Question about Family Feud

[BMaurice06]

The play/pass option seen on most versions was never utilized on the Ray Combs version, and the opponents' huddles were also absent.  Can somebody please tell me the reasons for this?  I felt that those elements made the game more lively and although I enjoyed Combs hosting, the front game during the CBS years seemed a little stiffer than the classic ABC edition.

[Particleman]

I don't know for sure but I'd imagine the removal of pass or play was probably done because 99% of the time, families would want to obtain control anyway and not use the pass option.  It saves time.  Why it was added back again, I don't know.

[clemon79]

Strategically, it makes for awful television. There's really no reason that you would play. Most of the time, you would pass and then have lots of time to think and huddle and put together a list of plausible answers. The problem is, if you just pass all of the time, now you're not really playing on a game show, are you? Which is why most families chose to play - because it's more fun.
 
So the Combs show yanking that out was pretty smart, IMO. I don't watch the new O'Hurley version; does anyone pass there?

[WhammyPower]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'151964\' date=\'May 9 2007, 07:35 PM\'] I don't watch the new O'Hurley version; does anyone pass there? [/quote]
About as often, if not less often than the Dawson version.

[TheLastResort]

I don't see much need for the play/pass option.  If you don't want control of the question, just don't slap the buzzer during the face off.  Furthermore, you'd have to be nuts to pass during the double and triple rounds, since those questions tend to be the easiest.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'TheLastResort\' post=\'151971\' date=\'May 9 2007, 07:51 PM\']
I don't see much need for the play/pass option.  If you don't want control of the question, just don't slap the buzzer during the face off.
[/quote]
Assuming the other team is going to play, yes.

Is that an assumption you're willing to risk $20,000 on?

[TheLastResort]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'151973\' date=\'May 9 2007, 09:59 PM\']
[quote name=\'TheLastResort\' post=\'151971\' date=\'May 9 2007, 07:51 PM\']
I don't see much need for the play/pass option.  If you don't want control of the question, just don't slap the buzzer during the face off.
[/quote]
Assuming the other team is going to play, yes.

Is that an assumption you're willing to risk $20,000 on?
[/quote]
Not sure I follow you.  I'm saying if there's no play/pass option, and the other family wins control (because you didn't buzz in), then they have to play.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'TheLastResort\' post=\'151982\' date=\'May 9 2007, 09:00 PM\']
Not sure I follow you.  I'm saying if there's no play/pass option, and the other family wins control (because you didn't buzz in), then they have to play.
[/quote]
Oh, I see. Yeah, I didn't follow you the first time; now I do.

But that brought another reason to bear: say for some reason both Face-Off participants don't want to win the question under that system. Ray reads, and then does a little soft-shoe while both people stand there and look at each other and never ring in. (Unlikely, yes, but possible.) If you have the Pass option in there, there is always incentive to win the Face-Off.

[TLEberle]

[quote name=\'TheLastResort\' post=\'151982\' date=\'May 9 2007, 09:00 PM\'][quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'151973\' date=\'May 9 2007, 09:59 PM\'][quote name=\'TheLastResort\' post=\'151971\' date=\'May 9 2007, 07:51 PM\']I don't see much need for the play/pass option.  If you don't want control of the question, just don't slap the buzzer during the face off. [/quote]Assuming the other team is going to play, yes.

Is that an assumption you're willing to risk $20,000 on?
[/quote]Not sure I follow you.  I'm saying if there's no play/pass option, and the other family wins control (because you didn't buzz in), then they have to play.[/quote]But why even give the other team that chance? If the option is there, your proper play is win the face-off, then stick them with the question.

For that matter, when the questions get really important, they only have a handful of answers. I can understand passing when the list has eight or nine, but when you need four answers to win the game, I don't like giving that much control to the other team. But that's a problem when the game hinges on the last three minutes.

[JasonA1]

I'm hard pressed to find a time when passing's a good option. How I see it, you play, knock off the obvious answers, and leave the other team to try to pick up the scraps. If these were more like Outburst topics, where it's 10 mountain ranges or something tangible, it'd be smart to do so, because somebody on your team might suddenly remember a mountain the other team didn't. But it's not like the teams on Feud are against a clock - the host cuts it up with mom, you have time to think, and the questions are kind of vague early on. The extra deliberating time you get by passing is nothing if the question is "name something every college student has in their dorm room" and family A gets all the obvious ones, leaving the dunce answer of "underwear" that 2 people said, which you will never get.

This comes up every once in a while it seems, but I always like seeing the various viewpoints. I know at the holidays, when the family asks me to dig out Todd's software, people are passing left and right if the face-off doesn't go well, but then get the question back with an itty bitty answer left they have no inkling about.

-Jason

[tpirfan28]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'151964\' date=\'May 9 2007, 08:35 PM\']
Strategically, it makes for awful television. There's really no reason that you would play. Most of the time, you would pass and then have lots of time to think and huddle and put together a list of plausible answers. The problem is, if you just pass all of the time, now you're not really playing on a game show, are you? Which is why most families chose to play - because it's more fun.
 
So the Combs show yanking that out was pretty smart, IMO. I don't watch the new O'Hurley version; does anyone pass there?
[/quote]Ya know...I had to read the above post about eight times before it made sense to me.  Once it finally did make sense to me...it's probably one of the most insightful reasons behind the pass option.  I never understood the reasoning behind passing...you give the other team the opportunity of sweeping the board from right under your feet.

I think, in my puny little episode collection, I have an episode where one family wins most of the faceoffs...but passes each time.  Or I'm imagining things.

Did Feud '94 restore the play/pass option?

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'tpirfan28\' post=\'151998\' date=\'May 10 2007, 04:00 AM\']
I think, in my puny little episode collection, I have an episode where one family wins most of the faceoffs...but passes each time.  Or I'm imagining things.
[/quote]
I think you do. On the Dawson version, I remember a family employing that strategy to great success. Their opponents did the heavy lifting, they would run in and scoop up the pot, and they won a ton of money. Brilliant strategy, horrible television.

[Robert Hutchinson]

Most of the families (and viewers by extension) are going to want to pass what they consider a hard question, or a question they're pretty sure the opponents will not do well with. Whether or not doing so is actually a wise strategic move doesn't enter into it--"it's difficult, so pass".

Also, I think that Karn/O'Hurley Feud regularly has very difficult Double questions . . . whenever one team is in danger of topping 300 with that question. The producers, almost without fail, dig up "Name a celebrity with an E in their name", and put up the top 5 answers for a total of 51 points.

[BrandonFG]

[quote name=\'tpirfan28\' post=\'151998\' date=\'May 10 2007, 07:00 AM\']
Did Feud '94 restore the play/pass option?
[/quote]
From what I remember, no.

[TheLastResort]

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'151986\' date=\'May 9 2007, 11:50 PM\']
[quote name=\'TheLastResort\' post=\'151982\' date=\'May 9 2007, 09:00 PM\']
Not sure I follow you.  I'm saying if there's no play/pass option, and the other family wins control (because you didn't buzz in), then they have to play.
[/quote]
Oh, I see. Yeah, I didn't follow you the first time; now I do.

But that brought another reason to bear: say for some reason both Face-Off participants don't want to win the question under that system. Ray reads, and then does a little soft-shoe while both people stand there and look at each other and never ring in. (Unlikely, yes, but possible.) If you have the Pass option in there, there is always incentive to win the Face-Off.
[/quote]
Very true.  Or, you could buzz in and purposely give a horrible answer (or just say nothing) to get a strike.  Then see if your opponent takes the bait.    

Having said that, I do prefer the play/pass option...even if most families don't use it properly.