Debbie Ruatahi of Marton competed on Family Feud with her sisters from Whanganui.
Debbie Ruatahi of Marton competed on Family Feud with her sisters from Whanganui.
Being quizzers for the first time was an exciting, unnerving yet exhilarating experience for the Miller sisters from Marton and Whanganui.
The four sisters are still laughing ... and commiserating over some of their answers they gave on game show Family Feud which aired on TV3 last Friday.
Now theworld knows, they said.
In Marton younger sister Debbie Ruatahi said her answer to give a word or a phrase starting with 'auto' became a howler she doubts she'll live down for a while.
"I said auto magician....no such thing of course. I meant to say auto mechanic but nerves got to me ...the lights, being on the set just freaked me out.
Then Sandy said auto-lost and Dai Henwood just about cried with laughter not to mention me and everyone else.''
Dai Henwood from Family Feud.
The show features two families pitted against each other in a studio with game host Dai Henwood asking simple questions that had been selected by a survey of 100 New Zealanders.
The families battle it out for cash and prizes and there really is no absolute right or wrong answers - it's the luck of the draw what the survey of people have replied.
The sisters Wendy and Sue Miller and Sandra Waitokia (from Whanganui) and Debbie in Marton says their feud show experience was unifying.
"We really didn't see that much of each other before.''
Sue Miller had booked the sisters online to audition for the show, they were accepted and in April they drove to Auckland, Debbie said.
"We sat in a studio audience then each family had to go onstage for role play that's when you answer questions. It was all done by a comedian called Sam Smith and the producers. Dai Henwood wasn't there that time,'' Debbie said.
The show's producers contacted them and told they'd been successful. The sisters were flown to Auckland from Wanganui on Saturday June 25, she said.
"We were taken straight to the studio, given a fantastic catered lunch and then the show started.''
Debbie said they were in the final family call up that afternoon. They record five episodes on Saturdays, she said.
By the time the sisters were called up that afternoon and were suddenly on stage under the bright lights with Dai Henwood, Debbie said they all got butterflies and kind of lost their nerve.
" I thought it was interesting though that Dai knew nothing about us and he had to read everything off little cards.'' And they all wore their own clothes, she said. "They didn't dress you up or anything.''
After the show they had been booked into a lovely hotel, she said. "We were on the fifth floor and had beautiful views over the city.''
Debbie said they are still laughing about how brave they'd been. "Even though we were a flop we had such a really good time.
Debbie owns a gift shop in Marton called Journey On In which features a special mystic room filled with angels, soft lamps and American Indian dream catchers.
Both Sue and Wendy work at the Hatrick Greyhound Raceway in Whanganui on the totalisator and Sandra works in Whanganui for mental health. Debbie believes the show brought the sisters closer. "So rather than Family Feud we'd call it Family Bonding because it was for us.''
