Editing Family Feud (section)

== Gameplay ==
The game features two competing families, each represented by five members (reduced to four contestants for the 1994–95 season), who compete to determine the answers to survey questions. The original version of the show began with the families being introduced, seated opposite each other as if posing for family portraits, after which the host interviewed them.<ref name="Brooks & Marsh">{{cite book|last1=Brooks|first1=Tim|last2=Marsh|first2=Earle F.|title=The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946–present|pages=450–451|publisher=[[Random House]]|year=2009|isbn=978-0-307-48320-1}}</ref>

While there is no minimum age to participate in ''Family Feud'', as long as at least one member of the family is 18 years of age or older, producers recommend that contestants are 15 years of age or older due to the nature of some questions.<ref>{{cite web |last1= |first1= |title=Family Feud Eligibility Requirements |url=https://www.familyfeud.com/audition/ |access-date=21 August 2022 |website=Family Feud Website |publisher=Family Feud}}</ref> Each round begins with a "face-off" question that serves as a toss-up between two opposing contestants. The host asks a survey question that was previously posed to a group of 100 people, such as "Name something you expect to see on the streets at Christmastime."<ref name="David Schwartz 1995, p. 72" /> A certain number of answers are concealed on the board, ranked by popularity of the survey's responses.

The first contestant to buzz in gives an answer; if it is the most popular, their family immediately wins the face-off. Otherwise, the opponent is offered a chance to answer, and the face-off is won by whichever family's member has offered a higher-valued answer (or, if both answers have the same point value, whoever rang in sooner). If neither contestant's answer is on the board, the other eight contestants have a chance to respond, one at a time from alternating sides, until an answer is revealed. The family that wins the face-off may choose to play the question or pass control to their opponents (except on the 1988–95 versions, when the family who won the face-off automatically gained control of the question).<ref name="David Schwartz 1995, p. 72" />

The family with control of the question then tries to win the round by guessing all of the remaining concealed answers, with each member giving one answer in sequence. Giving an answer not on the board or failing to respond within three seconds earns the family a strike. After three strikes are earned, the opposing family is given one chance to "steal" the points for the round by guessing any of the remaining answers. Otherwise, the points are automatically awarded to the family that originally had control. From 1992 to 2003, the value of the "stealing" answer was credited to the "stealing" family. If the opponents are given the opportunity to "steal" the points, then only their team's captain is required to answer the question. For most of the series, this is done after the family confers with each other; the only exception was from 1988 to 1994 where Ray Combs polled each family member for an answer with the team captain having the option to either select one of the family's answers or give a different answer.<ref name="David Schwartz 1995, p. 72" /> At the end of the round, any remaining concealed answers on the board that were not guessed are then revealed.

Answers are worth one point for every person in the 100-member survey who gave them. The winning family in each round scores the total points for all revealed answers to that question, including those given during the face-off but excluding the one used to steal. The number of answers on the board decreases from round to round, and as the game progresses, certain rounds are played for double or triple point value.<ref name="Brooks & Marsh" />

For most of the show's existence, the first team to reach or surpass a certain point total won the game. The most common goal has been 300 points but there have been exceptions. When the original series first premiered, the goal was 200 points and for its final year, it was increased to 400 points.<ref>{{Cite episode |series=Family Feud |network=ABC |date=14 June 1985 |language=en}}</ref> From the debut of the original series until 1992, families were awarded $1 per point scored.

From 1999 to 2003, the family with the highest point total after four rounds of play won the game regardless of their score. The first three rounds were played as normal rounds. In the fourth round, the point values were tripled, but the families were only allowed one strike if they had control. In the rare instance that the family in control was trailing and could not accumulate enough points to potentially overtake the leaders before striking out, the game ended without the other family attempting to steal.

On the first two series a match continued until a family reached the goal. The current series reinstated the 300 point goal in 2003 but kept the four round format. If neither family has reached 300 points after four rounds, one more triple value question is played as a sudden death face-off. Only the top answer is displayed on the board, and the first contestant to buzz in with it wins the points and the game for their team.

In the original periodic primetime specials, three games were played, with the first two ending when a team reaches 200 points. For the third game, only one question round was played with the winning two celebrity teams from the previous rounds playing.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{Cite episode |series=All-Star Family Feud Special |network=ABC |date=8 May 1978 |language=en}}</ref>

From March 2, 1983 until the Dawson run ended on June 14, 1985, two lollipop trees filled with [[Tootsie Pops]] were placed at the anchor of each family's podium. A family member would select a random lollipop and if it had a black stem, that family won a $100 bonus regardless of the outcome.

=== Fast Money ===
At the end of the main game, the winning family selects two members to play the show's [[bonus round]], known as Fast Money. One contestant is onstage with the host, while the other is sequestered backstage with headphones so as not to hear or see the first portion of the round. The first contestant is asked five rapid-fire survey questions and has a set time limit in which to answer them (originally 15 seconds, extended to 20 in 1994). The timer starts after the host finishes reading the first question. The contestant may pass on a question and return to it if time remains.  

