Harvey (2010–present). The show has had four announcers:Gene Wood (1976–1995),Burton Richardson (1999–2010),Joey Fatone (2010–2015), and Rubin Ervin (2015–present).
Within a year of its debut, the original version became the number one game show in daytime television; however, as viewing habits changed, the ratings declined. Harvey becoming host in 2010 increasedNielsen ratings significantly and eventually placed the program among the top three most-popular syndicated television shows in the United States. Harvey has also surpassed every previous host in tenure.
The program has produced multipleregional adaptations in over 50 international markets outside the United States. Reruns of episodes hosted by Steve Harvey air onGame Show Network, as well as insyndication while reruns of earlier versions air onBUZZR andPluto TV. Aside from television shows, there have also been many home editions produced inboard game,interactive film, andvideo game formats.
The game features two competing families, each represented by five members (reduced to four contestants for the 1994–95 season), who compete to determine the answers to survey questions. The original version of the show began with the families being introduced, seated opposite each other as if posing for family portraits, after which the host interviewed them.[2]
While there is no minimum age to participate inFamily Feud, as long as at least one member of the family is 18 years of age or older, producers recommend that contestants are 15 years of age or older due to the nature of some questions.[3] Each round begins with a "face-off" question that serves as a toss-up between two opposing contestants. The host asks a survey question that was previously posed to a group of 100 people, such as "Name something you expect to see on the streets at Christmas time."[4] A certain number of answers are concealed on the board, ranked by popularity of the survey's responses.
The first contestant to buzz in gives an answer; if it is the most popular, their family immediately wins the face-off. Otherwise, the opponent is offered a chance to answer, and the face-off is won by whichever family's member has offered a higher-valued answer (or, if both answers have the same point value, whoever rang in sooner). If neither contestant's answer is on the board, the other eight contestants have a chance to respond, one at a time from alternating sides, until an answer is revealed. The family that wins the face-off may choose to play the question or pass control to their opponents (except on the 1988–95 versions, when the family who won the face-off automatically gained control of the question).[4]
The family with control of the question then tries to win the round by guessing all of the remaining concealed answers, with each member giving one answer in sequence. Giving an answer not on the board or failing to respond within three seconds earns the family a strike. After three strikes are earned, the opposing family is given one chance to "steal" the points for the round by guessing any of the remaining answers. Otherwise, the points are automatically awarded to the family that originally had control. From 1992 to 2003, the value of the "stealing" answer was credited to the "stealing" family. If the opponents are given the opportunity to "steal" the points, then only their team's captain is required to answer the question. For most of the series, this is done after the family confers with each other; the only exception was from 1988 to 1994 where Ray Combs polled each family member for an answer with the team captain having the option to either select one of the family's answers or give a different answer.[4] At the end of the round, any remaining concealed answers on the board that were not guessed are then revealed.
Answers are worth one point for every person in the 100-member survey who gave them. The winning family in each round scores the total points for all revealed answers to that question, including those given during the face-off but excluding the one used to steal. The number of answers on the board decreases from round to round, and as the game progresses, certain rounds are played for double or triple point value.[2]
For most of the show's existence, the first team to reach or surpass a certain point total won the game. The most common goal has been 300 points but there have been exceptions. When the original series first premiered, the goal was 200 points and for its final year, it was increased to 400 points,[5] although the goal reverted to 300 points for special weeks. From the debut of the original series until 1992, families were awarded $1 per point scored.
From 1999 to 2003, the family with the highest point total after four rounds of play won the game regardless of their score. The first three rounds were played as normal rounds. In the fourth round, the point values were tripled, but the families were only allowed one strike if they had control. In the rare instance that the family in control was trailing and could not accumulate enough points to potentially overtake the leaders before striking out, the game ended without the other family attempting to steal.
On the first two series a match continued until a family reached the goal. The current series reinstated the 300 point goal in 2003 but kept the four round format. If neither family has reached 300 points after four rounds, one more triple value question is played as a sudden death face-off. Only the top answer is displayed on the board, and the first contestant to buzz in with it wins the points and the game for their team.
