He Won $20K On Family Feud. Then Steve Harvey Uncovered The Truth About His Life

Everyone’s favorite comedian Steve Harvey has met hundreds upon hundreds of family feud contestants. Yet there was one particular participant who had a deep and lasting effect on him.

What Is Wrong With Him?

In one of the more recent episodes of Family Feud, Steve came across a determined contestant that seemed a little more desperate to win than the other contestants on teh stage. When Steve eventually uncovered the truth it all made sense.

Nerve Wracking Experience

Being quizzed on national TV can be a nerve-wracking experience, all contestants have their own way of handling the stress but this contestant looked rattled and was sweating profusely. What more was going on?

Three Tiring Days Straight

The contestant played for three consecutive days without winning a cent, as the days went by, his physical condition seemed to get worse and worse. When Harvey approached the man after recording had finished, the host was shocked when he heard the reasoning behind the man’s strange behaviour.

Aim Of The Game

The object of Family Feud is for competitors to guess the most popular responses to survey questions posed to 100 random members of the public. Two sets of family teams compete against one another to win prizes and cash money for the correct answers. There was something different about this contestant. What was he hiding?

Lease Of Life

Steve Harvey took over as host of the show in 2010. The comedian, actor and author changed up the show in many ways, including how he interacted with the many contestants who appeared on the show. This contestant was about to reveal something unheard of to the host. The audience and harvey himself did not know what they were in for.

Different Kind Of Public Attention

The audience is used to interesting things happening to participants, most likely when they accidentally give a dirty answer to a seemingly innocent question. But this incident was unlike any other that had occurred before.

Viral Clips

“Family Feud Fails” has become an increasingly popular phenomenon online. More than a few hilarious clips and contestant fails have gone viral. In mid-2016 a surprising piece of Family Feud-related footage came to the public’s attention.

Unforgettable Video

On August 1, 2016, Steve Harvey posted a new clip to his YouTube channel. The clip was entitled “Steve’s Unforgettable Family Feud Moment.” Many users were expecting the upload to contain a humorous anecdote or a comic contestant moment, but what transpired was far from funny.

Unexpected Encounter

In the featured clip, Harvey revealed the intimate details of his unexpected encounter with the Family Feud contestant who had been sweating and nervous. What was it about this contestant’s story that had such an effect on the host?

Sweating Profusely

In the clip, filmed in front of a TV audience, Harvey reminisces about a particularly memorable episode. “This man was on Family Feud,” Harvey recalls. “He was the captain [of his team] and he was sweating profusely, to the point where we had to change his shirt. And you know, I was trying to joke with him, but he was sweating too hard.” Why was this contestant so nervous?

Worrysome Events

Excessive perspiration can often be a symptom of an underlying medical problem. This worried the crew and producers, should they be concerned about the man’s health? Steve tried to keep the contestant calm while the cameras were rolling.

Just Such A Wreck

Excessive sweating can also be a side effect of pharmaceutical medication use; whatever the cause of the contestant’s condition, Harvey was becoming increasingly concerned about this particular guest. The contestant’s run of bad luck, was not helping matters.

Long Slog Taking Its Toll

“He had played three days and didn’t win the money,” Harvey explains in the video, adding, “He was just a wreck.” Obviously, not winning money on the show can be disappointing, but this contestant, being the team captain, was taking it particularly hard.

Luck Changed

After many failed attempts, the contestant’s luck changed abruptly, he and his family eventually won a cash prize of $20,000. But the man’s reaction wasn’t what anyone would have expected. “He just fell on his knees and wouldn’t stop crying,” Harvey explains to the crowd in the video. While $20,000 is a lot of money, Harvey thought it was unusual for a winner to be so overcome with emotion.

Shocked To The Core

Harvey decided to chat to the guest after filming wrapped for the day. The host approached the contestant and casually inquired as to why he was so emotional about winning, surely he should have been pleased. The man gave him a direct answer which shocked the presenter to his very core.

