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The Olivares Family with game show host Steve Harvey. Pictured, from left, are: Julian Olivares, Victor Olivares, Debbie Limon Martinez, Harvey, Marcela Limon Salinas & Rogelio Salinas. Debbie and Marcela are sisters from Mammoth.
Two young ladies who grew up in Mammoth and graduated from San Manuel High School have recently had an experience of a lifetime. The two sisters, Debbie Limon Martinez and Marcela (Limon) Salinas got to travel to Atlanta, Georgia and appear on the television game show, Family Feud, hosted by Steve Harvey. Their other family members were Marcela’s husband Rogelio Salinas and cousins Victor and Julian “Junior” Olivares. They were Team Olivares on the show.
It all started on Christmas Eve 2015, when Marcela said she stumbled across a Family Feud audition, shared post on her Facebook news feed.
“Without hesitating I knew our family had to be the ones to try out!” Marcela said she had a vision and began “envisioning which family members would be part of this exciting journey.”
On Christmas day, Marcela presented the idea to her family members. She was “in complete awe” when they supported the idea and said they were willing to take on the adventure.
“I felt extremely grateful that my family members trusted me and supported the idea regardless of the challenge ahead,” said Marcela.
Team Olivares made an impromptu video that day and sent it off to Family Feud. Marcela was contacted later with a date and time for their audition in Phoenix. When told the news, her family members became even more excited.
On audition day with a room full of contestants, they played a quick game of Family Feud while being recorded. This was done to see how the family would react to being on camera without any preparation or knowing what to expect. When the audition was over, they were “discretely” invited to another room where they were interviewed on camera by Family Feud’s executive producer.
Marcela said of the audition: “Talk about a rush, but our adventure did not end there…little did we know that this day was just the start to our unforgettable experience!”
The audition it turned out, was only an attempt to be considered for the Family Feud “filing system”. The family was told that they would be notified by postcard in approximately three weeks, if they were placed in the filing system. Exactly two weeks and six days later, Marcela as the family spokesperson, received a card notifying them, that they made the filing list. Months later, Marcela was contacted and provided with a list of 50 air dates in 2016 for the show. “Our family knew this experience was about to get real!” The family all quickly checked their calendars and sent back a list of 20 dates that they would all be available.
They received confirmation that they would be filming one of the last episodes in August. The family “packed their bags” and flew to Atlanta courtesy of the Family Feud. Family feud paid for the flight, transportation in town and put them up in a hotel for three days. Their challenge was not over. They still had to try out along with other contestants that had been flown in potentially to be on the show. They found out that some families had been there for a few days and had not been selected to film. The Olivares Family remained confident, after all Marcela had a vision about this.
Toward the end of their first day after most of the families had left, they were told that they would be the last family to film the show for the day. “Feeling lucky and fortunate, we filmed our first game the very first day we arrived,” said Marcela. Unfortunately, for the rest of the story you will have to watch Family Feud on Thursday, May 18, at 7 p.m. on KAZT Phoenix, Channel 7. The Olivares Family will be on that evening.
“if you know our family, you know you will be in for a great laugh,” Marcela said. “Steve Harvey is a funny and respected man. You can tell he makes the show. He tries really hard to relate to you. He’s really funny! We shared a little with him about our culture and he was amazed. You will have to watch!”
Debbie Limon Martinez said of her participation: “Family Feud was such an amazing experience! We were able to go as a family and be flown to Atlanta, Georgia, together. We had the opportunity to meet Steve Harvey and have fun as a family. It was a trip of a lifetime. It’s a story of fun to pass on to our children.”
Marcela wanted to add that “Overall. This experience was a prime example of how anything you put your mind to is achievable. If I can demonstrate to anyone, it would be to always believe in themselves and your family!”
Congratulations to the Olivares Family! We will be watching and rooting for you.
John Hernandez lives in Oracle. He is retired and enjoys writing and traveling. He is active in the Oracle Historical Society. He covers numerous public events, researches historical features and writes business/artist profiles.
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