This Wild ‘Family Feud’ Love Story Might Just Be the Game Show’s Most Unexpected Plot Twist Yet
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Family Feud premiered in July 1976 with Richard Dawson as the game show’s first-ever host. Created by Mark Goodson, Family Feud features two teams of families as they compete against each other to guess the most popular answer to a list of survey questions. The team with the highest points progresses to the Fast Money bonus round, where two family members try to reach a combined total of 200 points to win the grand prize. Thanks to its fast-paced premise, Family Feud remains one of the most successful TV game shows of all time.
Over the years, the show has undergone several format tweaks and host changes. However, the core concept of the game has stayed the same. The appeal of watching family dynamics unfold on the screen is timeless, and a huge reason why Family Feud continues to attract a diverse audience to this day. At the same time, though, Dawson deserves a lot of credit for setting the show up to achieve all that it has. His charm, quick wit, and instant rapport with the contestants became the reason why people tuned into Family Feud. Dawson hosted the show for 10 years on and off, and his time on the show wasn’t just a professional success, it also changed his personal life forever.
Richard Dawson’s Love Story Played Out on TV
Before the Family Feud host found love on the show, he had been married once before. His marriage to British actress and singer Diana Dors lasted from 1959 to 1967, and they had two sons together. Dawson met his second wife, Gretchen Johnson, on Family Feud in May 1981. Johnson was 24 years old at the time and was competing in the game alongside her family. During the taping, the chemistry between the future spouses was palpable. Dawson, who was known for his signature kisses to female contestants, shared a memorable kiss with Johnson. However, unlike Dawson’s usual pecks, the one between him and Johnson was clearly something special.
In an interview with PEOPLE, Johnson recalled kissing Dawson back and thinking that he was extremely sweet. However, at the time, she was concentrating on playing the game, thanks to which, her family went home with a $12,659 prize. Dawson didn’t waste any time, though, and invited Johnson to a home-cooked gourmet meal before she had the chance to leave the set. She agreed to the dinner, and soon enough, the duo started dating. A few years later, Gretchen and the Family Feud host moved in together. Johnson gave birth to their daughter, Shannon Dawson, in 1990, and a year later, the couple got married.
The History Behind Richard Dawson’s Controversial Kisses
Even after he had started dating Johnson, the TV host continued his tradition of greeting female contestants with kisses on the show. In a conversation with the Television Academy Foundation, Dawson opened up the thought process behind his pecks and claimed that they were completely harmless. According to the host, the kisses were meant to be a comforting gesture to calm nervous players. It all started when a female contestant wasn’t able to name a green vegetable because she was under so much pressure. So, Dawson reached over and kissed her on the cheek for good luck. The woman answered, “asparagus,” a second later, and went on to win the show.
The kisses then became Dawson’s signature move, which left the audience divided. The host experienced some early pushback from the show’s sponsors, who felt like all the kisses were extremely inappropriate. However, when Dawson asked the audience to vote on whether he should stop the tradition, a majority of them wanted him to continue. Not to mention that all of it is consensual. The book, Hogan’s Heroes, gives a behind-the-scenes glimpse into Family Feud and reveals that all the contestants fill out a questionnaire before appearing on the show. One of these questions asks: “Do you mind if Richard Dawson greets you with a kiss?” and if the contestants say no, the host is respectful of their boundaries.
A Promise the Host Kept Forever
When Dawson returned to host Family Feud for the second time in 1994, he decided to let go of his signature move. During his comeback episode, Dawson confessed that after watching some old tapings of the show, he and Johnson’s daughter had asked him why he was kissing all these ladies on the show. Not just that, but Dawson’s young daughter also made him promise that the only woman he would kiss was her mother. The host made sure to keep that promise throughout his remaining time on the show. Dawson and Johnson were married for 21 years up until his unfortunate passing away in 2012.
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