In the original periodic primetime specials, three games were played, with the first two ending when a team reaches 200 points. For the third game, only one question round was played with the winning two celebrity teams from the previous rounds playing.[6]
From March 2, 1983 until the Dawson run ended on June 14, 1985, two lollipop trees filled withTootsie Pops were placed at the anchor of each family's podium. A family member would select a random lollipop and if it had a black stem, that family won a $100 bonus regardless of the outcome.
At the end of the main game, the winning family selects two members to play the show'sbonus round, known as Fast Money. One contestant is onstage with the host, while the other is sequestered backstage with headphones so as not to hear or see the first portion of the round. The first contestant is asked five rapid-fire survey questions and has a set time limit in which to answer them (originally 15 seconds, extended to 20 in 1994). The timer starts after the host finishes reading the first question. The contestant may pass on a question and return to it if time remains.
After the first contestant has answered all five questions or run out of time, they are awarded a point for each person in the survey who gave the same response. Once these points are tallied, the board is cleared except for the total score, while the second contestant is then brought out to answer the same five questions. The same rules are followed, but the time limit is extended by five seconds (originally 20 seconds, extended to 25 in 1994); in addition, if the second contestant duplicates an answer given by the first, the host will say “Try again,” and prompt the contestant for an alternate answer. If the two contestants manage to reach a combined total of 200 points or more, the family wins a cash prize; otherwise, the family is awarded $5 for each point.[4]
The cash prize for winning Fast Money has varied. During the ABC and CBS incarnations of the show, the top prize was $5,000.[7][8] In the original periodic primetime specials, each game was followed by a Fast Money round. The first two were each worth $5,000, and the final one was worth $10,000.[6] The prize money was increased to $10,000 on the syndicated version until September 2001.
In September 2001, the prize money was doubled to $20,000 at the request of then-hostLouie Anderson.[9] This initially lasted until September 2009, when the Bullseye round returned at the start of the show, meaning the total for Fast Money was an adjustable amount between $15,000 and $30,000 depending on how much each family won during Bullseye. In July 2010, however, Bullseye was removed and the prize money reverted to $20,000, which has remained ever since.
WhenFamily Feud premiered on ABC, network rules dictated how much a family could win. Once any family reached $25,000, they were retired as champions.[10][better source needed] The accompanying syndicated series that premiered in 1977 featured two new families each episode because of a then commontelevision syndication practice known as "bicycling" (wherein individual stations sent an episode of a series they had already aired to another station, reducing the number of tapes a syndicator had to send out but also ensuring that stations did not air the same episode of a show the same day, nor were they assured ofairing in a proper sequence).
The CBS daytime and syndicated versions which began airing in 1988 also featured returning champions, who could appear for a maximum of five days.[11][better source needed] For a brief period in the 1994–95 season which aired in syndication, there were no returning champions. For these episodes, two new families competed in this first half of each episode. The second half featured former champion families who appeared onFamily Feud between 1976 and 1985, with the winner of the first half of the show playing one of these families in the second half. When the champion rule was reinstated, the winner of the first half faced the champion family in the second. Occasionally two families from the 1976-1985 version would play the first half and celebrities would play for charity in the second half.[12][better source needed]
In some cases from 1992 to 1995, the returning champions continued until they were defeated. From 1999 to 2002, two new families appeared on each episode. In 2002, returning champions again appeared with the same five-day limit.[13][better source needed] In 2009, a new car was announced for a family who wins five games in a row. This was first changed to a $30,000 cash bonus in May 2024, and then changed again in September 2024 to a vacation and a $10,000 cash bonus.[14][15]
In June 1992, the CBS daytime edition ofFeud expanded from 30 to 60 minutes and became known as theFamily Feud Challenge. As part of the change, a new round was added at the start of each game called "Bullseye". This round determined the potential Fast Money stake for each team.[16] Each team was given a starting value for their bank and attempted to come up with the top answer to a survey question to add to it. The Bullseye round was added to the syndicated edition in September 1992, which remained 30 minutes and was retitled as theNew Family Feud.
