Family Feud

You know I have watched this game show over the years and i have found several things out. One thing The show was a whole lot better with Richard Dawson on it than it was with Ray Combs. One thing I found out from an official message that was on the Mark Goodson productions website is that the real reason Ray Combs replaced Richard Dawson is because Richard had gotten into an argument with Mark Goodson. What it says that they were yelling at each other over is how Mark forced Richard to stop kissing the Female Contestants and when that happened the popularity of the show went downhill then Mark comes along yelling at Richard wanting him to start kissing them again so the show can be popular again. Well the two got into that fight and then that is when Ray Combs came on the show. Then after Mark Goodson died and his son took over it is said that Ray Combs had a bad wreck in his car and doctors said he would be laid up for over a year. So Mark Goodson's son had Richard Dawson come back. Well Ray got healed up in less time than the doctors said it would take. When Ray came to work he was told that he had to wait for Richard's two year contract to run out. Well Ray's wife had stated that her husband started getting suicidal because of how Richard was on the show instead of him. Then when his wife had the doctors put him in a mental institution they made the mistake of putting him in a room that the closet had a hanging bar strong enough to hold Ray up and so Ray killed himself by making a hangman noose out of a sheet off of the bed. When Richard heard that Ray had killed himself he refused to sign a new contract after the two year contract ran out. So right there is what i know is the real history of the events of the game show

After Richard Dawson stepped down from the Feud in 1985, we went 3 years without it until 1988, when it finally returned, with a slightly new set, airing on a new network, and with a new host: Ray Combs!

Unlike Dawson, who was a modest, wry British comedian, Combs was loud and energetic, and it actually works, defying a difference between Dawson's era and Combs' era.

It initially started off strong (maybe not as strong as Dawson's run, but good enough), but it later started to wane, with CBS expanding the show to an hour and added the "wildly beloved" Bullseye round to the mix, which *spoiler alert*: didn't work and thus led to the end of the CBS daytime run, while the syndicated run continued on, but by that point, Combs grew weary of the formula and was eventually let go and was replaced by the man that he succeeded: Richard Dawson.

But even with Dawson's returning star-power, it ended after his only return season.

Sadly, Combs didn't have much success on finding another long-running gig following his firing from Feud, and outside of taping a pilot for his own talk show that never got picked up and hosting Family Challenge on The Family Channel (now Freeform) for a year, the offers dried up against his favor. And even though Combs is no longer with us since his passing in 1996, his upbeat, energetic humor has never been forgotten.

RIP Ray Combs (1956-1996)

I have always thought that Ray Combs was the best host for "Family Feud" and I always will. Ray gave the show much more energy and excitement and he was always very funny. Anyway, this was the second incarnation of "Family Feud." It premiered on July 4th, 1988 on CBS with Ray Combs as host. The show was recorded in Studio 33, (now The Bob Barker Studio), at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California and remained very similar to the original version. The only really noticeable differences, (besides replacing Richard Dawson with Ray Combs), were color changes to the set and some minor revisions of props. On September 19th, 1988 a syndicated version of "Family Feud" premiered. This version was also hosted by Ray Combs. Both versions of the show remained very popular for the next four years. In 1992 the CBS daytime version expanded from thirty minutes to one hour. The "Bullseye" round was added to the mix and the show was renamed "Family Feud Challenge." "Bullseye" was also added to the half hour syndicated version a few months later and it was renamed "The New Family Feud." Sadly, the ratings began to drop around this time and the one hour CBS daytime "Family Feud Challenge" was ultimately cancelled in 1993. The syndicated half hour version of "The New Family Feud" continued for one year longer until mid 1994. After six great years of "Family Feud" with Ray Combs it was no more. In the fall of 1994 the syndicated version of "Family Feud" was completely overhauled to reflect a more modern look. The "Bullseye" round became the "Bankroll" round, the show was expanded from thirty minutes to one hour, (just like the CBS version was in 1992), and the set was completely renovated, but the biggest "shock" was that Richard Dawson was back as the show's host. (Why, oh why was Ray Combs fired?) Despite the producers' hopes to increase ratings by updating the set and bringing back Dawson, the show bombed and was cancelled in mid 1995. Although this version of Feud was okay to watch it was nowhere near as great as the 1988-1994 Ray Combs era. As I said before, the reason I think the Ray Combs version of "Family Feud" is the best is because Ray was so energetic and funny. He did some of the funniest things on that show. For example, whenever the first player got all 200 points by himself/herself in "Fast Money", Ray would bring the second player on stage, (after everyone had finished celebrating), and say something like, '... your partner only came up with 18 points. You need 182 points to win the cash.' Ray would then, (very seriously), proceed to read "joke questions" to the second player such as, 'There were three stooges. Name Curly's wife.' or 'Pick a number between 3 and 5.' Also, when contestants gave stupid answers or if it seemed that they were in a "daze" Ray would often, (very gently), hit that contestant over the head with his handheld cordless mic, (1990-1994 episodes only). Ray was a really great person and emcee who understood and followed the rules of the game, but also had a very good time along the way. He is deeply missed and "Family Feud" will never be the same without him. Ray, you were, (and still are), truly one of the best.

I previously reviewed the original Richard Dawson run of "Family Feud", then the first episode of the 2nd run with Ray Combs. Now, I'm reviewing the very last one hosted by him with the returning champs the Beckwiths competing against the Trans. Combs seemed to be a little more excited than I remember him being when I watched his hosting stint in first-run syndication and CBS back then. Anyway, the Trans end up in the Fast Money round with the second contestant getting 0 points-of which he passed on three of the questions-leaving Ray to say "I've been doing this for 6 years now and this is the first time I've had someone who got no points. I'd say it's a damn fine way to go out. I thought I was a loser till you came in and made me feel like a man." Apparently, however, it wasn't better enough for him to stay to talk to the two families like he usually did when the show ends as he left just after saying, "See you next time" as there wouldn't be one. Two years later, after getting in an accident, losing his comedy club businesses, and then his wife and kids leaving him-and despite hosting a new game show called "Family Challenge", Ray Combs would hang himself in a mental hospital. What a sad end to what seemed to be a charmed life during his run on "Family Feud". One hopes he didn't suffer too badly when he made the decision...

This was the "Family Feud" show that I grew up with. Unlike the previous version, this version seemed to have more life and enthusiasm in it. I particularly liked Ray's sense of humor and making the contestants feel at home. He didn't belittle them if they gave a wrong answer, sometimes he would make a funny joke out of it. I loved the format of the show, with the three strikes, and that 'clang' sound when the answers flipped. I don't remember seeing too many of the 'Bullseye' episodes, I must have been in school at the time (I was home-schooled during the early years of the show). However, "Family Feud" stands out in my mind as one of the greatest game shows (probably the greatest show besides "The Price Is Right") ever!