Starting life in 1976 as essentially a spin-off of Mark Goodson and Bill Todman’s risqué Match Game, the long-lasting game show Family Feud has had sex on the brain since it began during the Gerald Ford years. But, under the aegis of current host Steve Harvey, the Feud has gotten raunchier than ever before, both in terms of the questions being asked and the responses the contestants are brave enough to give. Somehow, after four decades, Family Feud has finally revealed itself as a weird television experiment in which the producers try to get average Americans to talk about erections, condoms, masturbation, and other uncomfortable subjects in front of their relatives. And now, in tribute to this new era of queasy, familial openness, World Wide Interweb has curated “The Ultimate Family Feud Sexual Answers Supercut.”
The video, running over three squirm-inducing minutes, more than lives up to its bold title. Penises, vaginas, and naked grandmothers are all freely discussed. It’s amazing what people will say on national television in the company of their parents, spouses, and children. All it takes is the promise of cash and prizes, and people are willing to toss modesty aside. “Well,” says a woman named Magen, “I’m a preacher’s wife, but I will say this out loud: sperm.” This is in response to a query about things that one might put in one’s mouth but not swallow. In many ways, the star of the supercut is Harvey himself. No one does a stunned, stricken look quite like he does, and it’s obvious that the candor of the contestants continues to surprise him. Harvey also acts as the show’s conscience. In one memorable moment, the comedian reacts to a vulgar double entendre about testicles this way: “That’s the worst answer we’ve ever flipped over, man.”