The first two members of each family appeared at the face-off podium and were asked a question to which only the number-one answer was available. Giving the top answer added the value for that question to the family's bank. The process then repeated with the four remaining members from each family. On the first half of the daytime version, families were staked with $2,500. The first question was worth $500, with each succeeding question worth $500 more than the previous, with the final question worth $2,500. This allowed for a potential maximum bank of $10,000. For the second half of the daytime version, and also on the syndicated version, all values were doubled, making the maximum potential bank $20,000. The team that eventually won the game played for their bank in Fast Money.
In 1994, with Richard Dawson returning as host, the round's name was changed to the "Bankroll" round.[17] Although the goal remained of giving only the number-one answer, the format was modified to three questions from five, with only one member of each family participating for all three questions. The initial stake for each family remained the same ($2,500 in the first half of the hour and $5,000 in the second). However, the value for each question was $500, $1,500 and $2,500 in the first half, with values doubling for the second half. This meant a potential maximum bank of $7,000 in the first half and $14,000 in the second.[17]
The Bullseye round returned for the 2009–2010 season and was played similarly to the format used from 1992 to 1994 on the syndicated version. Five questions were asked, worth from $1,000 to $5,000. However, each family was given a $15,000 starting stake, which meant a potential maximum of a $30,000 bank.
When Harvey took over as host, the Bullseye round was removed and the Fast Money jackpot reverted back to $20,000.
The first edition ofCelebrity Family Feud byNBC began in 2008 as part of a block of summer reality series it branded asAll-American Summer. The NBC edition was hosted byAl Roker, with Burton Richardson as announcer. This version only lasted for one season and was canceled in March 2009.[18] This is the first and (to date) only version ofFamily Feud to air exclusively on NBC.[19][20] In 2015, the show was revived by ABC with Steve Harvey, host of the syndicated version ofFamily Feud, selected as host, and Burton Richardson returning as announcer.[21] This would mark the first time any version ofFamily Feud has aired exclusively on ABC since the initial Dawson version was canceled in 1985.[22] Harvey has hostedCelebrity Family Feud since 2015, while Richardson announced forCelebrity Family Feud from 2015 until 2023. Rubin Ervin replaced Richardson as announcer in July 2024.
As of 2025[update], twelve seasons ofCelebrity Family Feud have aired (1 on NBC, 11 on ABC).[23]
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
WhenFamily Feud was conceived in 1976,Richard Dawson (then a regular panelist on theGoodson–Todman game showMatch Game) had a standing agreement withMark Goodson that when the next Goodson–Todman game show was in the planning stages, Dawson would be given an audition to host it. Dawson had read in trade publications that a pilot for a new show namedFamily Feud was in the works, and it was originally to be hosted byStar Trek actorWilliam Shatner (although since they were involved in the run-throughs,Geoff Edwards andJack Narz, the latter of whom reputedly was Goodson's initial choice to host, were under consideration). Incensed, Dawson sent his agent to Goodson to threaten to present an un-funny, silent, and bland persona on futureMatch Game episodes if he was not given an audition forFeud.[24]
Dawson was then selected as host of the original ABC and first syndicated versions ofFamily Feud. As writer David Marc put it, Dawson's on-air personality "fell somewhere between the brainless sincerity ofWink Martindale and the raunchy cynicism ofChuck Barris".[25] Writers Tim Brooks, Jon Ellowitz, and Earle F. Marsh attributedFamily Feud's popularity to Dawson's "glib familiarity" (he had previously played Newkirk onHogan's Heroes) and "ready wit" (from his tenure as a panelist onMatch Game).[2] The show's original announcer wasGene Wood,[26] withJohnny Gilbert andRod Roddy serving as occasional substitutes.[27]
In 1988, comedianRay Combs took over Dawson's role as host on CBS and in syndication with Wood returning as announcer and Roddy andArt James serving in that role when Wood was not available.[27] Combs hosted the program until the daytime version's cancellation in 1993 and the syndicated version until the end of the 1993–94 season. Dawson returned to the show at the request of Mark Goodson Productions for the 1994–95 season.[28]
