Jastrzembski family competes on 'Family Feud,' says Steve Harvey's 'the real thing'

Nothing like an old-time feud. Not a Hatfield-McCoy event but a televised “Family Feud.”

The Jastrzembski family will appear on “Family Feud” at 7 p.m. Oct. 9 on ABC57 (WBND). Leading the family is Jason Jastrzembski. The rest of the five-person team members are: Jason’s father, Dennis; Jason’s brother, Steve; sister-in-law, Ashley Jastrzembski and cousin, Michael Waters. They are all from the Michiana area.

The family will also be on Oct. 16 and 17.

No one is talking about results. Jason did say it was a great time. It was quite an experience, a fabulous time, and host Steve Harvey is absolutely genuine. Everything else must be a surprise.

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When last we talked to Jason, it was back in the early spring. Jason does stand-up comedy and was involved in a fundraising event for Imerman Angels, a cancer support group from Chicago. He was the master of ceremonies and kept things moving.

At that time, Jason posed the question: “If my family is on 'Family Feud,' do you want to talk to me again?”

Sure. Jason said it was all up in the air and he would get back later. Right! Expect me to believe that. OK, maybe. Some of us forgot all about it until a recent phone call. Really!

Comedian-to-comedian

Jason said he was the one who came up with the idea. “I took the first step. My family and I are a group of characters. It would be wonderful for television. With our military background, then I do stand-up as well as my cousin, I thought what a great background for the show. All of this character and charm are on full display competing in a game show that we've watched for decades.”

Jason is in the Air Force, and brother Steve and his wife are in the Army.

Being a comedian, Jason thought this was going to be easy. He was good on his feet. A piece of cake. “Then you meet one of the funniest and most famous celebrities and comedians of all time and realize, 'Holy moly, this is real. That really is Steve Harvey, and now I'm nervous,'” he said.

But there was good chemistry and fun, Jason said. They got to know other families and share experiences. Harvey was very personable and “the real thing. What you see is the same kind of person on the screen.”

Jason added that Harvey had a few issues with their name. Never would have expected that at all.

Convincing, then practicing

The family didn’t embrace the idea at first, Jason said. “It was out of the box for us. My family thought the idea was a little crazy. Then, again, they've been around me long enough to know nothing is too out there. So after a little bit of resistance, they decided to give it a try with me. Originally, my daughter, who also is in the Air Force, was going to appear with us. But, due to unforeseen circumstances, she was not able to make it. So my father, Dennis, stepped up to the plate and took her spot so we could continue and not have to miss out on this dream come true.”

The family did a video demonstrating their skills. Later, there was an audition. Then the selection came in. But it was a couple of months before the family was picked, Jason said.

Jason said it was nearly a year since this all started. It was filmed in February.

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Once they were selected, the family held a lot of practice sessions, watching old shows, current shows, playing the card game and playing on the phone app. Anything and everywhere to better understand the thought processes.

“Just practicing and rehearsing with each other brought our family closer," Jason said. "We shared a lot of laughs and memories during that time. We reached out to other family members to compete against us. We brought in family and friends to play the role of Steve Harvey. Just so we could be as prepared as possible.”

The family will gather Oct. 9 for a viewing party. There will be a little food and drink and a lot of laughs. Then the Jastrzembski family can talk about what happened.

Contact Kathy at kfborlik@yahoo.com.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Family Feud brings South Bend area family together with Steve Harvey