IS FAMILY FEUD FOR REAL WITH RACIAL FORMAT?
87Why is the Family Feud Game Show Casting According to Race?
Family Feud is a popular American family game show that has been around for years, but the game show has a new show blueprint in which black families now regularly compete against white families. This is a shameful, poor decision with varying negative effects. This sort of race centered casting is outrageous for the decade we live in and is extremely unnecessary.
I don’t watch a lot of TV, but I’m in law school and I like to watch the daytime court shows. Consequently I ended up watching Family Feud unintentionally because it came on right after one of the court shows. I immediately noticed after a few days of catching the show, that there were a lot of black families playing against white families and it seemed a little odd to just be coincidence. This is America and I’d expect to see some black on black match ups, white on white, black, white, Asian, Hispanic and all types of random match ups. Not so.
My curiosity began to peak. After probing and watching clips of over 8 recent episodes, I instantly realized it was no coincidence, the show is deliberately casting black families to play against white families as part of the new format. There usually aren’t Asians or Hispanics, mainly black families on one side, and whites on the other.I have 3 questions for the game show: who’s idea was that, is he or she ok, and when is he or she getting removed from any further decision making?
In the year 2012, Family Feud is now a segregated game show for fun and entertainment. What is wrong with people mentally, and why are some industry executives so absorbed with race to the point of making game show format decisions based on it? For an American family game show, what person of sound reasoning would authorize race based casting as a good idea? This is perhaps the most awkward, inurbane and stupid game show decision to slip through virtually without a bleep in the radar I've come across in recent years.
Sometimes I understand how things I don’t agree with may have been done for ratings, but I honestly don’t get the point of this tacky initiative whatsoever.This isn’t boxing circa 1930. When it’s random, fine, but the thought that show producers are deliberately organizing a black versus white format is very disturbing.
PUTTING IT IN PERSPECTIVE
I grew up in a church that had people of all races and color never mattered much to us. It's a beautiful thing. That's why it's particularly disturbing to see racial polarization organized as a norm on a national scale for a game show. As if this is something they'd like to sell off to the people as normal or acceptable for a show: splitting up families according to race to play a game.
The small mind of an idiot may not be capable of considering the times, or the fact that there is a steady growing number of interracial families and families with adopted members who may view this with justifiable disdain ass odd, as it simultaneously excludes them. Sensible people however can see the absurdity. Even in the news, when there's a story in an Asian community, they send an Asian reporter. In a black community, they feel they need to send a black reporter. For a multicultural nation, racial organizing is primitive, childish, ignorant and highly unnecessary.
Anytime a show implements the ethnic categorizing of its players, and has racial separation as part of the format, it's a huge cause for concern. And if a show is so unapologetically warped to implement such a thing, where does that racial thought process stop? To an American fool, this all might mean nothing. To the conscientious thinker however, the fact that this is inappropriate and sketchy is obvious. For example, if a game show exists with one side always Mexican, and the other side always Korean every show, it would be very suspicious on many fronts. Does it subtly promote polarization? Is it just a tacky decision for ratings? Do the producers systematically assist one side in appearing more competent than the other? By design or inadvertently, is one side appearing in a better light? Is someone somewhere keeping a tally score of which side is faring better on average? Is the game show deliberately trying to set things up to stage an eventual controversial moment? Was this decision influenced by some sort of agenda? What is the nationality and racial views of the people in charge of the show? Since the show is casting those 2 ethnicities primarily, what character traits do producers look for in the contestants for each side? These are all legitimate questions for the shrewd observer, and why the reasonable person would object.
This isn’t Sweden versus Kenya in a soccer match. This is supposed to be an All American, fun family game show featuring random people from the same multi-cultural nation. A planned and systematic black versus white format for a game show in in is period in time is ridiculous and requires explanation.
THE CONSEQUENCES OF SOCIAL IRRESPONSIBILTY
When these socially irresponsible things are done in poor taste, here are the fruits: When you go on YouTube, you can see a few videos of angry white young people most likely, posting videos of “The Feud”, posting clips of what they thought were Steve Harvey’s favoritism toward black players.To some, the black players seem to have the winning edge with Steve Harvey as host. There are other videos posted intended to ridicule the worst stupid answer moments of black players, most likely backlash for the aforementioned sentiments from immature you tubers. Underneath each of those posted videos are nasty racial attacks from both blacks and whites toward each other for several pages. There aren’t even that many negative videos posted, so you can’t even credit the show for starting controversy that attracts attention. There are just a small number of videos with racial bickering, just enough to realize it was a bad idea. Good job producers, very good job. Be proud of yourselves and your contribution to the country’s discourse.