WhenFamily Feud returned to syndication in 1999, it was initially hosted by comedianLouie Anderson,[2] withBurton Richardson as the new announcer.[29] In 2002,Richard Karn was selected to take over for Anderson,[2] until he was replaced byJohn O'Hurley in 2006.[2] In 2010, both O'Hurley and Richardson departed from the show. O'Hurley later stated that he left because he was resistant toward the show's decision to emphasizeribald humor and wanted to keep the showfamily-friendly.[30]Steve Harvey was later named the new host and began hosting on July 10, 2010. Harvey has been hosting the show ever since.[31][32] Announcements were made using a pre-recorded track ofJoey Fatone's voice, which was used on the show until the end of the 2014–2015 season.[33] Rubin Ervin, who has been a member of the production staff as the warmup man for the audience since Harvey took over, became the announcer at the start of the 2015–2016 season and has retained the role since. As of 2025[update], Harvey is the longest serving host in the history ofFamily Feud, having hosted the show for fifteen seasons.[34]
The first four versions of the show were directed byPaul Alter and produced byHoward Felsher and Cathy Dawson. For the 1988 versions, Gary Dawson worked with the show as a third producer, and Alter was joined by two other directors,Marc Breslow and Andy Felsher.[27] The 1999 version's main staff include executive producer Gabrielle Johnston, co-executive producers Kristin Bjorklund, Brian Hawley and Sara Dansby, and director Ken Fuchs; Johnston and Bjorklund previously worked as associate producers of the 1980s version.[35] The show's classic theme tune was written by an uncreditedWalt Levinsky forScore Productions. The theme and cues for the 1994–1995 version was written byEdd Kalehoff and are based on the Walt Levinsky composition. The themes used from 1999 to 2008 were written by John Lewis Parker.[35] The production rights to the show were originally owned by the production company Goodson shared with his partnerBill Todman, but were sold to their current holder, Fremantle, when it acquired all of Goodson and Todman's format catalog in 2002.[35]
Mark Goodson createdFamily Feud during the increasing popularity of his earlier game show,Match Game, which had set daytime ratings records between 1973 and 1976, and on which Dawson appeared daily as one of its most popular panelists.Match Game aired onCBS, and by 1976, CBS vice-presidentFred Silverman, who had originally commissionedMatch Game, had moved to a new position as president ofABC. The show, along with a revised daytime schedule for the summer, was first announced by ABC at an annual meeting in May.[36] The show premiered on ABC's daytime lineup at 1:30 p.m. (ET)/12:30 p.m. (CT/MT/PT) on July 12, 1976. Because it faced the first halves of two long-running and popular soap operas, CBS'As the World Turns and NBC'sDays of Our Lives,Feud was not an immediate hit. But a timeslot change several months later made it a ratings winner for ABC, and it eventually surpassedMatch Game to become the highest-rated game show on daytime TV.
Due to the expansion ofAll My Children to one hour in April 1977, the show was moved to 11:30/10:30 a.m., as the second part of an hour that had daytime reruns ofHappy Days (laterLaverne & Shirley) as its lead-in. When theDick Clark-hosted$20,000 Pyramid was canceled in June 1980,Feud moved a half-hour back to 12 noon/11:00 a.m.[37] It remained the most popular daytime game show untilMerv Griffin's game showWheel of Fortune, propelled by a new, highly-popular concurrent syndicated evening version, surpassed it in 1984.[4] From May 8, 1978 until May 25, 1984, ABC periodically broadcast hour-long primetime "All-Star Specials", in which celebrity casts from various primetime TV series (mostly ABC ones) competed instead of ordinary families.[2]
The popularity of the program inspired Goodson to consider producing a nighttime edition, which launched in syndication on September 19, 1977 with Viacom Enterprises as distributor. Like many other game shows at the time, the nighttimeFeud aired once a week; it expanded to twice a week in January 1979,[4] and finally to five nights a week (Monday through Friday) in the fall of 1980, representing the first time that a weekday network game ran concurrently with a nightly syndicated edition. Dawson andFeud coasted for several years at the top, seen twice a day in much of the country.
