Family nights at our house are all about food. Fun. And the Feud. That’s right, the game show Family Feud. It’s a Rankins tradition. My husband Thomas and I watch every episode and we play along, laughing and shouting out answers like we’re on TV.
“Hurry,” Thomas called from the living room one family night in the spring of 2010, “it’s about to start.”
I dished up some spaghetti and hustled out to the couch, squeezing in next to Thomas and his aunt Yvonne just as the host, comedian Steve Harvey, strolled onto the stage, looking extra sharp in a gray suit and silver necktie.
“Hey, everybody, welcome to Family Feud,” he said. “We’ve got a good one for ya…” I couldn’t hear the rest, the audience was hollering so loud.
The camera pulled back to show two families opposite each other, clapping and stomping like they were at a revival meeting. One contestant from each family ran to the podium at center stage.
“Name something that goes with a hot dog,” Steve Harvey said.
“Ketchup!” I jumped up and yelled before the contestants could even get a word out. “Mustard! Relish! Onions!”
Yvonne looked at me. “Girl, you’ve got it down. You oughta be on the show.”
“Me? I don’t think so,” I said. I sat down and stared at my spaghetti, twirling it on my fork. Why’d I say that? One of my resolutions this year was to think positive, and here I was, falling back into my old habit of counting myself out.
It was a hard habit to break. I’d had enough trials and tribulations in my life, I figured I wasn’t the kind of person good things just naturally happened to.
The thing was, I would’ve given anything to be on the Feud. Not just because I liked playing the game. I’d watched the show since it was first on the air, back when I was a kid and Richard Dawson was the host, and I loved it because your team was your family.
That meant something to a girl whose parents’ marriage was rocky, whose own family wasn’t exactly jumping up and down for joy.
I’d imagine myself up on that stage, joking around with the host. Getting the question and guessing the most popular answer. Hearing “Survey says…” and seeing the scoreboard light up. Number-one answer. Whoo hoo! Then I’d do a happy dance and high-five with my family.
Family. If being on Family Feud was my secret little dream, having a strong marriage and family that stuck together was my big dream, the one I put out there in my prayers. And, boy, did God answer! He brought Thomas and his tight-knit family into my life and blessed us with four awesome kids.
God had answered so many of my prayers since. For our children (when there’s four kids under the age of 10, there’s plenty to pray about). For me to do well in my journalism classes at college. For Thomas to succeed in his work as a paramedic and as a musician.
I didn’t need to be bothering God with something as silly as a game show.
“Wonder what you have to do to get on the show,” Thomas said.
“They must get tons of applications,” I said. “We wouldn’t have a chance.”
“It couldn’t hurt to try,” he said. “You’re always saying you’re better at it than the people on there.”
True, I did say that. But that was just me goofing around in our living room.
Steve Harvey asked the next question, and mercifully no one brought up the Rankins playing on Family Feud again. But now I couldn’t get the idea out of my head. It was like I’d been keeping my little dream locked up inside and someone flung open the door and let it out.
Wouldn’t you know it? Thomas and I were watching the Feud a few nights later when the announcer said, “Time for open auditions. Go to our site for details.”
“There you go!” Thomas said.
I didn’t want to get my hopes up. Still, I got my laptop and typed in the web address. I scrolled through the audition locations. Nothing in the Midwest. The closest was in Texas. No way could we swing a trip like that.
“I’d love to be on the Feud,” I said. Had I really uttered those words out loud? “I just don’t think it’s meant to be.”
But something made me keep checking the website. They added locations. Still nothing near us. Then one day I saw it, near the bottom of the page: “You can submit a video of your family in lieu of a regular audition. Upload it to YouTube and e-mail us the link. Have fun with it!”
I knew from my journalism classes how to make a video. And the Rankins definitely knew how to have fun. You know how sometimes on the Feud everything comes together and a team gets one right answer after another and the whole board lights up? That’s what this felt like.
Okay, God, maybe I won’t win. Or get on the show. But I know you’re telling me I’ve got to try. I’ve got to be positive.
We decided on our team: Thomas and I, Yvonne, my father-in-law, Thomas Sr., and my sister-in-law, LaTonya. We wore matching outfits and squeezed on our couch for the video. “Hello, everybody, this is my wonderful family,” Thomas said. Then we each introduced ourselves and hammed it up.