The Moment Of Truth

“He said, ‘Steve, I’m terminally ill. I’ve got three months to live, and because of my illness I can’t get insurance. I need this money for my family.’” Harvey couldn’t quite believe what he was hearing. How did the producers not know?

Shocking Revelation

The crowd in the video footage is heard gasping at this revelation, but the unexpected story doesn’t end there. Harvey then does something even more shocking.

Shocking Actions

The host was so moved by the contestant’s story that he decided to give the man more money – from his very own pocket. In addition to the $20 000 the contestant won on the show, Harvey donated $25,000 to the contestant and his family – a sum that could really have a lasting impact on their lives.

Source Of Income

A large portion of his money comes from his Family Feud paycheques. Harvey is known to be a generous man, it’s no surprise that the lovable host was willing to give back to someone in desperate need. Harvey was happy to help, especially once he learned more about the man’s touching story.

Hustler

Harvey is no stranger to acts of charity. The comedian knows what it is like to have to rely on the kindness of others in order to make it through the day. Back in the 1980s, when Harvey was trying to build his career as a stand-up comic, he found himself homeless. He would sleep in his car in between comedy gigs and wash when he could at gas station bathrooms or in public swimming pools. Only the generosity of others helped the struggling young man out of his grave predicament.

Charitable Acts

Subsequently, after years of struggling to make ends meet, Steve Harvey and his lovely wife, Marjorie, did something very unusual from other celebrities who had eventually made it big. You will want to know.

How Did He Use His Money

The generous husband and wife team actually established their own charitable foundation. The organization’s website contains a statement of intent. It reads, “The mission of The Steve and Marjorie Harvey Foundation is to ensure that the needs of the whole child are met through the development of programs and support of community-based organizations that foster excellence in the areas of health, education and social well-being within urban and ethnically diverse communities.”

On The Streets

Harvey is also a man of great faith. A devout Christian, he actually credits the love and aid of God with helping him get off the streets. Harvey has shared a touching moment of faith with his fas. One day, while the comedian was washing in a public bathroom, he started to pray. “I told God if he let me make it, when I got there I’d tell everybody how I did it,” Harvey told Christian website The Gospel Herald in 2015.

Needing To Do Something Meaningful

Furthermore, Harvey has always spoken to the media about wanting to give back, about wanting to make a difference after his many successes. “I’ve just gotten to a place where it’s got to be more than jokes,” he told The New York Times in 2010.

May Sound Corny

He added, “I know it sounds corny, but I’m starting really to think about my life in terms of ‘What are they going to say about me?’… The sense of wanting to do something meaningful is upon me now.”

Setting An Example

Harvey’s video about the dying man has since gone viral, with more than three million viewers learning of the amazing story behind the contestant. In the hundreds of comments below the clip, many fans of the show complimented the Harvey for his act of great compassion and kindness. One post read, “What an amazing gesture of kindness and love. Thank you, Steve Harvey for setting an example for all of us. God bless this man and his family.”

Kindness Of Strangers

It is a tragic fact, that the many people who are diagnosed with terminal illnesses in the U.S. often have to rely on the kindness of strangers in order to battle through their illnesses. The majority of the American population does benefit from health insurance, but for those who don’t have health cover, a diagnosis can mean the loss of everything they own. Many fear they will leave their families in terrible debt.

Seeking Help

Many people who can’t afford to seek treatment have turned to crowd-funding websites such as GoFundMe for the financial support of generous strangers. Indeed, in 2015 a study by the personal finance website NerdWallet found that $930 million of the $2 billion that has passed through GoFundMe since its inception five years previous was related to American medical problems.

Worrying Facts

The NerdWallet report also discovered that tragically only one in ten of these public campaigns managed to hit their intended financial targets. In light of this worrying fact, the unnamed Family Feud contestant was incredibly fortunate to receive such a large amount to help take care of his family. So what became of this mystery contestant?

Triumph Lost

Intrigued commenters asked if the Family Feud clip of the man winning his $20,000 was anywhere online. Unfortunately, it would appear that the dying man’s moment of triumph has been lost. Few know of the fate that would befall the contestant. It appears we are all fighting battles that are not always easy to see.