Ranking the Feud hosts

[Jimmy Owen]

Hope you'll forgive me for going a bit off-topic, but according to a couple of sources, one of the first FF pilots featured Jack Narz as host. I've often wondered how well the show would have taken hold with Jack at the helm. Certainly warmer, friendlier than Dawson. Not sure how much of a "reactor" he would have been to some oddball answers. My memories of him rarely include any particular witty ad-libbing. The game is certainly strong enough. Dawson did come on strong with his snarky, take-charge attitude, which took a potentially "sappy" feeling off of what could have been a Norman Rockwell all-american mushfest. Maybe the attitude drew us first to Dawson (already popular on Match Game), which in turn, got us to love the game.

It probably would have been okay.  I think Jack might have tried to play up the "rural" aspects of the original concept (Hatfield/McCoy, twangy theme song, country-style "stitched" font of the logo).  All that stuff became secondary with Englishman Dawson at the helm.

[Steve Gavazzi]

2) Ray Combs-B+  A solid host & one that can keep his cool even if things get a little testy.  If he hadn't committed suicide, I probably would've given him an A-.

My God.  This is stupid and offensive even for you.

[tpirfan28]

Combs/Dawson/O'Hurley/Harvey/Anderson/Karn

[Matt Ottinger]

2) Ray Combs-B+  A solid host & one that can keep his cool even if things get a little testy.  If he hadn't committed suicide, I probably would've given him an A-.

My God.  This is stupid and offensive even for you.

My apologies.  Mr. Karlberg is moderated for precisely this reason, but honestly, this whole subject bores me, as do most of the "here's a new subject to get everybody's opinion about" threads, and I just didn't have the energy to read his entire treatise.

[TimK2003]

1. Combs.
2. Harvey.
3. Dawson.
4. O'Hurley.
5. Karn.
6. Anderson.

Pretty much my ranking as well.  Dawson could have been higher, but took off points for his waning hosting talents on the 1990's "glass block" revival.

And since we're touching on WoF now:

1. Woolery
2. Sajak
3. Goen
4. Trebek (in his fill in and April Fool's duties)
5. Rolf.

[JasonA1]

Hope you'll forgive me for going a bit off-topic, but according to a couple of sources, one of the first FF pilots featured Jack Narz as host.

My recollection from past discussions here is that Jack, and Geoff Edwards, were only early considerations to do the show, and never hosted pilots.

-Jason

[TLEberle]

With Jack hosting, it certainly wouldn't evolve into a comedy showcase.

[TLEberle]

I can see why the Chuck fans like him more, but even ruling out nostalgia, I'd give Pat the edge for his goofiness and snark. And he hasn't lost much of it at all — you still see him doing things like chowing down on the Wild Card, stuffing his face into a plate of beignets, doing the "yeah, this is gonna be really tough" shtick when someone obviously knows the bonus puzzle before calling their letters, etc. Bob Goen was kind of a cross between the two, so I really dig him too.

So, wait, you don't "get" Chuck Barris or Weakest Link, but a guy gorges on a fritter plate or goes Cookie Monster on a prop, and you dig it.

Ponderous, man. Really, ponderous.

My apologies.  Mr. Karlberg is moderated for precisely this reason, but honestly, this whole subject bores me, as do most of the "here's a new subject to get everybody's opinion about" threads, and I just didn't have the energy to read his entire treatise.

Dunno why, but I'm inclined to cut Craig a break, albeit a very small one. Ray wasn't going to be rehired to Family Feud even if it got picked up for 1995-1996. At the same time, I wouldn't add or subtract points on a made-up grade whether Ray managed to pull out of his tail spin at that point.

[PYLdude]

My apologies.  Mr. Karlberg is moderated for precisely this reason, but honestly, this whole subject bores me, as do most of the "here's a new subject to get everybody's opinion about" threads, and I just didn't have the energy to read his entire treatise.

Dunno why, but I'm inclined to cut Craig a break, albeit a very small one. Ray wasn't going to be rehired to Family Feud even if it got picked up for 1995-1996. At the same time, I wouldn't add or subtract points on a made-up grade whether Ray managed to pull out of his tail spin at that point.