We had a blast. But when we were done Thomas Sr. took me aside. “Now I don’t want you to feel bad if we don’t make it,” he said. “There’s thousands of people trying out.” That was all it took to bring my insecurities rushing back.
Two weeks after I put the video up on YouTube, an application came in the mail. They probably send these out to everyone. I filled it out and sent it back.
One night in November our phone rang. Thomas answered. His eyes bugged out. “Brandy, it’s Family Feud,” he whispered. I screamed. “That’s my wife making all that noise,” Thomas said.
I leaned in to hear what the caller was saying. “Tell her to bring that enthusiasm to Atlanta because you’re coming to Family Feud in August.” Yeah, baby!
Family nights we got down to business. We came up with answers to every question we could think of and practiced our buzzer-hitting moves till we were lightning quick. I lay awake at night, thinking up clever lines to say to Steve Harvey.
Still, I worried we were nowhere near ready. “Ask me something. Anything,” I badgered Thomas on the flight to Atlanta. “We’ve gotta stay sharp.”
“Honey,” he said, “we’ll be fine. This is your dream. And it’s really happening. Just relax and enjoy it.”
Easy for him to say, I thought. I was so keyed up that night I barely slept.
The next morning at eight we were driven to the studio in a white van. After a practice round, it was time to go on.
We ran onto the stage and stood behind our podiums. Good thing because I didn’t want everyone to see how my legs were shaking. The studio was huge, rows and rows of people in the audience. Not that I could see much with lights shining on us from every direction.
Behind us a giant sign read RANKINS in neon blue letters. The familiar theme song came on. The announcer sang out, “It’s time to play Family Feud.” I clapped and stomped, my mind spinning like a kaleidoscope. I can’t believe this is for real!
“Give it up for Steeeeeve Harveyyyyy!” My eyes were riveted on the handsome host, not more than five feet away. He was wearing that same sharp gray suit and silver necktie. He said hello to the audience then strode right up to me.
“Brandy, how are you doing?” I tried to think of one of the clever lines I’d rehearsed but it was no use. There was only one word that captured everything I was feeling. I raised my hands up over my head and shouted, “Hallelujah!”
Steve gave me a huge smile and turned to the audience. “You didn’t know you were coming to church today, did you?” he said. Everyone laughed, including me.
But there was no time to relax. The game was starting. The first question for Team Rankins: “Name someone you might frighten away if you came to the front door naked.”
Concealed on a big board in the middle of the set were the top six responses from a survey of 100 people. Our job was to guess them all before we got three wrong answers.
“Postman,” Thomas said.
“Survey says?” The answer flashed on the board. Yes!
My turn. “My pastor,” I guessed. Another right answer.
Then Thomas Sr. guessed, “Bill collector.” A big X flashed on the board. Wrong. Yvonne said, “Paper boy.” Wrong again.
Too soon it was my turn again. There were two answers left. What could they be? This was nothing like playing at home. “Grandparents?” I ventured. Another big X, our third.
We went from bad to worse. Halfway through the game Team Rankins had 79 points. The other team: a whopping 258. I didn’t want my dream to end like this!
The final round. Steve said we still had a chance at victory. A slim chance. The question: “Name something horses do standing up that you might not do.” Team Rankins got five right answers, but we missed two. It all came down to Thomas Sr. “You can do it!” I said. But my insides were twisted in knots.
“Uh,” he stammered. “Make, uh, make little ponies?”
Everyone cracked up. “You’re sure that’s your answer?” Steve asked. “’Cause I wouldn’t have thought of that.” Thomas Sr. nodded, slowly. All eyes went to the board. With a flip, there was his answer. We’d won!
I grabbed Thomas and we jumped up and down and did a happy dance together. This was way better than anything I could have dreamed up.
On October 7, we had a family night to beat all family nights. Team Rankins piled on the couch to watch our episode of the Feud. I sat between Thomas and Yvonne and called out the answers. “How could I have missed that one?” I shouted at the TV, laughing.
There’s one question I wish they’d asked: Name someone you can trust with your dreams, big or small. Survey says? I don’t have to guess the numberone answer. I know.
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