More than $70,000, three comeback victories and a week of television appearances later, the Griffo family is still reliving its run on “Family Feud.”
The Rockville Centre family taped three episodes in February in Georgia, returning home with $20,000 from its first game, $50,000 from its second and another victory in its third. The family gathered with friends and supporters Sept. 30 at Lenox & Park, the restaurant owned by Michael Griffo, to watch the first episode together.
For Robert Griffo, the biggest concern entering the first game was simply making sure the family did not leave after one episode.
“My biggest fear was flying to Georgia, losing, turning around and taking the next flight back to New York, this would have gone quietly into the night, and I don’t think anybody would know about it,” he said.
The Griffos quickly had reason to worry. They trailed the Reid family from Acron, Georgia, 89-0 after the opening round before rallying to win each of the last three for a 494-89 victory.
Jeannine Palladino helped start the comeback when she answered, “best friend” to the question of, “You cheated on your ‘boo’ and you just had to tell someone. Who do you tell?” which was No. 1 on the board.
She said competing on the show was different from answering questions from the comfort of the family couch.
“Your brain is relaxed on the couch,” she said. “When you’re up there, you have your one answer. After that, you just go blank.”
On the final question, ‘Name a food you eat that has layers,” Robert credited Joseph Meszaros with suggesting “seven-layer dip” during the conference while the Reids controlled the board. It was the ‘steal’ answer in the triple-point round that decided the game.
An incorrect answer would have given the Reids the win.
During Fast Money, Robert scored a whopping 177 points during his turn and Michael needed just one answer in relief (aspirin to the question of, ‘You wake up with a raging hangover. What’s the first thing you reach for?) to claim $20,000, which was in one of the five prize envelopes that Robert selected prior to the round.
The Griffos then faced the Frazier family from Phoenix and found themselves in an even deeper hole, trailing 268-0 after three rounds. But the Griffos rallied again and completed the board by naming the last two creatures that call a city park their home in the fourth round, earning 285 points and sending the game to sudden death because neither side reached 300 points.
Meszaros stepped to the podium and answered “soup” to the question, “Name a food you only eat when you’re sick.” The answer was No. 1, giving the Griffos another victory.
“I actually jammed my pinky on the buzzer because I almost let out a yell, but after I hit it, it was one of those things that I blacked out and looked at Steve [Harvey] and he was looking at me,” Meszaros said. “Then I just rambled out ‘soup’ and that’s how it went.”
The watch party
The Griffos then became the first family to win a $50,000 Fast Money prize, which was introduced by the game show to commemorate its 50th anniversary. Robert scored 107 points and Michael added 105 for a combined 212. Michael’s final answer of “canyon” to the question “Fill in the blank: Grand …” put the family over the hump.
“I had no idea, no idea,” Michael said. “It’s really whatever’s in your head.”
“That was probably single-handedly, the best moment of the whole trip,” Robert said.
The third game, against the Rivera family from Vaughan, Texas, followed a similar pattern. The Griffos trailed 95-0 after two rounds before winning a 118-point double round and a 282-point triple round to finish with a 400-95 victory.
By then, however, the long day of filming was catching up with them. The family taped three shows over 14 hours, and the final Fast Money round produced 77 points, with only $385 additional prize money.
The Griffos, who said they plan to take a family trip with the money, lost their fourth game, which aired Monday, ending their “Family Feud” run.
At Lenox & Park, Michael said watching the first episode brought back the excitement of the experience.
“I almost broke down in tears when they announced the Griffos,” he said. “And on TV we ran out and the place erupted in applause. It felt so good.”
Robert said that support became one of the most meaningful parts of the experience.
“You know what I love?,” he asked. “It’s the community thing. That’s what Rockville Centre is about. And that’s why I’m really happy that we were a part of it.”