After the first contestant has answered all five questions or run out of time, they are awarded a point for each person in the survey who gave the same response. Once these points are tallied, the board is cleared except for the total score, while the second contestant is then brought out to answer the same five questions. The same rules are followed, but the time limit is extended by five seconds (originally 20 seconds, extended to 25 in 1994); in addition, if the second contestant duplicates an answer given by the first, the host will say “Try again.” and prompt the contestant for an alternate answer. If the two contestants manage to reach a combined total of 200 points or more, the family wins a cash prize; otherwise, the family is awarded $5 for each point.<ref name="David Schwartz 1995, p. 72" />

The cash prize for winning Fast Money has varied. During the ABC and CBS incarnations of the show, the top prize was $5,000.<ref>{{Cite episode |series=Family Feud |network=ABC |date=12 July 1976 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite episode |series=Family Feud |network=CBS |date=4 July 1988 |language=en}}</ref> In the original periodic primetime specials, each game was followed by a Fast Money round. The first two were each worth $5,000, and the final one was worth $10,000.<ref name="ReferenceA" /> The prize money was increased to $10,000 on the syndicated version until September 2001.

In September 2001, the prize money was doubled to $20,000 at the request of then-host [[Louie Anderson]].<ref>{{Cite episode |title=Family Feud |series=E! True Hollywood Story |network=E! |date=2002 |season=6 |number=34 |language=en}}</ref> This initially lasted until September 2009, when the Bullseye round returned at the start of the show, meaning the total for Fast Money was an adjustable amount between $15,000 and $30,000 depending on how much each family won during Bullseye. In July 2010, however, Bullseye was removed and the prize money reverted to $20,000, which has remained ever since.

=== Returning champions ===
When ''Family Feud'' premiered on ABC, network rules dictated how much a family could win. Once any family reached $25,000, they were retired as champions.<ref>{{Cite episode |series=Family Feud |network=ABC |date=28 May 1980 |quote=Explained by Richard Dawson at the beginning of the episode}}</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=No accompanying quote or transcript.|date=November 2015}} The accompanying syndicated series that premiered in 1977 featured two new families each episode because of a then common [[television syndication]] practice known as "bicycling" (wherein individual stations sent an episode of a series they had already aired to another station, reducing the number of tapes a syndicator had to send out but also ensuring that stations did not air the same episode of a show the same day, nor were they assured of [[serial (radio and television)|airing in a proper sequence]]).

The CBS daytime and syndicated versions which began airing in 1988 also featured returning champions, who could appear for a maximum of five days.<ref>{{Cite episode |series=Family  |network=CBS |date=14 November 1988}}</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=No accompanying quote or transcript.|date=November 2015}} For a brief period in the 1994–95 season which aired in syndication, there were no returning champions. For these episodes, two new families competed in this first half of each episode. The second half featured former champion families who appeared on ''Family Feud'' between 1976 and 1985, with the winner of the first half of the show playing one of these families in the second half. When the champion rule was reinstated, the winner of the first half faced the champion family in the second. Occasionally two families from the 1976-1985 version would play the first half and celebrities would play for charity in the second half.<ref>{{Cite episode |series=Family Feud |network=Syndicated |date=8 September 1994}}</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=No accompanying quote or transcript.|date=November 2015}}

In some cases from 1992 to 1995, the returning champions continued until they were defeated. From 1999 to 2002, two new families appeared on each episode. In 2002, returning champions again appeared with the same five-day limit.<ref>{{Cite episode |series=Family Feud |network=Syndicated |date=September 2002}}</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=No date for season premiere. No accompanying quote or transcript.|date=November 2015}} In 2009, a new car was announced for a family who wins five games in a row. This was first changed to a $30,000 cash bonus in May 2024, and then changed again in September 2024 to a vacation and a $10,000 cash bonus.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qa04tQA3i5s |title=Win this round, win a $30K bonus!! (Never done before!) |date=2024-05-13 |last=Family Feud |access-date=2024-07-31 |via=YouTube}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Family Feud Substitutes Car Bonus with $30K |url=http://www.golden-road.net/index.php?topic=35883.0#:~:text=Towards%20the%20end%20of%20the,instead%20of%20the%20typical%20car. |access-date=2024-07-31 |website=www.golden-road.net}}</ref>

=== Bullseye/Bankroll game ===
In June 1992, the CBS daytime edition of ''Feud'' expanded from 30 to 60 minutes and became known as the ''Family Feud Challenge.'' As part of the change, a new round was added at the start of each game called "Bullseye". This round determined the potential Fast Money stake for each team.<ref>{{Cite episode |series=Family Feud Challenge |network=CBS |date=June 1992 |language=en}}</ref> Each team was given a starting value for their bank and attempted to come up with the top answer to a survey question to add to it. The Bullseye round was added to the syndicated edition in September 1992, which remained 30 minutes and was retitled as the ''New Family Feud.''

