Family Feud - Smut TV

[Guint]

Just to give you a perspective of how quick the smut stuff has taken over:

Watching a Karn show right now. Middle of his run. Round 2 question is "A subject that husbands bore their wives with." None of the answers were sexual-oriented (although one guy did say sex.

Louie's was the most flawed. Three single rounds, then one triple in the main game, one strike only in the final round and you didn't have to get a certain amount of points to win. The only good that came out of it was the Fast Money prize was doubled during his final season.

Anderson Feud also brought back the pass/play rule and increase the number of players per family back to five. The pass/play rule was absent during the 88-95 version, and in Dawson's "comeback" season, there were only four players per family.

[PriceFanArmadillo]

I'm not sure why you would expect anything sexual to be on the board for that question, because that would imply that sex is somehow boring.

[JohnHolder]

There's a difference between a question where "sex" might be one of several possible answers, and a question where it's the whole unavoidable theme.

[GuyWithFace]

^I remember reading somewhere, likely Invision, that there was a Harvey-era question that one family lost the game on because there was one answer left unrevealed and they (the family) had refused to go into the gutter.

If your show forces your contestants to "think dirty" in order to win (with some exceptions, depending on the format and subgenre), you are most certainly doing it wrong.

[Briguy]

Just to give you a perspective of how quick the smut stuff has taken over:

Watching a Karn show right now. Middle of his run. Round 2 question is "A subject that husbands bore their wives with." None of the answers were sexual-oriented (although one guy did say sex.

Like a couple of posters said, there is nothing iheriently wrong with saying "sex" as an answer where it is logical. For instance, the above question -- the sex and love life of the couple fits (along with such answers as money and raising kids).

But when a question is, "Name an animal that best describes your husband when he has sex with you," or the infamous, "Name something a woman would take off a clown before having sex with him," THEN there is a BIG problem!

EVEN BIGGER is the euphenisms when there are seemingly benign questions like, "Name something a squirrel does with a nut." (One of the answers was "Scratch it," which automatically makes it a euphenism.)

Brian

P.S. -- Here's another seemingly benign question where they just HAD to throw "penis" in as an answer:

"Name a part of the body that's stiff when you wake up in the morning."

http://www.gameshownewsnet.com/shortshots/111111.html

A euphenism for "penis" -- here, "Mr. Happy" -- was No. 4 (with 14 saying it), behind the requisite back, neck, and legs/knees.

[GuyWithFace]

or the infamous, "Name something a woman would take off a clown before having sex with him,"

I remember someone pointed out that this was "Name something a (circus) clown wears." for the lowest common denominator.

seemingly benign questions like, "Name something a squirrel does with a nut." (One of the answers was "Scratch it," which automatically makes it a euphenism.)

The question, or at least the iteration I am aware of, was "Name something a squirrel does with his nuts." Which, as you may have guessed, was begging for these kinds of answers.

There was also the "His Schlong" moment where it was the bottom answer (during a period where the braintrust thought it would make more sense to reveal unsaid answers in reverse order) -- and given that it was on the bottom, they could have easily removed it and just used the top five answers. But we know what happened, and the camera got a disgusted grandmother looking at what may have been the production staff.

Family Feud traded off its dignity for a good host.

[JohnHolder]

Family Feud traded off its dignity for a good host.

I don't even think he's good. I watched the show a few weeks ago for the first time in a couple of years. I'm not offended by sexually explicit content, I just thought it was incredibly stupid.

[PriceFanArmadillo]

Here's another seemingly benign question where they just HAD to throw "penis" in as an answer:

"Name a part of the body that's stiff when you wake up in the morning."

You're kidding about the benign part, right?  Hell, I'm surprised 86 of the 100 people were able to come up with anything else. 

That question was clearly written for the innuendo.  The only thing surprising about it is that the Triple questions are usually a little more straight-forward than the rest of them.

There was also the "His Schlong" moment where it was the bottom answer (during a period where the braintrust thought it would make more sense to reveal unsaid answers in reverse order) -- and given that it was on the bottom, they could have easily removed it and just used the top five answers. But we know what happened, and the camera got a disgusted grandmother looking at what may have been the production staff.

Honestly, Steve almost gave that one away at the face-off podium...the question was "Name something a pilot might be holding during a long flight", and he misinterpreted the contestant's answer of "the stick" (she was referring to the plane's throttle).  I'm surprised no one else went with it.

[palmer7]

Steve Harvey is classless and tasteless.

[Briguy]

Honestly, Steve almost gave that one away at the face-off podium...the question was "Name something a pilot might be holding during a long flight", and he misinterpreted the contestant's answer of "the stick" (she was referring to the plane's throttle).  I'm surprised no one else went with it.

I'm surprised no one thought of "Name something James Bond does in a sexy way," where the contestant says, "Shoots his weapon." Which, if you think about it, the contestant was thinking of just that – firing a gun or a laser beam or anything to do with WEAPONS. Someone JUST HAD TO LAUGH in the audience, the audience begins roaring with laughter and Steve Harvey does that look, and it immediately becomes, "has sex" (or even more graphic version).

Simple questions, like "Name something an airplane pilot might hold during a long flight" (wherein answers might include the throttle, his headset, a beverage container and the control stick). Yeah, the correct term is "joystick,"  but that too could be open to interpretation.

[PriceFanArmadillo]

Steve, after two seasons, you probably don't have to ask "You can say that on national TV?" when you coerce a contestant into saying 'boner'.

(Which, I might add, was on the board.)

[wink87]

Just curious, what tv rating does Family Feud have now?

[Axl]

Steve, after two seasons, you probably don't have to ask "You can say that on national TV?" when you coerce a contestant into saying 'boner'.

Folks, you guys understand this is his shtick, right?  This sort of statement serves about as much purpose as saying, "You know, Howard Stern, we know by now that you really enjoy seeing women's breasts.  You've been saying it for 30 years."

Just curious, what tv rating does Family Feud have now?

For the last week available, it drew 4.7 million viewers.  That's roughly in the same neighborhood as The Price is Right.  Higher than any other syndicated game show except Wheel and Jeopardy!  Higher than any judge's show except Judge Judy.  Higher than any celeb news show except Entertainment Tonight (and just barely).  Higher than any NBC prime time show except America's Got Talent.

[PriceFanArmadillo]

Folks, you guys understand this is his shtick, right?  This sort of statement serves about as much purpose as saying, "You know, Howard Stern, we know by now that you really enjoy seeing women's breasts.  You've been saying it for 30 years."

Yep.  I was just trying to point it out by being really, really sarcastic.

[Flerbert419]

Higher than any NBC prime time show except America's Got Talent.

I don't know if this says more about Family Feud or the state of NBC.