“Family Feud” is headed to Africa, and Steve Harvey is going along for the ride — err, flight. It’s a long flight.
Harvey will host South African and Ghanian versions of the popular game show. Rapid Blue will be his (through Steve Harvey Global) and Fremantle’s local production partner on the ground over there.
“Bringing ‘Family Feud’ to Africa has long been a dream of mine,” Harvey, who has hosted the American version of the format since 2010, said on Monday. “I believe ‘Family Feud’ will become a household name for local South African and Ghanaian families. And this is just the beginning in Africa. I expect this show to lead to multiple media and business projects in and throughout the continent.”
The Johannesburg version will begin production in the fourth quarter of 2019 and begin airing in Africa in the second quarter of 2020.
“We are thrilled to be working closely with Steve Harvey and his team to produce two African versions of ‘Family Feud,’” said Duncan Irvine, CEO of Rapid Blue. “Family is the cornerstone of life in South Africa and Ghana, and we are confident that we will see some wonderful families take part and that both seasons will resonate well with audiences here. We’re planning additional projects with Steve Harvey and his team for viewers here in Africa, so watch this space!”
Rapid Blue, which is part of the BBC Studios international family of production companies, has made localized African versions of hit global formats like “Dancing With the Stars,” “X Factor,” “Got Talent,” “Shark Tank” and “Project Runway.”
“We have a longstanding relationship with Steve Harvey and once we heard about his dream of taking our iconic format to Africa, we partnered to make it a reality,” Anahita Kheder, Fremantle’s senior vice president of sales and distribution for the Middle East, Africa and South Eastern Europe, added. “Rapid Blue has been our trusted producers across the region for many years, so it made sense to join them up with Steve Harvey Global to make the local African versions of ‘Family Feud.’”