LaValeria Saxton-Smith to Appear on Family Feud

Hands on buzzers!

What’s the number 1 reason to watch Family Feud on Monday, Jan. 21 and Thursday, Jan. 24 at 6pm?

LaValeria Saxton-Smith, practice manager for the East Clinic, will be on the show!

LaValeria, along with four other family members, flew to Los Angeles in May to tape their appearance on the game show.

When Family Feud hosted auditions in Little Rock in January 2018, the family decided to try out in honor of LaValeria’s late father, an avid fan of the show who had passed away just a few months earlier. “He loved the show; he never missed a show. He didn’t talk when it was on,” she said.

All of her father’s three children participated in the show. In addition to LaValeria, the team includes her brother, Eric; her twin sister, Valerie; her sister-in-law, Tonya; and her niece, Anndrea, who formerly worked at CHI St. Vincent.

The family had to make it through several rounds of auditions before learning in March they were getting an all-expense-paid trip to Los Angeles.

“We were so excited,” she said. “For us to make it out of the thousands of people that tried out, it blew our minds.”

It was the first time the family had been to Los Angeles together, and while there, they visited Hollywood and the Walk of Fame at Grauman’s Chinese Theater. But, of course, the highlight of the trip was playing on the show.

“You can sit on that sofa and say, ‘why did they answer that?,’ but when you’ve got lights on you, cameras on you, the producers, (host) Steve Harvey’s talking, your thinking process is totally shot.”

LaValeria said Harvey took pictures with the families and entertained the audience during commercial breaks. He even playfully teased LaValeria about her unusual name. “He is so nice and so funny; he makes you feel comfortable.”

One moment in particular was especially memorable for LaValeria: when she saw her family’s name on the screen behind them. “I turn around and see my name, and it almost brought me to tears.”

The family used the last name McGee, which was her father’s last name. During taping, the family wore buttons with her father’s picture and talked about his love for the show. Steve Harvey was so touched by the story that he shared it on his radio show the Monday after the family filmed.

LaValeria knows her father would be thrilled with his family’s brush with fame. “If he were here today, he would be telling everyone my children are on Family Feud. He would be letting everyone know.” Her mother has done her part to help spread the news: she told the preacher at her church, who announced it to the entire congregation.

LaValeria plans to celebrate with a watch party at her home with friends and, of course, her family.