Newton woman to appear on popular TV game show
Everyone watching the “Family Feud” on May 23 might notice a familiar face.
Newton’s LaNita Douglas will be appearing as a member of the Taylor family beginning on Tuesday. She will appear with her daughter, Ashlee Douglas Todd, and several of her daughter’s cousins by marriage, Alex Taylor, Austin Taylor and Sean Taylor.
The show airs locally at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, on WTOK Channel 11.
Playing the “Family Feud” was one of the best experiences for Douglas, who is the wife of Bob Douglas.
“It was the most fun that I’ve ever had,” LaNita said. “Steve Harvey is so nice and so funny to be around. It was great. I’d do it all over again.”
While she enjoyed the experience, she was worried about having to respond with a crazy answer to one of the Feud’s infamous questions.
“My prayer is that they didn’t ask me a question that I would be regretful of my answer,” LaNita said. “I wanted to be able to look (Newton First Baptist) Pastor Brian Rushing and my Sunday school in the eye after they saw the show. I think I avoided that embarrassment.”
Two years ago, LaNita was visiting her daughter and was asked if she would like to go with the other four to do a tryout at one of the convention centers in Birmingham. At first, LaNita was hesitant to say yes, but she eventually agreed to do it.
“There were probably 800 people or more there to try out,” LaNita said. “Everyone got a chance to get up on stage and pretend like they were playing the feud. We would huddle while the other team answered, and then we’d get to answer while they huddled. They recorded us the whole time and watching us closely.”
After that round, they went through another round of tryouts behind closed doors. After this tryout, they got a good response from the producers.”
“They’re looking for families that have a lot of personality and energy, and I really think the guys are probably the ones who got us on the show. They played it up pretty good. They would do just about anything,” LaNita said. “The producers told us that it went really well, and they liked us. But they told us when we walked out of the room to not say anything and play it like it didn’t go well. And they said they would hear from us.”
After several months had gone by, LaNita figured that they probably wouldn’t get called back, but in the summer of 2016, the show contacted them and gave them a list of dates to come to the show. Between previously planned trips, they only had a couple of dates to go to the show.
They went to the show for the first time in August 2016 and they didn’t get called. After the experience, however, the Taylor team vowed that they would clear their schedule for an opportunity to come back.
“We had a trip to Mexico planned for February, but I told them that I’d cancel my trip to Mexico if we had a chance to be invited back,” LaNita said. “Sure enough, they invited us to come back in February 2017.”
LaNita and Bob, along with the rest of the Taylor family, traveled to Atlanta on Feb. 16 and 17 to attend a taping of the show. They were told to bring at least three outfits just in case they won and were the returning champions for additional shows.
The family had to wait all day Thursday and until the end of Friday before they got the call to go on stage. She said the show’s crew took care of them from that point, from doing their makeup and explaining the rules and gameplay of the show to helping them remain calm yet energized for the show.
“Everyone on the staff of the show is wonderful,” LaNita said. “They took care of us, and they really want everyone to win as much as possible. During breaks, they bring you water and helping you calm down. And Steve is just great. He really makes you feel comfortable during the show. He’s a true professional.”
LaNita didn’t say whether they won or lost.
“I want everyone to watch the show and find out,” she said.
Photo Caption: Newton’s LaNita Douglas appears with the Taylor family on the Family Feud. Pictured are, from left, Alec Taylor (team leader) Austin Taylor, Ashlee Douglas Todd, show host Steve Harvey, LaNita Douglas and Sean Taylor. (Courtesy of the Family Feud)
Here is a clip from the show, courtesy of Freemantle Media:
