Martina Fernandez is a big fan of Family Feud Canada and its host Gerry Dee.
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But never, in her wildest dreams, did she ever think she’d become a contestant on the popular CBC show.
And, when presented with the opportunity to appear on the show, Fernandez died.
“I kept asking Zach, why are you picking me and Grandpa for the team,” Fernandez said. “I’m 77 and he’s 81.
“You should be picking other people in the family.”
But, Fernandez said, her grandson – Zach Hamed – was determined to have his grandparents on his team.
“He (Zach) kept saying ‘no, Grandma, this is all about family and I really want you and Grandpa on our team,’ Fernandez said.
So, Fernandez and her husband Leo joined the team that included Marion Fernandez-Hamed, Zach, and Zach’s cousin Carol Moore. Fernandez-Hamed is Zach’s mother.
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During the game, two family teams of five are asked to match the most popular answers to fun survey questions. Teams have an opportunity to win up to $30,000 per family in prize money.
The episode featuring the Fernandez-Hamed family will be shown Feb. 11 at 7:30 pm on CBC and CBC Gem.
A graduate of North Park Collegiate who excelled at a number of sports including basketball, Zach Hamed now lives in Toronto.
“I’ve been a content creator for the last four to five years,” Hamed said. “My online alias is Zlam Dunk and the work I do is culture-based skits and sketches.”
Hamed’s online profile caught the attention of the show’s producers.
“They thought we might be a good fit for the show so I sent it in an application,” Hamed said. “I didn’t think we’d have much of a chance of being selected, but I guess they liked it enough because we were invited to participate in the application process.”
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The team made it to the show and had a fantastic time, Hamed said
“It was a lot of fun and everyone did their part and for me, one of the best memories I have is Grandpa’s (Leo’s) performance,” Hamed said. “My Grandpa is a quiet man by nature but he blossomed on camera.”
People were lining up outside the family’s dressing room just to meet his grandpa, Hamed said.
A retired teacher, Fernandez-Hamed said she was excited to be on the show.
However, as the date approached, Fernandez-Hamed said she started getting really nervous.
The show’s host made her and everyone else feel comfortable.
“He is genuine and he has a way of putting people at ease,” Fernandez-Hamed said. “I’m really glad too that Carol (Moore) was part of the team.”
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Fernandez-Hamed said it’s awesome to think the team brought together three generations of the family.
Moore wasn’t part of the original team.
Hamed’s brother Tariq, also a graduate of North Park Collegiate and a stand-out athlete, had been picked.
But when work got in the way, Moore was asked to step up.
Hamed, meanwhile, said there is some irony in him being the team captain.
“You know, the funny thing about this is that prior to them contacting me I hadn’t seen the show or know anything about it,” Hamed said. “After they contacted me, Grandma was like ‘Zach, you got to watch the show’ and she kept on me about it.
“So, then I gave her a call ‘Grandma, you’ll be proud of me Grandma, I watched a bunch of episodes’.”
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