Whether it’s just a deplorable tactic for ratings, or a twisted subliminal agenda, it doesn’t matter. We’ve grown so much as a nation that there is no acceptable or reasonable justification for a blatantly racially organized show. Someone at the top is either extremely stupid, extremely tasteless, caught up in an agenda, or just without class, subservient to any idea that might improve ratings. However, I don’t see how race segregation improves a family game show. Regardless there is such a thing as social responsibility and lines that shouldn’t be crossed. An American show that routinely matches blacks against whites is just embarrassing.
Perhaps the most confusing thing is that people are starting to notice but few are saying anything. I’m not sure what’s more disturbing.I often find myself wondering if we’re evolving into a nation of sheep, slow to object to blatant idiocy. What I thought was an awkward coincidence was actually someone’s brainchild.
I’ve already left messages and have written a letter. If anyone else cares to do the same, the info is below.
Family Feud: (323) 762-8467
Or write to them at 224 East Olive Ave., #205, Burbank, CA. 91502.
Is race against race a good idea on Family Feud?
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And another thing, 90% of the questions are sexually related. It's unbelievable how just about every question has something to do with male or female body parts, sex acts, etc. I guess this is the only way this show can stay on TV...throw blacks and sex on TV
Where are the Hispanic and Asian families. It would appear that their contestant selection comes from a country that is approximately 45% white and 45% black.
Thanks for your comment Stan C.
Exactly. That's just the thing, this new race based casting is really awkward, behind the times, stupid, and leads to other questions just like yours. There's seemingly no Asians or Hispanics. And where are the interracial families? And if a black man has a white wife with white and black family members, who would the clowns at the Feud choose to cast them up against? Another all black or white family? Or would they then try to cast them equally intermixed? Idiots.
I think Family Feud can't see past the town in which the show is based and are still stuck in an era many other parts of the country have long since evolved out of.
Just like what you were getting at, a strictly black versus white format excludes everyone else that makes up America. The Atlanta based show producers are way too behind the curve of social development to even realize that it's tacky. A nice pimp slap into 2012 for the Feud would be if someone alleged against the show that they wished to compete on the show but would not be cast because the show discriminates and only casts all black or all white families (assuming the family was Asian, Hispanic or interracial).
Thanks again for stopping by
Omg! I've watch 3 weeks of it, and I did notice it is always an african american family vs a caucasian family... WTF!
Also, Steve Harvey acts so humble with the african american families, but with the ither family he is always akward or just seems like he is annoyed.
This show is just... -_-
I agree and I also noticed he cheats for the black families and will not watch this show ever again. I can't believe they get away with it.
I also noticed black against white but wasn't sure if it was intentional. I'm even more concerned about
Hey Sam, and Sam,
Thanks for stopping in and welcome. Not sure if you're the same person but you echoed the same name as well as the same sentiments, so I'll respond once.
Anyway, if anyone alleges that Steve Harvey has favoritism toward black players, it’s an assumption that may or may not be true, it’s just a perspective. But this is exactly my point. A black vs. white format is wrong and will have people drawing racial conclusions such as this. When things get racially divided and presented, white people may feel they have to act a certain way for fear they don't look a certain way and so does Steve Harvey now in the reverse.
The show just needs to go back to casting all types of people and that's all there is to it. Blacks on one side and whites on the other is creepy and nothing good can come from it----hence what its making people insinuate.
Thank you so much for stopping by.
Hey Joe,
Yes, I had the same revelation----and after catching the 6th or 7th show with blacks on one side and whites on the other----it's no coincidence. Someone's god awful decision actually passed through.
Thank you for coming by
Question: What has David Hasselhoff done that made you cringe?
Answer: Jumped the Kitt car over something.
Answer revealed: His Acting.
Family: Black
Opposing Family: White
Question: Something that makes a man sleepy after finishing it.
Answer: Watching a movie.
Answer revealed: "Sex in the City"/TV
Family: Black
Opposing Family: White
Episode: Woody vs. Grochow families
Make your own decision.
Well, it IS often black vs white, but it is FAR from always. Last few days there has been an Asian family. Yesterday they played against a black family, today a white family.
Also, there has been MANY white vs white. Here's some clips.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQRMvg5TAl8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPonWWI97zI
So, seems the argument around the net is why so many black families. Why are close to 50% of the families on the show black, when they make up less than half of the population? People claim it CAN'T be random. Well, there is NOTHING RANDOM about ANY gameshow's selection process. People still think The Price is Right picks names out of a hat. No, while you are waiting in line to get in, producers pull you aside for interviews.
I would say in this case, it its about getting more black people on the show more than its about white vs black. There could be many motivations behind it. For a long time you never saw ANY black people on TV outside of sports, now you do a lot. They might be trying to target black audiences.
