Bradshaw Family Duels it Out on Family Feud!

By: Brittany Bevis

TV game shows like Jeopardy!, Price Is Right, and Wheel Of Fortune have been part of our popular culture for decades. But nothing brings out the laughter and crazy antics like Family Feud, especially since comedian, Steve Harvey, has taken the reins.

Just this past weekend, a few of our friends in the horse industry were invited to play. You might recognize them as the Bradshaw family!

“A couple of months ago, my Dad mentioned it to us, and, although I don’t watch a lot of game shows, I’d seen the episode with the Kardashians,” Erin Bradshaw says. “We all started watching the TV show, and Tammy bought the board game around Christmas time, so we’ve all been playing it. There is also a version you can play on your phone, which is hysterical.”

“However, it didn’t really dawn on us what was actually going to happen until we got out to California. We didn’t want to make fools of ourselves, and we’re a competitive family, so we wanted to be prepared.”

Erin; her sister, Rachel; and her stepmother, Tammy, are accustomed to accompanying Terry at movie premieres and other publicity events, but this is the first time that they were also in the spotlight. “This was a little more nerve-racking, because it’s something that we all participated in, rather than just being at something solely for my Dad.”

“We filmed over at CBS Studios in Hollywood. My sister was probably the most nervous. I told her, ‘You’re a singer! I’m just a horse rider. I’m never in the spotlight. Should I be more nervous? Am I not freaking out enough?’ It was pretty funny.”

In addition to Erin, Rachel, Tammy, and Terry, Erin’s stepsister, Lacey, came over from Hawaii to participate. The team the Bradshaws played against was the family of US Olympic skater and Dancing With The Stars Champion, Adam Rippon. “He was hysterical!” Erin says.

Although plenty of fun was had by all, Erin admits that there was a lot more involved than she initially anticipated. “We got there and had our hair and makeup done, and then we had to do a walk through. It was a lot more complex than I realized. There are all of these aspects of the game that you don’t think about, but Steve Harvey is so nice and welcoming and really carries you through the show. It was so enjoyable, and the experience wasn’t at all what I thought it was going to be.”

The experience of playing the game in front of a live studio audience was also something to get used to. “They had the large boards for the audience that said, ‘Clap Now,’ or ‘Boo.’ There was really good music playing in between filming, so everybody was clapping and dancing. It was really upbeat and super fun. It wasn’t overly serious. I even messed up one time, and they just cut and we started again. It was super nonchalant.”

“It was pre-taped, so they can edit things out. It’s not live television, which that would’ve been a whole different scenario…”

The day that the Bradshaws filmed for Family Feud, there were two other episodes featuring celebrity families. Other families included that of American Housewife star, Katy Mixon, and music producer, Bobby Bones. The Bradshaws’ episode is scheduled to air in June.

Something else happened while the Bradshaw family was out in Hollywood, but it took place back home in Texas. As we all know, broodmares operate on their own timing, and a brand new foal was born at the Bradshaw ranch just as they were pulling up to the film studio.

“We got in the van to leave the hotel, and I got a text that we had a baby born. If it was a boy, I was going to name it Steve Harvey, but it was a filly. She’s a full sibling to Elicious, who is one of the best babies that we’ve raised by John Simon. Elicious’s mother is the great Quarter Horse mare, My Precious Lexus, and we have two embryos by her this year. We decided to name her Harvey, and I’m still trying to think of a registered name to incorporate the show…”

What do you think Equine Chronicle readers? Can you help Erin think of a Family Feud-related name for the new filly?