Playing the feud
Island family auditions to compete on ‘Family Feud Canada’
Name something very unexpected your brother might announce to your family through a text message.
What about - he signed you all up to compete on "Family Feud", and you were shortlisted for an audition?
Survey says…
For the Affleck family, that’s exactly what happened.
Juliana MacEwen is a lab assistant at Holland College. Her brother, Jeff Affleck, applied for his family to play on the longrunning TV gameshow when it was announced in June that there was going to be a Canadian version, she said.
“He sent in the application and didn’t tell any of us.”
The show pits two families against each other, tasking them to name the most popular responses to survey questions. The winning family could earn up to $10,000 and play a maximum of three games.
About 1,200 applicant families across Canada were asked to audition. Of those, somewhere between 100 and 150 will get to compete on the show, MacEwen said. Once her brother fully explained the situation to them, the whole family was onboard.
“We’re a pretty easy-going, fun-loving family,” she said.
The Affleck team consists of herself, her brother, their parents, Clifford and Velma, and her husband, Craig MacEwen. Her sister-in-law, Crystal, is the team’s spare player.
"Family Feud" has always been one of the Affleck’s favourite shows.
“My parents are big fans of the show,” she said. “They’ve watched it for years.”
First, they all had to get together for a phone interview. Once they were determined suitable by the show’s producers, they were invited for an in-person audition at the Marriott Hotel in Halifax on Aug. 24.
The auditioning process had two families compete in a few mock games of the feud. The teams that weren’t competing would watch and mimic a gameshow audience.
“They basically simulated the show.”
It was a very fun, high-energy audition, she said.
“We just laughed for three hours straight.”
Families weren’t necessarily judged based on how well they scored each game. They were also judged based on how they interacted with one another and how much energy they brought to the game.
“So, they can kind of assess who’s going to be the most vibrant families for television.”
That being said, the Afflecks are a competitive family, MacEwen said.
“We won both of our games.” The show will start filming this fall, but the Afflecks might not know whether they’re accepted until as late as January 2020. If they are, they’ll get an expense-paid trip to Toronto to compete on the show, which will be hosted by Canadian comedian Gerry Dee.
If the Afflecks happen to compete and win some cash, they’ll probably plan a family vacation together, MacEwen said.
“We like spending time together, so that’s a bonus.”
There were several other Island families at the Halifax auditions, and there could have been more auditioning in Saint John, N.B. The show’s producers will ensure every province in Canada is represented on the show, MacEwen said.