Inside Look at Becoming a Contestant on “Family Feud”

Family Feud is going to start taping its record eleventh season of the show in a few weeks with the top prize climbing to $30,000 this season, and the cast and crew is deep into the casting process. More than any other question I receive, people want to know how to become a contestant on all the different game shows. A majority of those want to know about Family Feud. When I was in Los Angeles a week ago, I got to a casting day the show held in Hollywood and see how families are casted, what they need to do, and what families did to prepare for their big day.

I had a chance to talk to the great contestant casting producer Sara Dansby about the entire process. I asked her what the families do in the audition. For all those wanting to prepare, she said, “They come in, we book them, they call on the hot line. They come in with their family, they fill out an application, we take their picture, and we play a mock version of the game.”

The odds of you making it onto the show aren’t that bad. About 10% of the families who audition will make it to air. Most of the families do come from the Los Angeles area, since that’s where they are based out of. However, if you’re from out of the LA area, you’re not out of luck. The show travels to 3 or 4 cities each year, and they do take a few families from those road auditions each season.

Like I said before, the casting process is pretty simple. Call the contestant hotline (323-762-8467) and book an audition. You can come in with your family of five or six. All you really do is fill out an application, get your picture taken, and play a mock two question version of the game. The entire process takes about five to ten minutes. That’s really it.

The most important things to keep in mind during the auditions are your energy level and your ability to play. It’s self explanatory that they aren’t going to cast you to the show if you can’t play the game well. If your entire team plays pretty well, that’s one good sign. The other important aspect is to keep your energy level high during the audition. If you’re going to get afraid in the auditions, then you’ll be afraid to be fun on-air, and that doesn’t make for good television.

Finally, I asked Sara for any closing remarks for families who want to make sure they get on the show. She said, The only thing they need to do, the most important, is to not be shy. Jump up and down, smile, clap, support your family. But also play the game well. Some people have it and some don’t. It’s one of those confidence things. If you’re shy, it’s not going to work for Feud.”

If you want to be on Family Feud, you can call the contestant hotline at 323-762-8467. Thanks to the entire Feud crew for letting me see what this process is like since I’m incredibly ineligible. Thanks especially to Sara who was fantastic with us.