< Family Feud

Family Feud/Funny


Like almost any other long-running Game Show, Family Feud and its foreign counterparts have had their share of highly-amusing moments.

See also Family Fortunes/Funny for funny moments from the British equivalent.


Richard Dawson (1976-85, 1994-95)

  • Mid-1977: For the first year-plus, the Face-Off Podium used much thinner buzzers that, if a contestant wasn't careful, could be broken. This was inevitable. By September 2 (the "Alligator" episode), the normal buzzers were in place.[1]
  • Fall 1977: The Face-Off Podium just doesn't want to work. The male contestant even kicks the front of the podium!
  • 1978 (daytime): On this episode, neither contestant could come up with an answer for "Living or dead, name a famous religious woman", so Dawson asked for the question to be thrown out. He then asked the contestants "How much is one and one?" After the female contestant rang in (although the male contestant yelled out the right answer), Dawson stopped them and said "Just checking" before reading the actual second question.
  • 1978 (daytime): One contestant stopped Dawson during a Face-Off and asked whether she could go to the bathroom. He said that she could, but they'd have to stop tape... so she asked "Do you just have a can?"—Dawson, presumably trying to offset the Squick factor, replied "No, you store film in cans. We keep our videotape in boxes."
  • Taped September 25, 1980 (daytime), in what is probably the most infamous Family Feud moment period, Richard Dawson loses it when he hears a contestant's response to the question "During what months of pregnancy does a woman begin to look pregnant?
  • 1981 (nighttime): One episode had the Fast Money question "Name something people take with them into the bathtub". The contestant said "a duck", which was met by Dawson with derision. And then it turned that it was one of the answers given (as in "rubber duckie")... and Dawson literally dropped on his face.

Dawson (after getting back up): I get to retire after this show.

  • Dawson and the Strike operator have some fun.

Dawson: Name someone past or present famous for his or her wiggle.
Contestant: Gypsy Rose Lee.
(Dawson turns around, but the Strike beats him to the punch)
Dawson: Gyp- Ro- Lee.
(buzzer)
Dawson: Lee. Ros-
(buzzer)
Dawson: Gypsy!
(buzzer)
Dawson: Rose!
(buzzer)
Dawson: Gypsy!
(buzzer)
Dawson: Lee!
(buzzer, followed by it sounding over 20 times more)
Dawson (over buzzers): Lee!-Oh... yeah-no, I can take a hint. (buzzers stop) Alright... (turns to contestant who gave the response) you were that close, though.

  • During the face-off for the question "Name a fruit with an edible peel", the woman who rang in said "Banana". Later in the round, Dawson called her bluff by eating a banana, peel and all.
  • Early 1985 (daytime): While the question and dumb answer have been seen before on various blooper specials ("Something you make conversation about when you meet a stranger." "Mutual friends."), the subsequent Face-Off isn't — and it's a shame, because Dawson couldn't stop laughing.
  • 1994-95: Dawson pulled a Combs once when the first contestant got 200 points in Fast Money. Dawson asked the joke question of "Besides giving birth to Adolf, name a reason for hating Mrs. Hitler" for the second contestant.
  • Everyone misunderstood a question once.

"Name a question such as 'how old are you-'"

  • gasps* "EIGHTEEN!"

"Eighteen..."

  • buzz*

"I'm not eighteen."
"You certainly fooled me. What about you?"
"I'd say about fifty. Did I get that right?"

  • buzz*

"You, over there."
"I'd say about 40."

  • This question:

Dawson: Name something a hostess does to let her guests know it's time to leave.
(contestant buzzes in)
Contestant: (shrugs her shoulders) She goes to bed...
Dawson: Well, that'd certainly tip me off... (pointing at board) She hits the sack?
(strike sound)
Dawson: No!

  • From a Fast Money round:

Dawson: One of the three bears.
Contestant: Yogi.

Dawson: Name...

(everybody laughs)

Dawson: And this man's flying airplanes for us...

