–by Mary Helen Darah
Sylvania firefighter Steve Kahan and his family had the memorable experience of being part of the game show “Family Feud.” Kahan started the unique adventure with a Google search that led to his family being on the national television show. “With COVID, we were all sitting around doing nothing,” recalled Kahan. “Our family loves games, especially “Family Feud.” My daughter said we should try to go on the show with host Steve Harvey but I told her it’s not easy to get on a show like that.”
Kahan thought more about his daughter’s suggestion and a week later he googled how to get on “Family Feud.” “I was directed to a site with information. It said they were not doing live tryouts due to COVID but I sent them an email anyway and they replied back a few weeks later saying that they liked our stories.” That led to numerous phone conversions. Kahan recalled, “The last step was to join a Zoom conference to see how we would respond to various aspects of the show. They videotaped our Zoom meeting. At the end of the virtual meeting, a person from the show said that they would put our video in with the thousands of others they had. When we heard that, we thought we were dead in the water. Months later, I got a phone call from one of the producers that we had been selected.”
The Kahan family unit was a rarity on the show. Most participants have extended family with them on their team. “We were not the norm,” stated Kahan. “Our team was a mom, dad and three kids. Most teams have cousins, aunts and uncles. Our team was me, my wife, Christine, who is an ER physician, my oldest son Cody, my middle son RJ and my daughter Emily. She is the youngest and is a senior at Northview High School.”
The family filmed their segments during the second week in June in Atlanta. “Our shows were supposed to air in January and February,” said Kahan. “We aired on Jan. 26 and sadly lost on that first show. We were one of the rare families that lost the game but then were asked to come back on the show. Of course, we said yes when they wanted us to stay. We won on the next show but we didn’t win the fast money. Then we won on the following show, including the fast money, making our winning total $20,000.”
The next episode for the Kahans was preempted because of the Olympics. Kahan explained, “You are only permitted to be on “Family Feud” a total of five times. Our fifth and final show was shown nationally before being shown locally on Feb. 19. We did not divulge our final winnings until it aired, but after four times on the show we won just under $41,000.”
“Family Feud” host Steve Harvey asked the couple what their plans were for their winnings. “I told Steve that my wife and I are going to donate the first $20,000 to local charities; the remaining money will be split among our kids,” he said. “Steve Harvey said it was the first time he has heard a family say that.” Kahan believes that the memories from their “Family Feud” experience will be with them for a lifetime. He stated, “It was incredible to have this experience with my family. Being on a national gameshow happens to a very small percentage of families. We were so fortunate. It was amazing to be with the cast and crew. They paid for everything and they treated us like kings and queens. It was first class all the way. I’m so glad I decided to say ‘what the heck’ and reached out to be on the show. We will be looking back at our time on the show for years to come.”