However, the viewing habits of both daytime and syndicated audiences began changing around 1984.[4] When Griffin launchedWheel's syndicated version, starringPat Sajak andVanna White, in 1983, that show climbed the ratings to the point where it unseatedFeud as the highest-rated syndicated show, even replacing it on some stations;[38] the syndicated premiere ofWheel's sister showJeopardy! withAlex Trebek as host also siphoned ratings fromFeud with its early (and surprising, given an unstable first few months) success. With declining ratings (probably due mainly to its overexposure and viewers subsequently tiring of the show), and as part of a scheduling reshuffle with two of ABC's half-hour soaps, the show moved back to the 11:30/10:30 timeslot in October 1984, as the second part of a one-hour game show block withTrivia Trap (laterAll-Star Blitz) as its lead-in, hoping to make a dent in the ratings ofThe Price Is Right, coincidentally another Goodson-packaged show. Dawson also was growing increasingly exhausted with his workload. Having worked the equivalent of "eleven years" as host ofFeud, as he told the Archive of American Television in 2010, Dawson did not want to continue in his role much longer.
At the halfway point of the 1984-85 television season, the fate ofFeud still had yet to be determined. While ABC had yet to confirm its stance, it would eventually decide not to renew its contract with Goodson to air the daytime series once it expired in the spring of 1985. Viacom, meanwhile, was considering renewing the syndicated series and contacted Dawson to see what he wanted to do. Dawson told the syndicator that he would be willing to do one final season of thirty-nine weeks or of episodes and then "be done with it" when the season concluded in 1986.[39] Dawson then waited to hear back from Viacom, expecting a contract offer once they reconnected.
However, a decision by a core group of stations forced a change in course. When they syndicatedFeud began in 1977,NBC was one of the first station ownership groups to buy the game show. Since then, its owned and operated stations all airedFeud in their Prime Time Access timeslots. With the recent downturn in ratings, though, NBC decided that it would drop the syndicated series from its stations at the end of the season if it was renewed. Instead of trying to find new affiliates in those markets, feeling that the ratings decline would only worsen, Viacom decided to cut their losses and shortly thereafter informed Dawson that they were not renewingFeud for another year; Viacom made this official at the 1985NATPE convention in January.[40]
The ABC series, which had already been cancelled, came to an end on June 14, 1985.[4] The final week was taped a month prior, on May 16. Newspapers viaAssociated Press reported that this version was slated to end on June 28. However, for reasons undisclosed, it ended two weeks prior to that instead.[41] The syndicated version aired its last new episode on May 17, 1985, with reruns of the final season continuing until September of that year. Although first-run episodes were no longer airing, Viacom offered a "best of" package of reruns to stations for the 1985-86 season; the package was withdrawn from syndication at the end of the season.[4]
 | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.(March 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Family Feud moved to CBS with Ray Combs hosting the show on July 4, 1988 at 10:00 a.m. (ET)/9:00 a.m. (CT/MT/PT), replacingThe $25,000 Pyramid (which had aired continuously in that time slot since September 1982, except between January and April 1988, whenBlackout took its place; CBS began development onFamily Feud shortly afterBlackout was canceled). Like its predecessor, this version had an accompanying syndicated edition which premiered September 19, 1988 and both editions started off well in the ratings.
