Family Feud

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!

Wow, was I excited to see the DVD version of the family feud game out in the stores. I always had this great idea about being able to play family feud on the TV with my family the same way it is played on TV.

After playing the game, I think the game lacks the excitement that the television shows really pull off. For game shows like Wheel Of Fortune, Jeopardy!, and Pyramid, they hit the nail very well on board games. The family feud game really has had different variations whenever it came to the board game phase. Yet, Family Feud also has had that over 25 years with hosts like Ray Combs, Richard Dawson, Louie Anderson and Richard Karn. Yet, the way this game show has been put to DVD is really a surprise to what the survey says.

The Family Feud "Survey Says" DVD game is really quite different from the longtime successful game show. The DVD game features Richard Karn, the current Family Feud host. The game features 800 questions which does provide a lot of fun, but the game really isn't like how the longtime game show is played. The game deals with 2 players at home, trying to match all the Top 5 answers on the survey, with a twist. Both players must try to out score the opponent by scoring the most points on each question round. With a pair of duel question rounds where both must answer the same survey question, and the fast money question round where both are given separate questions to answer, and match the surveys.

I would really like to find out who makes the games and recommend some ideas of how I would like to play the game at home with my family. With the new technology that we have today, I don't understand why we aren't able to find a way to connect TV and keyboard where one of the the family members can play the host have all of the answers and type the answer in. Kind of like the girl who co host in the game show Lingo. She sits at the table and types in the answers of the players on the big screen. I would really love to see that be available for family feud. I wouldn't mind paying a couple hundred of dollars to play something advanced and fun like the game family feud at home. I would be the coolest one on the block! Would that be a very difficult process?

Sincerely, very eager to play family feud the original way at home with my family

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.

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????

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)