The first two members of each family appeared at the face-off podium and were asked a question to which only the number-one answer was available. Giving the top answer added the value for that question to the family's bank. The process then repeated with the four remaining members from each family. On the first half of the daytime version, families were staked with $2,500. The first question was worth $500, with each succeeding question worth $500 more than the previous, with the final question worth $2,500. This allowed for a potential maximum bank of $10,000. For the second half of the daytime version, and also on the syndicated version, all values were doubled, making the maximum potential bank $20,000. The team that eventually won the game played for their bank in Fast Money.

In 1994, with Richard Dawson returning as host, the round's name was changed to the "Bankroll" round.<ref name="Episode19940912">{{Cite episode |series=Family Feud |network=Syndication |date=12 September 1994 |language=en}}</ref> Although the goal remained of giving only the number-one answer, the format was modified to three questions from five, with only one member of each family participating for all three questions. The initial stake for each family remained the same ($2,500 in the first half of the hour and $5,000 in the second). However, the value for each question was $500, $1,500 and $2,500 in the first half, with values doubling for the second half. This meant a potential maximum bank of $7,000 in the first half and $14,000 in the second.<ref name="Episode19940912"/>

The Bullseye round returned for the 2009–2010 season and was played similarly to the format used from 1992 to 1994 on the syndicated version. Five questions were asked, worth from $1,000 to $5,000. However, each family was given a $15,000 starting stake, which meant a potential maximum of a $30,000 bank.

When Harvey took over as host, the Bullseye round was removed and the Fast Money jackpot reverted back to $20,000.

=== Celebrity Family Feud ===
The first edition of ''[[Celebrity Family Feud]]'' by [[NBC]] began in 2008 as part of a block of summer reality series it branded as ''All-American Summer''. The NBC edition was hosted by [[Al Roker]], with Burton Richardson as announcer. This version only lasted for one season and was canceled in March 2009.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kimball |first=Trevor |date=2009-03-14 |title=2008 - 2009 Cancelled Shows: NBC Cancels 10 Television Series |url=https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/2008-2009-cancelled-shows-nbc-cancels-10-television-series/ |access-date=2024-08-15 |website=canceled + renewed TV shows, ratings - TV Series Finale |language=en-US}}</ref> This is the first and (to date) only version of ''Family Feud'' to air exclusively on NBC.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Adalian |first=Josef |date=2008-03-26 |title='Family Feud' heading to primetime |url=https://variety.com/2008/scene/news/family-feud-heading-to-primetime-1117982926/ |access-date=2024-07-31 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kimball |first=Trevor |date=2015-06-22 |title=Celebrity Family Feud (2008) |url=https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/celebrity-family-feud/ |access-date=2024-08-01 |website=canceled + renewed TV shows, ratings - TV Series Finale |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2015, the show was revived by ABC with Steve Harvey, host of the syndicated version of ''Family Feud'', selected as host, and Burton Richardson returning as announcer.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bibel |first=Sara |date=2015-06-11 |title='Celebrity Family Feud' to Premiere Sunday, June 21 on ABC With Episode Featuring Anthony Anderson & Toni Braxton |url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2015/06/11/celebrity-family-feud-to-premiere-sunday-june-21-on-abc-with-episode-featuring-anthony-anderson-toni-braxton/416127/ |access-date=2024-07-31 |website=[[TV by the Numbers]] |publisher=[[Zap2it]] |archive-date=June 14, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150614012045/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2015/06/11/celebrity-family-feud-to-premiere-sunday-june-21-on-abc-with-episode-featuring-anthony-anderson-toni-braxton/416127/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> This would mark the first time any version of ''Family Feud'' has aired exclusively on ABC since the initial Dawson version was canceled in 1985.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dowling |first=Marcus K. |date=2024-07-29 |title=The War and Treaty, Earth, Wind & Fire, more on new episode of 'Celebrity Family Feud' |url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2024/07/29/celebrity-family-feud-war-and-treaty-more-appear/74586136007/ |access-date=2024-08-01 |website=The Tennessean |language=en-US}}</ref> Harvey has hosted ''Celebrity Family Feud'' since 2015, while Richardson announced for ''Celebrity Family Feud'' from 2015 until 2023. Rubin Ervin replaced Richardson as announcer in July 2024.

As of 2024, eleven seasons of ''Celebrity Family Feud'' have aired (1 on NBC, 10 on ABC).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hailu |first=Selome |date=2024-02-10 |title='Jeopardy! Masters' Renewed for Season 2; 'Celebrity Family Feud' Renewed for Season 10 |url=https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/jeopardy-masters-celebrity-family-feud-renewed-abc-1235906804/ |access-date=2024-07-31 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref>