Family Feud

First off, I must say that this is a fun game show. Also, I'm not sure if I've seen every episode. However, I do know the show very well. Every time I've watched it, I've had a lot of fun playing along and watching. While it was still in production, this made me long to be a contestant. The thing I like most about it are the questions. Despite the fact that I don't know that many answers, I still have fun playing along. I hope the Game Show Network keeps it on so I can play along and watch for years to come. If that happens, I will be really happy. Before I wrap this up, I'd like to say that I'll always remember this show in my memory forever. Now, in conclusion, I hope that you catch it one day before it goes off the air for good.

Being a child of the 80s, I grew up on this version and enjoyed it very much. It was a fun game and Ray was an entertaining host. Then last year I got Game Show Network, started watching Richard's version, and thought it was better. However, I still don't think this was a bad second version; Ray ranks up there with Bert Convy (on Super Password) as one of the best replacement hosts. The only thing that bugs me is that sometimes Ray gets hung up on being funny and not concentrating on the game, but it's not that annoying. You want annoying? Check out the Louie Anderson version.

This version of a truly classic game show is definitely worth watching. It's too bad Mr. Combs decided to take his own life; I've always wanted to see a hosting duel between he and Richard. Who'd win????

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.

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)