Family Game Fight (TV Series 2021–2022) Poster

(2021–2022)

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5/10
On one hand I like it--on the other I hate it
preppy-316 September 2021
Real life married couple Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell each help families compete against each other for cash prizes.

On one hand I like the show. Shepard and Bell are great hosts and the show moves at a quick pace. On the other hand I hate it. The families are TOO energetic--always screaming and yelling. Also most of the games are mean-spirited and seem designed to humiliate the families. One game has the losers continuously being hit in the face with pies. Another has freezing cold ice and water being poured on the losers. One had them all dressed in banana suits! I keep watching because I like Shepard and Bell but the mean-spirited games get on my nerves.
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6/10
Make no mistake
ajelliott-386694 September 2021
Dax and Kristen have long been kidnapping people and forcing them to compete in their basement for their amusement; they've only just started airing it.

More entertaining than not. 6/10.
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2/10
A game show that doesn't know why people watch game shows
asherstuhlman12 August 2021
This show is a loose spinoff of Ellen's talk show and Ellen's Game of Games, and it takes some inspiration from them - games involve putting the contestants into painful/annoying/humiliating situations (one game has contestants pelted by lots of snow if they guess a wrong answer; another game has contestants pied in the face if the opposing team scores a point.)

Now, I don't like Ellen's Game of Games, but it's hard to deny that that show has a clear voice and thing it's trying to do. I only watched one episode of Family Game Fight, but it's really hard for me to puzzle out what this show is trying to be about. In Ellen's Game of Games, the contestants screaming at the host is the point; here it seems like the hosts are more concerned with each other than anything else going on. They banter (terribly), they make jokes about each other that barely rise above "Take my wife... please!" In a good game show, the banter is about the contestants and the game's content. Family Feud hosts will react to contestant's ridiculous answers emotionally and get to know a bit about the families for instance.

None of that happens here. There are elaborate sets brought out to play 3 minutes of actual game; the sets are aggressively themed and no two themes interact or intersect. The games played are tired word games, which don't have anything to do with the sets. They're not bad games but they contribute to the feeling that this show doesn't really have anything to say, and there's this overall feeling of ludonarrative dissonance where the show doesn't really establish its "world" and internal logic. There's a weird sports aesthetic on the scoreboard that never comes up in the games.

The most confusing thing to me is that sometimes the contestants aren't even involved. The episode I watched opened with the hosts playing a game with each other, with essentially no contestant involvement: the contestants had to guess how well the hosts would do, and that's it. What's the fun of a game show where the contestants aren't the ones playing the game?

Worst of all, I don't even get the feeling that the hosts are having fun. They do not interact like normal people interact, which is ridiculous because the closest thing this show has to a conceit is that they're a married couple. It feels like they know they're on the job and have to act in a heightened way. Even though I'm familiar with both their acting work, I don't know why I should care about them in the context of this show.

If I were director of this show, my notes page would be looooong. I think the biggest change I would make is, focus on the game first. You can keep references to the hosts being a couple but the core fantasy of a game show is the contestants winning money through skill at games, and this show obfuscates that fantasy and distracts from it at every turn.
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9/10
Entertaining
ebmilkyway13 October 2021
The show is fun to watch. Do hope they add a few more games but it is entertaining. Dax and Kristen have great chemistry with the contestants and it's cute how they interact with each other. Add more episodes per season.
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10/10
Very Entertaining!
Dog-River25 August 2021
I'm actually really enjoying this game show. Dax and Kristin make good hosts and are lots of fun. I love how they get in on the action, rather than just standing on the sidelines watching. I find it more entertaining to watch. Yes, they do similar games to Ellen's, a couple are the same with a twist, but it's still fun to watch. My favourite game is the brain freeze game. I think this game show is perfect for any age to watch. I recommend watching it.
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10/10
Fun family times
antoneingwaldson29 September 2021
We loved it! Fun show and appropriate for everyone in the family.
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10/10
YAASSS
rayeswift10 September 2021
Love this show! It's so funny and I love the challenges!
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10/10
So Much FUN!!
angelranger20 August 2021
Love this show, Dax & Kristen are fun. Great to watch with my fam. LOVE that the families actually win money! Just easy watch and good news :) what's not to like?
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10/10
I love this couple!
danburkhart15 August 2022
These two hosts are so adorable and interact in the best ways. It's great to see a couple that truly love each other and are positively portrayed on television. The games are fun to watch and my wife and I enjoy playing along.
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8/10
Great Family Fun
bookishboxbinge4 August 2022
I love Dax and Kristen , they're hilarious and have amazing chemistry. The games are fun and wholesome to watch. Hope they add more games and more complicated ones in the future.
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10/10
Great Fun Sad It's Canceled
So sorry to see this show cancel. We really like it. I think it would have done better during regular programming and not over the summer. Bummer. Hopefully another network will pick it up.
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