If history has taught us one thing it’s that you can’t keep the Vikings down.
While some ancient Viking defeats were enshrined in sagas after ill-fated warriors sailed home, the modern-day Kumps family from Gimli and Rockwood are determined to tweak history after being dealt a partial defeat a few weeks ago during their appearance on the popular CBC television program Family Feud Canada.
The Kumps family appeared on Family Feud Canada, hosted by Gerry Dee, and won three games but went down in a fast money game. They’re asking the show for a chance at redemption
Composed of Brittany Isfeld, Julie Kumps, Lisa Bardal, Vicki Kasupski, Samantha Gregotski and Graham Kumps, the Kumps family competed for glory on the game show, winning three games in a row but going down after a few fast-money games, which require lightning-fast synaptic retrieval. Fast money would have earned the Kumps $30,000.
Although the family is seeking redemption – they’ve asked the show’s producers to consider bringing them back for another chance – they feel like winners overall, and are very appreciative of CBC having flown them to Toronto to appear on the show.
“For every point we got, we earned money. Everyone got around $500 at the end, which was really nice. We didn’t win the $30,000 in fast money, but we got flown out to Toronto, put up in a hotel and got per diems for food. We got to hang out in the CBC studios and we got to see Toronto. So, we came out of there winners,” said Isfeld, who had secretly applied to appear on the show earlier this year then had to break it to her relatives that Family Feud Canada accepted them and they’d have to compete.
What made the experience extra special was their being able to spend time together as a family in one of Canada’s most exciting cities, she said. Her mom had passed away, and getting to spend quality time with her aunties and cousins was a real treat.
“My mom’s been gone 14 years this November, and these are my mom’s three sisters and my cousins. It was really nice to go to Toronto and make memories with my mom’s side of the family,” said Isfeld. “It was really cool for CBC to bring us there. This is something we’ll never forget.”
The Kumps appearance on the popular game show led to an outpouring of support. Hundreds of people – including dozens Isfeld didn’t know – showed up at the Gimli Recreation Centre where Isfeld – with the support of the RM of Gimli and its recreation staff – had arranged a free viewing party on Nov. 10. The event also included snacks provided by Mad Dash Catering. A number of people had reached out to Isfeld saying they couldn’t access a television or pay for CBC Gem to watch the show and were wondering if there was another way to see it.
“I would have been happy if 50 people had come out. But as I walked up the stairs of the recreation centre, my fiancé said, ‘Look at all these people here for you.’ I said, ‘No, Honey, it’s Monday night curling.’ But they were all facing the [projection] screen. So, I walked around to every table, asking, ‘Did you curl tonight?’ They said, ‘No, we’re here to watch Family Feud Canada!’” said Isfeld. “I was totally taken aback. People were taking pictures of me and I felt like a little celebrity. When the show came on, people were shouting out the answers and bursting out laughing. It was really awesome.”
The Kumps aced three games. But one of the fast-money games posed a challenge and Isfeld, as team captain, was asked by host Gerry Dee why she didn’t switch up her fast-money players.
Fast-money games are no doddle. They require think-on-your-feet rapid responses coupled with a pan-Canadian perspective. Anyone can experience a temporarily blinding brain fog when under pressure to deliver a good answer. And in the same way that a member of Toastmasters will walk the Hall of Shame should they dare utter an “uh” or an “um” to buy themselves a millisecond of thinking time, Family Feud Canada will “buzz out” contestants if they try the same delay tactic. Furthermore, if contestants give the exact same answer that a teammate had given in a previous round, they’ll have to pivot quickly and come up with an alternative – and plausible – answer.
“We gave some really terrible answers during fast money. One of the questions was to name an animal that’s hunted up north. One aunty said deer, which is a great answer. My other aunty said wolves but, apparently, it’s not legal to hunt wolves,” said Isfeld. “We live in Manitoba but when you’re playing the game, you have to think in terms of Canada, not where you’ve grown up. When one of my aunties had to name the most annoying sounding bug – the number one answer is crickets – she said spruce beetle. Spruce beetles are really annoying in Manitoba. And for a question about naming a pole not for dancing, I said spruce pole and I have no idea what that is. Gerry Dee just looked at me. It just came out of my mouth because if you say um or uh, they buzz you out.”
For the record, spruce beetles making a meal of a tree is sort of like having to listen to someone chew food with their mouth open. The Kumps obsession with spruce could likely stem from fact that the tree is the most common species in Manitoba. The white spruce is, in fact, our provincial tree. Sadly, spruce is not a candidate for a pole such as those provided by Manitoba Hydro.
In 2024, Family Feud Canada announced for the first time it would be bringing back a handful of memorable families for “redemption,” and the Kumps are eager to take part in redemption should that come to pass for 2025 contestants.
“We did really well in our games, and I’ve asked the show to bring us back for redemption. I promised I’ll switch up the back line [for fast-money games] because we really want to win this,” said Isfeld. “We’re trying our hardest to get back on the show.”
Kumps family fans are encouraged to reach out to Family Feud Canada (email: familyfeud@cbc.ca or familyfeud.kat@gmail.com) to politely ask them to consider the family for redemption, she said.
In the meantime, Isfeld said she’s looking at other opportunities to keep the competitive spirit alive. She’s applied, for instance, to The Price is Right Tonight, the Canadian version of the game show that will be hosted by Howie Mandel – she got a call back asking for additional details – and she’ll be applying to Amazing Race Canada in which she and her fiancé want to compete.
