LOS ANGELES—After being on the air for nearly 40 years, Family Feud is running out of questions. Producers at Freemantle Media think they have a solution.
“Inverse Family Feud was our eureka moment,” said director Ken Fuchs. “Why not reuse our surveys and turn the format on its head? Instead of asking a question and recording the top answers, we’ll give people and answer and ask them what question they think preceded it.”
The working title of this spin-off is Feuding Families, but is referred to as Family Jeopardy within the industry.
“I suppose it has a Jeopardy feel with the answers taking the lead,” conceded producer Marjorie Slax, “but our shows don’t really have a crossover audience. I’ve never seen BATHROOMS as a category on Jeopardy. Nor have I heard Alex Trebek say This human castoff is known to clog both bathtubs and sinks.”
Fuchs said the new show would keep the same studio set-up as the original Family Feud. There would still be buzzers and the big scoreboard and five-member family units battling it out.
“Each contestant will step to the podium and the host will shout out a short answer,” said Slax. “For example Airplane!* The first contestant to buzz in and ask the question that ranks highest on the board will choose whether to play or pass.”
The new show has tapped Wayne Brady to host and Jonathan Knight to announce.
*ANSWER: Airplane
TOP SIX QUESTIONS:
Where do you want to have sex that you haven’t previously had sex?
What have you never ridden?
Name a Leslie Neilsen movie.
Name something that has a captain.
Where would you find emergency exits?
What is an alternate spelling for aeroplane?