(contestant is an airline pilot)

Dawson: (tries to read the next question, but laughs more)


Ray Combs (1988-94)

  • A few times during Combs' run, the first player in Fast Money got more than 200 points alone. As a joke, Combs hushed the audience and brought out the second player, then said that the first player had only gotten a ridiculously-small number of points. He then asked the second player gag questions such as "Name a number between three and five" before revealing the first player's score and saying that the family had won the jackpot.
    • One family managed to do this twice during their reign. The second time, Ray tried to pull the same stunt twice on the same Fast Money contestant, but she looked at the board and ruined his prank.
  • Circa 1993: During the Bullseye Round, a Playboy playmate (who was playing for charity) was presented with a bouquet of flowers by her opponent. While leaning over the buzzers to kiss him for the wonderful gesture, she accidentally hit her buzzer with her boobs.

Ray (looking at her, a smile on his face): That's the first time anyone's slapped that buzzer and didn't use their hands!

  • "Aside from a house or a car specifically, what is the most expensive thing you own?" The first buzz-in answer? "A car." The staff didn't even wait for Ray to prompt them — as soon as that response came out of her mouth, the buzzer went off.
  • "Name something you wear to bed." Quoth the little old lady, "A condom!"
  • Someone else gave that same answer to "Name something a husband might ask his wife to carry in her purse."
  • This exchange:

Ray: Name something that falls from trees.
Contestant: I'm gonna say bird shit.
(laughter)
Contestant: It happens!
Ray: Boy, I'm glad cows don't fly.

  • And this one:

Ray: A slang term that means "wife".
Contestant: Bitch.
(audience boos)
Ray (sarcastically) Good answer!

    • To clarify, this was a game between divorcees, with ex-husbands playing against their ex-wives.
  • One rowdy contestant was waving her arms around right when Ray walked back to her spot. The result, an accidental whack in the head, which Ray oversold by crumpling to the ground. When he gets back up, he says, "I think she broke my hair, judge..."


Louie Anderson (1999-2002)


Richard Karn (2002-06)

  • Fall 2002 (possibly unaired): After Karn asked one question, the contestants tried to buzz-in... only to find that the podium didn't work (no sounds or lights). Karn proceeded to alternate smacking the buzzers, to no avail.
  • 2000s (unaired): "Name an animal whose legs are on a restaurant menu." No buzz-in response. Karn tried (and epically failed) to hold in his laughter as he slowly HeadDesked the podium. To which the Strike sound played, meaning the question was skipped, and Karn added "I don't even wanna know!" and tossed the index card with the question written on it away.
  • 2000s: "Name something dogs can do better than humans." "Pee."
  • 2000s: "Name an animal with spots". The #2 answer was Tigers. In a reversal of the usual "moronic answers" formula, nobody even thought to guess this one. And then while returning from the next commercial break, Richard says "We're still looking for that spotted tiger."
  • 2000s (possibly unaired): One contestant instinctively rang in before Richard even asked the question, prompting him to snark "Ooh, ooh, pick me!"
  • 2000s: During the final round: "Name an animal with a long tail." "Giraffe!" It got two points. And then when the second person came up, she said "giraffe" too.


John O'Hurley (2006-10)


Al Roker (NBC, 2008)


Steve Harvey (2010-Present)

The primary source of funny is Steve basically saying what the audience is thinking and berating contestants for giving stupid answers, generally being shocked if the answer is actually on the board. Thanks to the show's official YouTube page, he got major points with the fanbase before Season 12 even began. He's also responsible for the show's ratings being better than they have in quite some time.

Steve: ..."Family"! "Family"! I just got this job! What are you trying to do?!

