Those of us who grew up watching various incarnations of Family Feud take the show's terms for granted. When the host refers to Fast Money or point values being double, those who are familiar with the show know instantly what's going on.
For anyone who isn't familiar with all of the terms used on the show, this Family Feud primer will get you up to speed quickly. Here are some of the common terms from the show and what they mean.
Survey Says
Everyone knows the catch-phrase from Family Feud, Survey Says! (or Survey Said, depending on which host you're referring to). But what does it mean? As they explain on the show, for each question asked, 100 people are polled and the most common responses appear on the board. When a contestant gives an answer to the question, the host will turn to the board and ask what the survey said - meaning the popular responses that have been included for the purpose of the game.
Face Off
A face off occurs when one family member from each team comes up to the front to compete for control of the board. The host asks a question and the first person to hit his or her buzzer provides an answer. If that response isn't number one on the board, the person from the other team has a chance to provide a better answer. Whoever gives the highest-ranking response then decides whether his or her team will play the rest of the round, or pass it to the opposing family.
Point Values are Double/Triple
This one is pretty self-explanatory. Each popular answer that appears on the answer board is assigned a point value based on the number of people in the survey who gave that response. The points on the board don't always add up to 100 even though 100 were polled, since only the most common answers are used for the sake of the game. As the show progresses, the stakes get higher. Point values assigned to questions increase by double or triple their original values.
Bullseye Round
The Bullseye Round pops up occasionally on Family Feud, incorporated into the game for an entire season. It's used to kick off the game and is played fairly quickly. Each family starts off with a bank (amounts of the bank vary depending on the season). Then, starting with the team captains, one person on each team faces off for a single question. They are tasked with buzzing in and providing the number one answer. Like the regular face offs, if the first person to buzz in doesn't guess the number one answer, the opposing team's member then gets a chance to answer. Each of the five questions is assigned an increasing dollar value, and teams keep the money they win during the face-offs. After the round is over, the total value of each team's bank is the amount that they will play for if they make it to the Fast Money round.
Sudden Death
The Sudden Death round is used if there is a tie after the regular rounds, or if the family in the lead doesn't have enough points to continue on to the Fast Money round. Sudden Death works the same way as the Bullseye Round in that only number one answers are sought. Point values are triple, and there are as many questions as needed to break the tie or secure a win.
Fast Money
The Fast Money round is the final round of the game, and only the winning family from the regular game plays. Only two members of the team plays in this round, and the team stands to win the jackpot if they can successfully complete it. For a full explanation of how Fast Money works, visit the Family Feud game overview.
