A trip to Toronto to compete in a television game show has special meaning for Atish Ram.
The Surrey man and his family won an audition to appear on the new Family Feud Canada.
The Ram team includes Atish, his wife Mandy, teen daughter Jasmine and adult sons Tyler and Ryan.
The Newton-area family is among up to 72 Canadian clans chosen to compete on the TV game show hosted by Gerry Dee, former star of the Mr. D sitcom.
For Atish, the whole experience reminds him of his departed father.
B次元官网网址淗e loved game shows, and that was his thing B次元官网网址� heB次元官网网址檇 watch Jeopardy, Family Feud, Wheel of Fortune, anything B次元官网网址� all of them,B次元官网网址� Atish explained. B次元官网网址淗e would have been very proud about this.
B次元官网网址淲e lost him two years ago, and that makes this sentimental for me. In my eulogy for him, I said I would promise to put the Ram name up in lights one day, and then this happens. ItB次元官网网址檚 kind of weird, and weB次元官网网址檒l be on the show exactly two years to the day since we laid him to rest.B次元官网网址�
In another twist of fate, Atish said he opened a fortune cookie on Aug. 27 B次元官网网址� the day of his familyB次元官网网址檚 audition for the game show B次元官网网址� and the message said, B次元官网网址淎 television program will give you great impetus.B次元官网网址� A second fortune cookie promised, B次元官网网址淎 refreshing change is in your future.B次元官网网址�
The familyB次元官网网址檚 trip to Toronto will be a special one, Atish said.
B次元官网网址淪omehow it was all meant to happen,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 been a tough two years. IB次元官网网址檝e battled health issues B次元官网网址� IB次元官网网址檝e been in and out of hospital with heart problems B次元官网网址� and we havenB次元官网网址檛 gone on vacation together or anything for a long time, so itB次元官网网址檒l be nice to get to go and have a little vacation all paid for. Win or lose, weB次元官网网址檝e already won.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址� RELATED STORY, from August: .
On the show, families compete head-to-head by guessing the most popular answers to survey questions based on responses from a sample of Canadians.
B次元官网网址淵ou can come back on the show up to three times, depending on the outcome, so weB次元官网网址檒l see how we do,B次元官网网址� Atish said. B次元官网网址淵ou can win up to $10,000 per show.B次元官网网址�
Atish expects his familyB次元官网网址檚 show air date will be at the end of January.
B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 my guess, and theyB次元官网网址檒l let us know,B次元官网网址� he said.
B次元官网网址淲e want to have fun, but we also want to win,B次元官网网址� Atish added. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e been watching a lot of the shows and so have my kids, practicing, but thereB次元官网网址檚 no right answers in a survey of 100 people B次元官网网址� some of the answers are so bizarre, and sometimes itB次元官网网址檚 about how quickly you can answer.B次元官网网址�
Family Feud Canada, to debut at 8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 16 on CBC, will air four nights a week, from Monday to Thursday.
First introduced in the U.S. in 1976, Family Feud is one of televisionB次元官网网址檚 longest-running and top-rated game shows. The title has been picked up in 71 international markets to date, including the U.K., Australia, France, India and Indonesia.
For the new Canadian edition, last summer close 2,000 families applied to appear on the show. From those applicants, 575 families were invited to audition in person at 15 sites across the country, including the Vancouver site for the Rams.
In November, Atish was named Volunteer of the Year during the Now-LeaderB次元官网网址檚 17th annual Community Leader Awards. He received top honour in the category for his work with Shaw TV to create, produce and host the B次元官网网址淎 Night of MiraclesB次元官网网址� telethon that would later be called B次元官网网址淲orld of Smiles TelethonB次元官网网址� and run for 15 years, raising more than $2.5 million.
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