I think it was pretty clear that Craig said his grade was based on Ray's killing himself, and that's pretty damned offensive. (Boy, how many times have me and Steve agreed on anything?) I understand that there's a lot on both our mods' plates but what's the point of the whole moderation system in cases like that? Isn't it designed to keep people from making posts like that and not meant to be used as a tool to have the user in question be subject to ridicule for silly statements? I mean, how many of those "for shiggles" posts are really worth seeing? Some you generally can get a laugh at but most are just dumb.

I know I'm more than welcome not to read said posts or use the ignore feature but it's kind of hard to ignore stuff like that when it gets through. Just bugs me, and I'm sure that if those of us who currently aren't subjected to approval said something like that there'd be repercussions (rightfully so, too).

[TLEberle]

I think it was pretty clear that Craig said his grade was based on Ray's killing himself, and that's pretty damned offensive.

You'll get no argument from me on that point. I'm just saying that I kinda understand what he means, even if I disagree with it.

[Twentington]

So, wait, you don't "get" Chuck Barris or Weakest Link, but a guy gorges on a fritter plate or goes Cookie Monster on a prop, and you dig it.

Ponderous, man. Really, ponderous.

I "get" Barris' work; I just don't find it watchable for the most part. And going back to what the late David Zinkin told me in 2008 re: TWL:

If you really believe that Anne Robinson and George Gray went on stage thinking to themselves "How can I make these guys feel like s**t for losing" rather than "How can I give them a laugh as they walk off stage," then you're seriously misreading things.

So things like this...

*"The personal trainer who alas, worked on his BODY and not on his BRAIN..."
*"...whose MIND is TOO SMALL to be let out on its own..."
*"You've managed to bank a PATHETIC... MISERABLE... $5,000."
*"Is there a village that needs its IDIOT back?"

...are supposed to be "giv[ing] them a laugh as they walk offstage"?!? Sure doesn't sound like it to me. I mean, the walk is called the "Walk of Shame" and afterwards, you get the clips where the weakest link bitches about how the other guy should've been voted off instead, because he's dumber than a sack of hammers for not knowing the capital of Texas and he's too smug to boot. And you're supposed to LAUGH as you're told you're the weakest link?!?

[Matt Ottinger]

Sure doesn't sound like it to me. I mean, the walk is called the "Walk of Shame" and afterwards, you get the clips where the weakest link bitches about how the other guy should've been voted off instead, because he's dumber than a sack of hammers for not knowing the capital of Texas and he's too smug to boot. And you're supposed to LAUGH as you're told you're the weakest link?!?

Your inability to understand humor has really never been questioned here.

[Twentington]

Sure doesn't sound like it to me. I mean, the walk is called the "Walk of Shame" and afterwards, you get the clips where the weakest link bitches about how the other guy should've been voted off instead, because he's dumber than a sack of hammers for not knowing the capital of Texas and he's too smug to boot. And you're supposed to LAUGH as you're told you're the weakest link?!?

Your inability to understand humor has really never been questioned here.

I don't even question it anymore; I wouldn't know funny if it bit me on the ass. Which is part of the reason I'm asking "how is X supposed to be funny?" in the first place.

[PYLdude]

So, wait, you don't "get" Chuck Barris or Weakest Link, but a guy gorges on a fritter plate or goes Cookie Monster on a prop, and you dig it.

Ponderous, man. Really, ponderous.

I "get" Barris' work; I just don't find it watchable for the most part. And going back to what the late David Zinkin told me in 2008 re: TWL:

If you really believe that Anne Robinson and George Gray went on stage thinking to themselves "How can I make these guys feel like s**t for losing" rather than "How can I give them a laugh as they walk off stage," then you're seriously misreading things.

So things like this...

*"The personal trainer who alas, worked on his BODY and not on his BRAIN..."
*"...whose MIND is TOO SMALL to be let out on its own..."
*"You've managed to bank a PATHETIC... MISERABLE... $5,000."
*"Is there a village that needs its IDIOT back?"

...are supposed to be "giv[ing] them a laugh as they walk offstage"?!? Sure doesn't sound like it to me.

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r288/chrispalmerfatman/Holymissingthepoint.jpg?t=1241997596

(Those lines were being FED to them. Understand now, Peacock?)

[Twentington]

(Those lines were being FED to them. Understand now, Peacock?)

That I know. I still don't know what's supposed to make any of them remotely funny instead of bashing for the sake of bashing.