However, the landscape in both daytime and first-run syndication was changing significantly during this time. Networks were starting to move away from game shows in their daytime lineups by the time theFeud revival launched in 1988; by the fall of 1991, only the daytimeFeud andThe Price Is Right, both airing on CBS, were left standing.Feud, like some others before it, was also prone to being preempted by CBS stations who wanted to air more profitable and successful syndicated offerings in the morning.[2]
With the ratings for the daytime series at a low point in 1992, the producers ofFeud instituted the aforementioned format changes, expanded it to an hour and renamed itFamily Feud Challenge, which saw two families compete in the first half of the hour to face the returning champion family in the second half. The changes did not do enough for CBS, which publicly announced in November 1992 that it would return the 10:00 AM hour to its affiliates the following fall, effectively cancelingFeud; the Daytime version ended March 26, 1993, with reruns continuing to air until September 10.[42][2][43]
The decision to cancel the CBS daytime edition ofFeud did not have an effect on production of the syndicated edition, but it too was having its share of ratings trouble. While initially receiving desirable time slots such as the Prime Access slots it had previously enjoyed in some markets, it began to lose ground as stations looked elsewhere for programming; for example, tabloid newsmagazines likeA Current Affair,Inside Edition,Hard Copy andAmerican Journal tended to draw better ratings, especially among younger demographics. The syndicated series found itself disappearing from some markets, while others saw the show relocated to much less desirable time slots such as overnight or early morning.
With ratings at all-time lows entering season six, which premiered in the fall of 1993, distributorAll American Television told Mark Goodson Productions that if changes were not made toFeud, they would cease distributing the series at the end of the season in 1994. New company presidentJonathan Goodson, who had taken over for his father Mark after his death from pancreatic cancer in 1992, began discussions with his producers to find a solution; switching hosts was one of the ideas, and bringing back Richard Dawson was frequently bandied about.[28]
Since the original series left the air in 1985, Dawson had largely remained out of the spotlight, save for his feature role as Damon Killian in theArnold Schwarzenegger-ledThe Running Man in 1987. He had also started a relationship with a formerFeud contestant, which led to Dawson becoming a father again as well as his second marriage, which occurred in 1991. When he was contacted by Goodson, Dawson did express some interest in perhaps taking his former position back, and the sides began to talk.[28]
This was a complete reversal of the position that Mark Goodson, who prior to his death had stood by Combs despite the struggles, had taken on Dawson when the series was in development in 1988. Remembering the acrimonious relationship that had developed between Dawson and the producers, Goodson had outright refused to consider the originalFeud host for the revival. Many of the same staffers, including Felsher, were working on the current series as well and had not forgotten the trouble Dawson had caused.
But with the program in danger of cancellation, and the desire to make any change necessary to stave it off, Combs was expendable and thus the decision to bring back his predecessor was finalized as production for the sixth season was concluding in the spring of 1994. Combs' last taping session saw him abruptly leave the stage at its conclusion and leave the studio without acknowledging anyone on his way out; two years later, he would commit suicide by hanging himself in a California hospital.[44]
With Dawson now on board, All American Television chose to renewFeud for at least one more year, and the seventh season debuted on September 12, 1994. A newer, more modern-looking set was built, some adjustments were made to the gameplay, and the show was expanded to an hour with the return of theFamily Feud Challenge format; All American allowed affiliates to choose between airing the entire sixty minute program or the second half of the hour as a standalone. Dawson's return garnered some interest early on, but the ratings slipped once again andFeud was finally cancelled at the end of the seventh season. The last first-run episode aired on May 26, 1995, with reruns continuing until September 8.
Family Feud returned in syndication on September 20, 1999, with comedian Louie Anderson as the next host.[45] Three years later, Richard Karn took over the series, at which point the format was changed to reintroduce returning champions, allowing them to appear for up to five days.[2] At the time, Anderson-hosted episodes continued in reruns that aired onPAX TV/Ion Television following his departure.
In a 2024 interview, Karn stated that the producers ofFamily Feud originally wantedAl Roker to replace Anderson following his departure. However, Roker turned down the opportunity as he did not want to leaveNew York City, leading the producers to choose Karn as host. Karn jokingly said that he was chosen as he was "the next Al on the list" referencing his characterAl Borland on theABC showHome Improvement.[46] Roker would ultimately host the first season ofCelebrity Family Feud on NBC, which aired in summer 2008.[47]
Karn hosted the show for four years until he was replaced by John O'Hurley in 2006. By 2010, the show'sNielsen ratings were at 1.5, putting it in danger of cancellation once again (as countless affiliates that carried the show from 1999 to 2010 aired it in daytime, graveyard or other low-rated time slots). That same year, O'Hurley left the show after four years and was replaced by Steve Harvey, who has hosted the show ever since.
