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De Richard Dawson a Steve Harvey: La larga historia de "Family Feud" y por qué los espectadores siguen sintonizándola
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Publicado el 19 de julio de 2018
Steve Harvey es el presentador de "Family Feud" desde 2010, y los índices de audiencia han ido en aumento desde entonces. (ABC)
“Family Feud” has captivated audiences and remained one of the most successful game shows for the past 42 years, since its debut in 1976. Amid a slew of changing hosts, different time slots and controversies, why do viewers keep coming back decade after decade?
Originally created by producer Mark Goodson, “Feud” started out as a loose spinoff to “The Match Game,” which was popular among families at the time. ABC aired the series with original host Richard Dawson, who was a popular panelist on “The Match Game.”
Aunque al principio tuvo dificultades, pronto se convirtió en uno de los programas de juegos diurnos de mayor audiencia de la televisión. El programa no fue destronado hasta 1984, cuando se lanzó "La rueda de la fortuna" en sindicación con Pat Sajak y Vanna White. En 1985, ante el descenso de audiencia y las quejas de Dawson sobre el agotador horario del programa, la ABC lo canceló.
For most shows, it would have been the end of an era, but for a show like “Family Feud,” with a built-in game that people love, it was just a bump in what would become a very long road.
And the survey says…
“Family Feud” returned to the airwaves after just three years away. This time, it was picked up by CBS with a new host, comedian Ray Combs. The show was a success once again, even ushering in a new hourlong format that saw families from the previous episode return.
However, by 1992 ratings shifted once again and the spinoff “Family Feud Challenge” aired its last episode in the 1993 season. The show stayed, but with some distinct differences.
Después, Dawson volvió para una única temporada renovada. (Mientras tanto, Combs murió por suicidio en 1996).
Despite a bump in the ratings, CBS determined that the show was unsustainable, even with Dawson’s return. Just like that, “Family Feud” was removed from the air for a second time. However, the second cancellation didn’t stick either.
The show found new life once again in 1999 when it was brought back in syndication with comedian Louie Anderson at the helm. Now getting critical acclaim for his role on the FX series “Baskets,” Anderson is responsible for the “Family Feud” fans know today. Perhaps his most lasting impact on “Feud” was his push to double the prize in the “Fast Money” round.
"Así que me siento muy orgulloso de mis días en 'Feud'. Me llevé el dinero y realmente siento que les convencí -o tuve mucho que ver en ayudarles- para que [el gran premio] fuera de 20.000 $ en vez de 10.000 $. Siempre animé a todo el mundo, sentí que era divertido y no era Richard Dawson, pero era lo mejor que podía ser, y me encantaba dar dinero a la gente", dijo Anderson a The A.V. Club en 2016. "Fueron tres años estupendos. Y fue algo estupendo para las organizaciones benéficas".
The star fondly remembers a benefit following Sept. 11 in which the FDNY and NYPD competed against each other on the show to raise money. After Anderson split in 2002, “Home Improvement” star Richard Karn took over and kept the lights on until it was time for “Seinfeld” star John O’Hurley to take the helm in 2006.
After so many years on the air, its ratings were steady but still low.
Save for a brief run of “Celebrity Family Feud” with host Al Roker in 2008, the series appeared to be on its last leg until it was saved by Steve Harvey.
Harvey managed to increase viewership when he took over in 2010. Not since the years of Dawson was “Family Feud” such a household name. While other hosts saw ratings drop over time, Harvey’s run increased, retaking the crown from “Wheel of Fortune” as the most viewed game show in 2015.
"Es Steve Harvey. Esa es nuestra salsa secreta", dijo la productora Gaby Johnston a The Daily Beast en 2015. "Es Steve Harvey".
Ese mismo año, Harvey declaró Fox News que atribuía el éxito del programa a que sabía lo que la gente en casa quería ver.
Not so family-friendly
Harvey believes that, unlike his predecessors, calling out outrageous answers is what gave the show new life.
"If someone said an answer that was so ridiculous, I knew that the people at home behind the camera had to be going, 'What did they just say?' … They gave this answer that doesn't have a shot in hell of being up there,” he told Fox News. “The fact that I recognize that, that's comedic genius to me. I think that's [made] the difference."
“Feud” is no stranger to courting controversy. It’s been that way since Dawson made a name for himself not just as a humorous and witty host, but as the guy who would kiss all the women on the show, regardless of their age or marital status. The habit was not without its critics, however, and executives reportedly tried – and failed – to put an end to it. But Dawson argued to keep the kissing going, and he even went as far as to poll viewers about whether he should stop smooching. He claimed the votes were overwhelmingly in favor of keeping it going.
"Los besé por suerte y por amor, eso es todo", dijo Dawson en una ocasión.
The happily married Harvey does not get physical with any contestants – but the show did seem to learn a valuable lesson from the Dawson days: sex sells.
El aumento de audiencia en 2015 coincidió con un nuevo concepto en el mundo de los concursos: los vídeos virales. Dos clips de "Family Feud" de Harvey se hicieron virales por sus chistes sexualmente explícitos. En un clip que acaparó la atención en Internet, Harvey pidió a un concursante que nombrara "la última cosa en la que metiste el dedo". El jugador respondió: "Mi mujer". Harvey se rió y luego le dijo al concursante, Kevin: "Kev, he tenido muchas respuestas buenas. [Esa ha sido] mi respuesta favorita de todos los tiempos". El presentador añadió rápidamente: "Ya no hagas eso".
También se hizo viral otro vídeo en el que una mujer dice la palabra "pene" sin pensar, lo que hace que Harvey guarde silencio durante varios segundos. Aunque los clips fueron compartidos por los fans, otros señalaron que el programa se estaba volviendo un poco picante.
“A lot of humor has been added in and we’ve added in questions that lean that way,” Johnston admitted to The Daily Beast. “The material’s a little more — well, not so politically correct, but it’s fun.”
Hoy en día, no es difícil encontrar vídeos de concursantes que dan respuestas escandalosas o incluso sexualmente explícitas con la esperanza de ganar el gran premio en metálico.
Meanwhile, “Family Feud” remains a hit game show in American households and it has a big presence internationally.
Though many things have shuffled and shifted on the show throughout the years, the game’s format remains mostly unchanged. “Feud” pits two families against each other and they are given a survey topic. The family attempts to pick the top answers to the blind survey question. Whichever group gets the most points moves on to the Fast Money round, in which two family members try to score enough points to win the grand cash prize.
When the contestants do well, the audience cheers. When they don’t answer well, the audience often laughs.
The most popular answer is…
Ya sea por la mecánica del juego, por la presentación de Harvey o por las situaciones de riesgo, "Family Feud" sigue siendo un elemento básico en el mundo de los concursos, tanto en EE.UU. como en el resto del mundo. Deadline informó en 2017 de que, bajo el reinado de Harvey, el programa está a punto de convertirse en la primera serie de televisión sindicada a nivel nacional en aumentar sus índices de audiencia durante siete años consecutivos. El programa empezó con un 1,4 en 2010 y llegó a un 6,8, no sólo superando a "La rueda de la fortuna", sino también al potente programa de juegos "Jeopardy".
It seems that, at least for now, as long as families will show up to compete, “Family Feud” will be around to let them.
https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/from-richard-dawson-to-steve-harvey-the-long-history-of-family-feud-and-why-viewers-keep-tuning-in