Trinis to appear on Family Feud Canada on October 25

BAVINA SOOKDEO

The Lau family, representing a mix of Trini and Canadian backgrounds, is set to bring their spirited competition to the stage of Family Feud Canada.

Led by team captain Danica Lau, the family includes Maria Ramjattan, Munish Sharma, Nathan Lau, Suvarn Sharma, and Aimee Ramjattan (alternate), all of whom currently reside in Canada. They will be vying for up to C$30,000.

Explaining the family roots, Danica said, “Four of the six team members were born in Trinidad, but all currently live in Canada. The two Ramjattan sisters moved to Canada when they were five and seven, and the two Sharma brothers moved to Canada as young adults. We currently all reside in different cities; Scarborough (Munish, Suvarn, Aimee), Whitby (Maria), Guelph (Nathan) and Toronto (Danica).

“Our family in Trinidad is from Attong’s Bakery on Keate Street in San Fernando, and Old Siparia Road in Fyzabad. The Sharma brothers’ father is a former member of Parliament (Chandresh Sharma) as the Minister of Tourism.”

The family has been longtime fans of the game which members played at home, engaging in heated competition at times, that led to the banning of that game being played on game nights.

“We used to play Family Feud growing up during our family game nights but as we got older, and more competitive, certain games became heated and eventually Family Feud was banned during game nights. When the applications for the new season of Family Feud were announced, we were repeatedly told (by friends and family) we should apply to be on the show as we are very competitive and have good banter plus we would be playing with each other, and not against,” Danica said.

Danica said she submitted the initial application with a short video introducing the family team in March.

"We then received an invitation for an audition interview in April, which took place at the end of May as Maria’s wedding was in April, so we delayed it. That was a virtual interview that was over an hour, going over each team member and our family, and we were really able to really showcase our bond and personalities. We were then accepted to participate in July for show tapings in August.”

Upon learning of their selection for the show, the family was overjoyed.

“They were all very excited for us and were a vital part of helping us to prepare for the show with pretend games and questions. They were also all in the audience during the live taping, which made the biggest difference to know our support was right there.”

On meeting with Family Feud host Gerry Dee, and the experience of being on the show, Danica said, “It was great to meet Gerry Dee and all the various cast members and show team members.

“When we first got there we were nervous during the rules and regulations session, but as soon as those stagelights came on, it was a different kind of nerve-racking with lots of excitement to realise we really made it.”

Each participating family was assigned a show producer to guide them from their acceptance to the final show day, Danica said.

“Our producer was Katharine King-So, who was a vital piece of our team and kept us on the right path. She helped us prepare for the show and what to expect during the live taping.”

As for showcasing their Trinidadian heritage on the show, Danica said, “We were very excited to showcase our Trinidadian roots on a national Canadian show. During our audition interview, we dressed up as the Trinidad flag colours and made sure when we were accepted to participate, we could use our Trinidad flags as our stage prop to show we are proud Trinidadians. During the live taping, we requested the show DJ play soca to pump us up, which he did, and it made us feel more relaxed and ready to go. In between takes, he would play soca and we would just dance and wine on the stage to loosen up.”

The family's future plans include playing mas during Caribana or Carnival together.

"We also have two cousins getting married next year so lots going on with the family right now.”

In Canada's version of Family Feud each family can compete in up to three games, with the chance to win $10,000 in each game, totalling a maximum prize of $30,000. If a family successfully progresses through the initial rounds and accumulates 300 points or wins sudden death, its members have the opportunity to play Fast Money for an additional $10,000.

The Laus' appearance on Family Feud Canada premieres on October 25 at 7.30 pm EST on CBC and CBC Gem. Viewers who missed the episode can catch up on, and stream any episode of Family Feud Canada for free on CBC Gem (cbcgem.ca).

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