Since Harvey took over the show, ratings increased by as much as 40%,[48] and within two short years, the show was rated at 4.0, and had become the fifth-most-popular syndicated program.[49]Fox News' Paulette Cohn argued that Harvey's "relatability," or "understanding of what the people at home want to know," was what saved the show from cancellation;[50] Harvey himself debated, "If someone said an answer that was so ridiculous, I knew that the people at home behind the camera had to be going, 'What did they just say?' ... They gave this answer that doesn't have a shot in hell of being up there. The fact that I recognize that, that's comedic genius to me. I think that's [what made] the difference."[50]
Steve Harvey'sFamily Feud has regularly ranked among the top 10 highest-rated programs in all of daytime television programming and third among game shows (behindWheel of Fortune andJeopardy!); in February 2014, the show achieved a 6.0 share in the Nielsen ratings, with approximately 8.8 million viewers.[51] In June 2015,Family Feud eclipsedWheel of Fortune, which had been on top for over 30 years, as the most-watched syndicated game show on television, and consistently began ranking among the top three shows in all of syndication. The show has had improved syndication clearances and better timeslots. It has been airing in early fringe and prime access slots nationwide.[52]
Production ofFamily Feud was shifted fromUniversal Orlando to Harvey's hometown ofAtlanta in 2011, first staged at theAtlanta Civic Center from 2011 to 2015 and later at theGeorgia World Congress Center from 2015 to 2017 and from 2020 to 2021. Harvey was also originating asyndicated radio show from Atlanta, and the state of Georgia providedtax credits for the production. In 2017, production moved toLos Angeles Center Studios (later moved again toUniversal Studios Hollywood and later still toCBS Studio Center) in Los Angeles to accommodate Harvey's new syndicated talk showSteve, returning production of the regular series to Los Angeles for the first time since 2010.[53][54][55][56]
In March 2020, after initially announcing that production would continue with no studio audience, Fremantle suspended production of all of its programs (includingFamily Feud) due to the onset of theCOVID-19 pandemic. In August 2020,Family Feud returned to production, returning to the state of Georgia after several years inCalifornia and with health and safety protocols (includingsocial distancing and no studio audience) being enforced.[57][58][59]
From 2021 to 2024, the series was filmed at theCathy Family-ownedTrilith Studios inFayetteville, Georgia.[60] In early 2024, production ofFamily Feud moved back to Atlanta, and was moved toTyler Perry Studios on the site of the historicFort McPherson, with itscelebrity edition also being moved there from California in 2025.[61]
In February 2023,Family Feud was renewed for three more seasons, taking the show through May 2026.[62]
Game Show Network has aired reruns of all the versions ofFamily Feud since inception. Currently, it airs blocks of reruns from the Steve Harvey run of the program. Reruns of episodes hosted by Dawson, Combs, Anderson, and Karn have been included amongBuzzr's acquisitions since its launch on June 1, 2015.[63] Dawson's and Combs's episodes also air as part of Family Feud Classic, afree ad-supported streaming television channel offered throughPluto TV.[64] In 2019, reruns of the Karn-hosted episodes started airing onUp TV during the morning hours.
Family Feud won theDaytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game/Audience Participation Show in 1977 and 2019, Outstanding Directing for a Game Show and the show has won theDaytime Emmy for Outstanding Game Show Host, once with Dawson in 1978 and three times with Harvey in 2014, 2017 and 2022.[65][66][67]Feud ranked number 3 onGame Show Network (GSN)'s 2006 list of the 50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time,[68] and also onTV Guide's 2013 list of the 60 greatest game shows ever.[69]
Tara Ariano andSarah D. Bunting, founders of the websiteTelevision Without Pity, wrote that they hated the 1999 syndicated version, saying "Give us classicFeud every time", citing both Dawson and Combs as hosts. Additionally, they called Anderson an "alleged sexual harasser and full-time sphere".[70]
In more recent seasons, the show has become notorious for pushing the envelope with questions and responses that are sexual in nature, with content frequently referring to certain anatomy or acts of intercourse.[71] This type of material has drawn criticism from viewers, including formerNCIS actressPauley Perrette, who in 2018 sent a series of tweets toFamily Feud producers questioning why the show had to be "so filthy."[72][73] Dan Gainor of theMedia Research Center, a politically conservative content analysis organization, suggested that the responses are in line with sexual content becoming more commonplace on television.[72]
The popularity ofFamily Feud in the United States has led it to become aworldwide franchise, with over 50 adaptations outside the United States. Countries that have aired their own versions of the show include Australia, Canada,Colombia, France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia,Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Philippines, Poland, Russia, Thailand, the United Kingdom (known as Family Fortunes), South Africa, and Vietnam, among others.
