By Jalyn Bolyard, Distribution Manager
If you’re bored on a Sunday night this summer, tune into ABC anywhere from 8-11 p.m. You get to see celebrities ‘feuding’ in the best way possible, trying to fill a pyramid and answering fill in the blank questions. Even though I don’t watch television very often, these Sunday night game shows caught my attention quickly and deserve recognition.
ABC is calling the three show line-up “Sunday Fun & Games.” It premiered on June 26, 2016, including new episodes every of Celebrity Family Feud at 8 p.m., The $100,000 Pyramid at 9 p.m., and Match Game at 10 p.m.
Hosted by Steve Harvey, Celebrity Family Feud is a revamp of the syndicated version of the “survey says” game show where celebrities try to get the most popular answers for a charity of their choice. Since it’s an hour long, four sets of ‘families’ end up competing against each other in one episode. That means double the laughs, which Harvey certainly makes sure there is plenty of in each episode!
Some celebrities bringing the laughs this season already included Snoop Dogg, Tony Hawk, Kellie Pickler, and Lance Bass. It’s the classic gameshow with a charismatic atmosphere, with the celebrities not only heckling Harvey at time, but the other contestants as well!
Up next, The $100,000 Pyramid hosted by Michael Strahan is the revival of the classic gameshow of trying to guess items within a certain category. Instead of giving to charity, celebrities try to help two contestants in each half of the show to win up to – you guessed it – $100,000.
The titles of each category can get a chuckle out of anybody, usually acknowledging or making a joke of the celebrity contestants. Some of the celebrities so far included Weird Al Yankovic, Justin Long, Martha Stewart and Ken Jeong.
ABC rounds up the night with Match Game, a reboot of the classic 70’s game show, now hosted by Alec Baldwin. The main goal of this show is that two contestants compete to match fill-in-the-blank questions with a panel of six celebrities. The classic Match Game had regulars on the panel, about three to four celebrities that were most often on every episode. One of those panelists was even the original Family Feud host, Richard Dawson. In homage, the new Match Game so far had three episodes that starred Rosie O’Donnell and Tituss Burgess.
The banter between Baldwin and the panelists are fantastic. They try their best to help the contestants and get angry at each other – or even the contestant – when someone doesn’t answer what the rest think is the ‘obvious’ answer. If someone says something a little off, Baldwin is the first to point it out and laugh it out. The chemistry between the panelists and the contestants makes it seem so easy and the laughs come easy.
Even though the classic gameshow was “before my time,” it was one of those shows I watched reruns of everyday on the Game Show Network (GSN) and I will always have a soft spot for it. Considering how Family Feud has run for years, I wish Match Game had that same momentum and never stopped showing – but it did. Television has changed over the years, so it’s not exactly the same, but I think the new version brings life to the show that was being forgotten.
ABC’s “Sunday Fun & Games” is topping the Sunday night ratings, so if you like to laugh and watch game shows, it’s the perfect fit. To catch up on the earlier shows of Celebrity Family Feud, The $100,000 Pyramid and Match Game, click on their respective link to the ABC Go’s website for recaps.