And the end of the day, we do have a show that often includes more than one race (good thing NOT bad thing) getting along, playing together, shaking hands, and having fun. BTW to the people saying Steve cheats for the black family. You don't give exmaples of HOW he cheats, or give anything to back up your baseless claims at all. I think he does a great job, and I have never seen him take sides. You should throw words like cheat around if you don't have anything to back it up.
Steve Harvey makes me sick with the hypocritical BS be spews. This show has lost what made it so revered. It's showing racism & the way Harvey speaks to blacks is so condescending.
Hey there Just an Example,
Gotta be honest with you man, I wasn't sure where you were heading so I wasn't sure how to reply to you. I do thank you for coming by though
Thanks for coming by Jeremy,
You do make a good argument that maybe it’s just to be more inclusive and cast more blacks on the show. But they always had blacks on the show randomly just like everyone else. It just went from randomly, to every single show competing against a white family. It just seemed like a color coordination, black vs. white blue print that may or may not be true since you put it that way. However, several consecutive shows with blacks vs. whites counld’t be that random.
I do agree with you that Steve Harvey being racist and helping black players is a bit of a stretch. Didn’t see or get that impression at all.
Thanks for coming to the page.
The show simply wreaks Affirmative Action . And a very lop sided affirmative action at that. I am certain the families don't apply on a 50/50 white to black ratio. And Steve Harvey tries to show no bias, but it is there just the same. Lets face it. He is a racist from the word go.
If your looking for an example of bias and Steve's cheating for black families, how about when he gives black families so much more time to think of their answers?
When a black family wins the standoff at the podium, he almost always strolls over as if he's thinking of a good joke. And sure enough when he gets there out comes a joke and another ten or twenty seconds for the players to think.
Sometimes this continues to the next family member. "here let me fix that tie for you" how many white players ties have you seen him add a dimple to?
No. when a non-black family wins the standoff, he's walking over like he needs a bathroom break, and its "o.k. lets go, we surveyed 100...
The point is that its a game show, not a Steve Harvey comedy special. more time to come up with your answer gives a marked advantage to the team who's given the extra time.
A little preemptive rebuttal.
Yes I have seen Steve stop to joke with other non-black families, and, gone straight to the survey with black families. But the overwhelming majority of the time spent on one families side goes to the black family. This is NOT an opinion. If you don't believe me, time how long it take him. Starting at the moment the player states “we're going to play Steve”, to the time that first player who might give the third strike is expected to respond. I think that would be the right time frame to give fair judgement on the subject.
Now I don't in any way blame black families appearing on the show for this. This is Mr. Harvey and the producers of the show, who are undoubtedly conscious of the obvious discrepancy, who are to blame. And the motive for overlooking this is in all likelihood better ratings. Lets face it, Steve Harvey is the funniest host the feud has ever had. Period. And he is by far funniest when with black families. This may also have something to do with the black vs. white format your article is about.
Sorry, I can't disagree with you more, when you say “white people may feel they have to act a certain way for fear they don't look a certain way and so does Steve Harvey now in the reverse.”. There is no comparison to the self-editing of ones comments between whites and blacks (particularly public figures). Did you see the episode where the young black contestant blurted to Steve “Your supposed to be on my side!” If the races were reversed (all three) it would have made headline news if it made it to air at all.
But if I could paraphrase I would say Steve is probably more comfortable with black contestants and hence more entertaining when there’s a black family on the show. And producers know it. Casting a black family on every other episode, if their not the defending champs, probably does help ratings no matter what the other families race is. It may be that the reason its mostly a white family on the other side is due to racial demographics. 65% of the population being white.
You know, now that I think about it. With only about 13-15% of the population being black, it would be hard to justify having a black family on most episodes (Steve at his best), without giving them an edge to come back the next day.
In a strange, sad way, I'm hoping that is the case cause I love the show. And when I have to wonder If a family gets to the fast money round due to racial biases it taints the win for me.
No matter how I feel they got there though, I still root for who ever it happens to be to win the $20,000.
P.S.
I have to admit I found this article after watching an episode of the feud and googling “family feud steve harvey racist”(no quotes). Needless to say I wasn’t very impressed with the show at the time. But it did bring me to your hub and some very well written and informative articles. Now I am impressed.
2010 census documents that Atlanta is 54% Black and 38% White. 60% of the city's area is overwhelmingly black neighborhoods. Thus the applicant ratio. I'm very glad that he has brought this show back to life. Go Steve!!
Wow. This was very interesting. I just read your hub and all of the comments. I don't watch the show much at all. I used to long ago when Richard Dawson was the host, but when I do watch I have notice more Black families on the show. I understand the point you are making, but I never really thought of it as a being a racial thing. I was just happy to see more Black families getting a chance to be on a game show as most contestants on most game shows are not people of color. With Steve Harvey hosting, I'm sure there are more people of color watching the show if only to see him, so the producers probably feel it is wise to have more Black families on the show.