Since the show's premiere in 1976, many home versions ofFamily Feud have been released in various formats.Milton Bradley, Pressman Games, and Endless Games have all released traditional board games based on the show,[74][75] whileImagination Entertainment released the program in a DVD game format.[76]
The game has been released in other formats by multiple companies;Coleco Adam released the first computer version of the show in 1983, and Sharedata followed in 1987 with versions forMS-DOS,Commodore 64, andApple II computers.[77]GameTek released versions forNintendo Entertainment System,Super NES,Genesis,3DO, andIBM PC compatibles (onCD-ROM) between 1990 and 1995.[78]Hasbro Interactive released a version in 2000 for the PC andPlayStation.[79] In 2006, versions were released forPlayStation 2,Game Boy Advance, andMicrosoft Windows.[80]Seattle-based Mobliss Inc. also released a mobile version ofFamily Feud that was available on Sprint, Verizon, and Cingular.[81][82][83]Glu Mobile later released a newer mobile version ofFamily Feud for other carriers.[84]
In conjunction withLudia,Ubisoft has publishedFamily Feud video games for multiple platforms. The first of these was entitledFamily Feud: 2010 Edition and was released for theWii,Nintendo DS, andPC in September 2009.[85] Ubisoft then releasedFamily Feud Decades the next year, which featured sets and survey questions from television versions of all four decades the show has been on air.[86] A third game, entitledFamily Feud: 2012 Edition was released for the Wii andXbox 360 in 2011.[87] A fourth game, produced by Ubisoft and developed by Snap Finger Click, was released for thePlayStation 4,Xbox One,Nintendo Switch, andStadia in 2020.[88]
In addition to the home games, a DVD set titledAll-Star Family Feud starring Richard Dawson was released on January 8, 2008, by BCI Eclipse LLC Home Entertainment (under license fromFremantle USA) and featured a total of 43 segments taken from 21 special celebrity episodes from the originalABC/syndicated versions on its four discs,[89] uncut and remastered from original 2" videotapes for optimal video presentation and sound quality.[90] It was reissued asThe Best of All-Star Family Feud on February 2, 2010.[91]
Family Feud Africa, also hosted by Steve Harvey, began production after season 21 of the American version completed production in December 2019.[92][93] It began airing on April 5, 2020. The countries included in this version are Ghana and South Africa. In conjunction, a website was launched dedicated to the region to catch up on previous episodes, submit entries and engage from a local perspective. Similar to the pre-1992 United States rules, families win money based on their main game score. Both families earnR50 rands per point with the higher scoring family playing Fast Money. The first and second rounds are single, the third and fourth rounds are double, and the fifth round is triple. For Fast Money, families play for R75,000 rands, with a loss earning the family R150 rands per point.[94]
Another spin-off show, titledFamily Feud Botswana, hosted by Steve Harvey, began airing on February 9, 2025. The rules are identical toFamily Feud Africa, where every point is worthP50 pulas, though the family that reaches 200 points in Fast Money would winP50,000 pulas.[95]
Explained by Richard Dawson at the beginning of the episode
Schwartz, David; Ryan, Steve & Wostbrock, Fred (1999).The Encyclopedia of TV Game Shows (3rd ed.). New York: Facts on File.ISBN 0-8160-3846-5./
