TEN goes back to the future with Family Feud reboot
TEN turns to a recycled format and host in a move that reeks of a lack of imagination.
- Published by David Knox
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TEN has confirmed its 6pm entertainment show will be a revival of Family Feud.
The revival from FremantleMedia had been rumoured as late as last year but News Corp reports TEN has signed Grant Denyer as its host.
Both are a surprising move as the network seeks to shore up its numbers against Seven and Nine news bulletins.
Family Feud has a long history on Australian television dating back to 1977, but aside from new hosts and sets has arguably remained an old-fashioned format.
Grant Denyer, who quit Million Dollar Minute citing its “gruelling” schedule is also on record as saying he never “ever wanted to be a game show host.”
Today he tells News Corp “But in my defence, I don’t see this show in the same frame as the usual game show. It’s less formal.”
If Family Feud isn’t a decidedly usual game show, I don’t know what is, Grant.
Even The Rich List managed to take the same concept of audience-survey lists and find a more contemporary way of packaging it. And that was seven years ago.
Denyer, who was last in the news over allegations of drug rehabilitation, says he is pursuing legal action against Woman’s Day magazine, and sees the new show as a “fresh start.”
But this news reeks of a lack of imagination. If this is the best TEN’s brains trust can come up with for 6:00 then it’s probably time to hoist the white flag.
Or Homer Simpson.
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- Tagged with Family Feud, Million Dollar Minute
114 Responses
Bankers caused the GFC in 2008
Similar sounding folk have caused the demise of channel 10
@italianguy1987 – hah, your comment hadn’t appeared when I wrote mine. You’ll note that the story lists News Corp as the source, so if Ten were really just testing the market, the market was readers of The Daily Telegraph (pitchfork-wielding villagers) rather than the much better informed readers of this blog.
I like Grant and hope it goes well for him.
Here’s an idea, Ten. Why not consumer-test your crazy ideas with a survey of your potential audience before making announcements that you’ll only regret later?
Perhaps management at 10 got David to put the story on here first, see people’s reaction and if we like Denyer as host they would make him sign and if we didn’t they’d let him go.
We blogged about how we hated I Wanna Marry Harry and they moved it out of ”primetime’ tv so maybe with all this negative feedback they are getting from us, they’ll either can the show or find a new host.
Is this right David or is the deal with Denyer locked and sealed?’
Bert’s Family Feud on Nine 2006-07. WIN thought so poorly of it they actually stopped relaying it and showed repeats of The Brady Bunch instead.
Good to see Network 10 still using the Random Programming Generator.
Used only by the worlds most incompetent broadcasting services- Says so right here on the box.
This is not a good choice.
Did anyone at Ten look at the tapes of Grant on MDM and see how awkward and uncomfortable he was the entire time and how he is ill suited to this genre?
Bring back the show – yes, it’s an ok idea. But not with Denyer. It is not the right fit.
This decision must be reversed. Ch 10 is officially dead. What next, hiring Matthew Newton! Poor ch 10 staff.
I made a similar comment in another forum – anyone working in the TV industry would be really taking a huge risk moving to Ten. Wouldn’t it be a career suicide? And re: Grant Denyer, I get annoyed by him when he started to quit almost every single job that was given to him by Seven. Whatever problems he has in his private life, I wish him all the best. But if I were a prospective employer, I would perceive him as unreliable as you never know when he is going to quit.
@ jonno June 1 2014 at 9.35 pm
In my prev. comment and out of fairness to both Family Feud and Grant Denyer, I purposely did not comment on either, and will wait and see.
But I did firmly lay the blame of very suspect senior management decisions that repeatedly result in ‘bombs’ in both the format, location and ‘host selection’ and the endless contradictory ‘bombs’ dropped by senior management that must ultimately damage staff morale and of course the now well entrenched loss of loyal viewers, nor forgetting the reduced advertisering revenue.
Regarding your suggested hosts, I totally agree with ‘Shaun’, but never ‘James’ the comment I previously omitted, was ” All those complaining about ‘Grant’ should be thankful, and its a wonder it wasn’t ‘ James Matherson’ ‘Sir Andrew Bolt’ or even ‘ Paul Henry ‘ ”
the original Family Feud (waaay back when) is still one of the longest running and most popular game shows on Aussie TV… just sayin’….
I paid $1.20 for Ten shares and I want my money back! Gina gets the Bolt report for her buck, Lachlan gets Ten to buy Murdoch made crap like I Wanna Marry Harry from the Fox Network. The Murdoch’s don’t need to make quality tv they just need to produce it and sell it to themselves.
Worse than Grant would be Andrew O’keefe and Dick Wilkins.
What the xxxx is Ten thinking? The host needs to be saucey and funny, not plastic and phoney!
Terrible choice Ten!
I love Family Feud classic gameshow formats never age. But i think this will fail at 6pm. It is more suited to 4pm before Bold & Beautiful. Whilst they are at it can they bring back wheel of fortune please
This scares me. I am sorry for this. My deepest apologies to the Ten employees and former employees.
I aren’t against them trying something. But this combination… The cost to Ten seemingly just for this. I’m horrified. I hope that this reaction is wrong somehow…
Again sorry.
I have liked most of channel 10 decisions in the past but not this! Grant Denyer is damaged goods Grant Dented if you will. I will most certainly not be tuning in. Shaun Micallef or anyone is a better choice than this. Or what about Chris Brown, Charlie Pickering or even anyone on HYBPA. TThe host needs to change!
Before we go bagging the show and saying FF is a terrible choice…we have only seen the original and reboots on tv. We have not seen the Grant Denyer reboot. Who knows? It might work.
Are these all the same people who said MasterChef would be a flop at 7.30pm and would rate badly this year.
Why not wait till you see the show to then cast all you opinions?
@Deadlois9 – Dating game show Taken Out had a very brief run at 6pm in 2008.
Funny how any new show Ten tries at 6pm ‘has to rate better than The Simpsons’. The ratings only get worse until they bring Simpsons back.
I am not so much against Family Fued coming back but Grant Denyer is damaged goods due to his game show comments. They need someone edgy like Shaun Macalliff or James Matheson. I think there is a sizable audience that are not into news that would watch FF providing it had the right host and not done on the cheap like Seven did with the last version of The Price Is Right.
I’m not sure if anyone else has noticed but today marks exactly 7 years since Bert’s Family Feud last episode
I think that Grant is going to 10 for the V8″s with Matt White but they need to find something for him to do until next year when they officially have the TV rights and this is a fill in, whether its the right choice only time will tell, but if he is being paid by 10 they are not going to keep paying him for doing nothing.
bloody hell! is this post the most commented on in the history of this site? I don’t get Ten either. James Mathison (who is clever and funny when ad-libbing) could host this damn show! He’s still under contract with Ten. Anyone with brains would think of this as it saves on production costs not having to pay for a new host. Because when this fails they will lose more having Denyer on board.
In the words of the great John McEnroe
You cannot be serious.
I think I can speak on behalf of everyone on this blog and say officially…
Grant Denyer is not the right host for this show (or in my opinion…any show!)
TEN, if you want any chance of this show to succeed, you need somebody funnier and clever.
Yours sincerely
Everyone