I find this very disturbing aswell. I'm sure Steve Harvey's behind all this. Have you noticed that every time a black family losses while he shakes their hands he tells them "you represented well". I'm sure if it was a white host saying that you would hear some complaints from black folks.
the show has much easier questions for the black families in the 20k rounds than they do for the white families, today one of the questions was name a country where people speak spanish, Mexico and Spain were worth about 90 pts
Yes, I agree that the show is not representative of the racial and ethnic makeup of the United States. Someone mentioned that the show is cast in Atlanta and that is why but that is not true. The families come from all over United States. It is irresponsible and shocking to say the least this day in time. The best thing we can all do is to not watch it.
No one complained when it was always white families on the show , don't complain now... Mixing it up is the best thing that ever happend to the show... Black, white,asian,Hispanic .... Or whatever .... Let's play feud, all races.....
Great observation. I bet half the white people that commented on the idea that black people are getting better treatment on the show hate the fact that Obama is the president. Now if you are one of those people you are racist .
Yes, it is a great observation. However, people need to just GET OVER IT. I bet no one was complaining about most game shows having predominantly white contestants. No, because that is just the "norm". Now, we are seeing more and more black families on this particular game show and people want to cry racism. Give me a freaking break.
We need to send a whambulance to some of these folks.
I kept track for over a month. Out of 10 episodes a week, there were exactly 2 episodes that have two white families playing. So out of 20 families that play in a week, 8 were black, or 40%. You would expect 15%.
They also are more lenient to the black families. Here is example from Brewer vs Finch
Q.Of all the US presidents, which one would look the hottest in a speedo
Brewer(Black): George Bush
Answer revealed: George W Bush.
they didn't even ask for a clarification of which one. Usually when you just say George Bush, you mean George H.W. Bush.
Q.Name something a man hopes doesn't happen on Super Bowl Sunday
Finch(White): Wife has a baby (STRIKE)
After the other family steals, answer revealed:Sick/Hospital/Dr.
So the wife is not going to the hospital to have a baby??? I would of accepted any medical emergency for that answer.
Another example I remember a couple days ago is during sudden death, the white family gave the right answer, and when Steve went to the board, he said it in a disappointed "yeah that's it" voice. I wish I wrote down the names for that episode.
I would have to say if Fast Money is easier for the blacks, it would be barely. Family Feud is almost always easy to win $20k. However, once you win it once, they give you real hard questions the next time. The families that win five games in a row rarely win more than $20000(plus the $5 a point).
Quit crying !!!!!!!!!!!!!
I hadn't noticed. Must of angered you to see so many black people winning money. If you weren't so prejudice you might not have yourself. You want to be a lawyer? I think cop is your calling. There quite a few that seem to notice blacks more than others too. When practicing law. I hope you are little more careful about your opinions.
Jay, your comment seemed like the most racist on the page...
I love the family Fued with Steve Harvey. Also have watch with other hosts. Didn't see black people complaining about them. Not a lot of blacks cast on their show either.
My family and I appeared on Family Feud in February. For the record, they choose the families based on the rehearsals amongst other things. Charisma and enthusiasm play a major role! Is your family supportive of other families during rehearsals? Do they have bright happy colors on, as requested. If you pay closer attention, most families wear bright bright bold colors and are happy people. If your family doesn't appear to really "want" to be there....hey go home! My family played an asian family, a caucasian family and an hispanic family! We are African-American. Steve Harvey joked around with alllllllll of us! He is a great host and is very fair. He roots for both families. The producers cheer us on equally. We never felt as if anyone was pulling for anyone. One last point, there is a defference in being "pro-black" and racist. And I think the reason a lot of blacks are auditioning is because, let's face it: WE LOVE STEVE HARVEY! My sisters and I were stoked about meeting him. The experience was AWESOME and we had a wonderful time. Really, people will find something wrong with everything! And if Steve Harvey cheats for the blacks: He didn't cheat for us! We were 4 points away from winning the fast money round. And 10 points away the 2nd time! All I can say is, why don't you nay-sayers get your families together and audition....You will see how AMAZING the show really is behind the scenes and all! There's a reason the show has been around for years. The ratings have been through the roof ever since they brought Steve Harvey on. My final thought: You can't please everyone so why not focus on the ones you can. And I think the ratings speak for themselves!!!! That's all folks! **mic drop**
sarah smith 8 months ago
Very true. I watced the show for year and it never used to do this. Very creepy. From politics polls andnow even game shows appearantly society is so absorbed with race and categorization. So stupid. Well written and thought provoking