  • During a question asking for a word or phrase that starts with "Pot", a contestant responded with "Potato". Steve, after being shocked for a few seconds (and can be seen mouthing "Potato?"), responded to both the family and audience with "Why y'all clapping?" After explaining the problem with the contestant's answer, he stated that "I'm gonna just... start walking towards the [other] family." As it turned out, "Potato" was on the board, shocking Steve again and prompting him to beg for the contestant's forgiveness.
  • "In this bad economy, what might Santa Claus have to do to one of his reindeer?" "Eat one." Steve then proceeded to tear into the guy and his family ("You stop high-fivin' him!"), taking said response to its logical extreme. And then it was on the board, stunning Steve to the point where he could only muster a small "Wow."
  • This Fast Money answer, to which Steve slowly crumples to the floor... all while the timer continues to count down. After it hits zero, well... just watch. (The full round was MUCH worse, though.)
  • Not on the show's YouTube page but still unaired, this exchange where Steve celebrates the birthday of the cue card lady. He then points out her husband "Woodstock" (so named because he's "been a hippie his entire life"), only to discover that Don (the man standing to Steve's right who gives him each question card) was the cue card lady's first husband.

Steve: Well, welcome to Family Feud everybody. ... Right after the show, outside, Don and Woodstock are gonna be kicking each other's ass.

  • During a question asking for something someone with long legs may not be able to fit into, a contestant responded with "Long Pants." Steve responded by walking over to the contestant and basically lecturing her as a father would to his daughter over her choice. Steve's next reaction says it all.
  • October 2010: A girl nicknamed Double-D.

Steve: ...you can do that on Family Feud? This is the greatest show of all time!

  • It's not uncommon for a family to reveal all the answers on the board, and it has happened many times with no Strikes. A pastor's family doing a Strikeless Sweep on this question is... well, it probably hasn't happened before or since.

Steve (grinning): I gotta go to this church!

Opponent (deadpan): I don't want to see that, either.

Steve: We'll be right back! ...If we still have a show!

Steve: This is when you know we're goin' to Hell.

  • Vanessa gives an answer ("They lock themselves in the house, with the bolt lock-the extra lock on top.") which Steve notes has already been given ("Lost Key / Locked In")... but she says it's different. Steve again points out that she duplicated an answer and asks her the question again. She gives the same answer, to which Steve just says "Okay, I tell you what, let's just go with this one right here." It's on the board.

Steve: I thought that was the stupidest answer...

Steve: (resignedly) This show is going to hell.

  • "Name something a man might give a nickname to." "His private parts." Steve's reaction says it all.

Steve: Obviously, this isn't the show I thought it was...

Steve: (mocking her) "We're goin' for the money, so that makes it alright! It doesn't matter I'm a pastor's wife, a ticket to Hell is worth $20,000! You know it's up there, Steve-" (normal) No, I don't know a damn thing that's up there! What you ain't gonna do is drag me into your little nasty world! I don't know nothin' that's up there! "Oh, Steve, you know what's up there-" The hell I know what's up there!.... I have kids. Now... sp-spe...
(Strike sound plays; Steve goes into Happy Dance mode as the contestant looks shocked)

"You know you've entered dangerous waters when even a Marine refuses to answer a question."

  • "Name something that gets passed around" "A Joint". Despite Steve's reaction, it's on the board. What makes this moment even better is the other contestant's answer, "a church collection plate" was worth less, and it was the only answer on the board worth less than "a joint"
  • November 7, 2011: Name the best dressed game show host.


Australian Version

  • 1980s: Once, host Tony Barber accidentally asked a male contestant if he had a boyfriend, then realized his slip and corrected it to "girlfriend". The contestant's response? "No, I'm gay."
  • During Bert Newton's stint, there was a special with two teams of past TV Week Logie winners playing against each other. The women's team included Denise Drysdale, Jane Allsop, Jeanne Little, and Patricia "Little Pattie" Thompson. At one point, Bert very casually slips in that he's slept with two of them.


  • And, in general, any particularly stupid answer; see the What An Idiot subpage.
  1. ↑ (The first syndicated episodes still used the original buzzers, which created a brief inconsistency.)
  2. ↑ sperm
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