We surveyed 100 people: Name a way to bring together a group of broke college students.
The top answer on the board? A fun, nostalgic game night with a cash prize.
Student Entertainment Events held a game of Family Feud Tuesday in the Stamp Student Union’s Grand Ballroom. The exciting atmosphere quickly bonded a room full of strangers and strengthened friend groups like LJ Tiede’s, nicknamed “The Goofy Goobers.”
“One of my friends and I were walking and we saw the flyer for the Family Feud, and decided the goobers were gonna come out,” the senior family science major said.
Host Adam Ace opened the game with two questions to the audience: “Do we have any broke college students here?” and “Are any of you interested in winning some of this $200?” The crowd erupted in response.
But the night wasn’t all fun and games. Serious communication and teamwork were necessary to be truly deserving of the iconic praise of “good answer!”
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“I’ve been to the University of Maryland a couple times now. The crowds are always fun,” Ace said, calling Tuesday’s crowd “some of the more enthusiastic students we’ve had in a long, long time”
“Everybody was hyped up and ready to go and really into it,” Ace said.
Even after repeatedly losing rounds, “The Goofy Goobers” didn’t give up. Led by their captain, Tiede — who spent years studying Family Feud during visits to his grandma’s house — the team stole the last question from their opponents and won the night’s final round.
“It felt amazing. It had been a long night of losing,” Tiede said. “It had been a long night of losing.
Despite not doing so well earlier in the game, Tiede’s positivity and charm won him a special prize of $1 and the priceless title of “most energetic player.” The crowd chanted for him to give a speech, epitomizing how quickly the audience bonded.
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This is not the first time SEE has held a Family Feud-related event. In 2020, a virtual game took place on Zoom with University of Maryland-themed questions such as “What is the best place in College Park to eat pizza?” and “Favorite Maryland alum?”
According to SEE PR director Elise Bailey, a similar game was offered at Stamp Student Union’s All Niter event in February. SEE’s special events and traditions coordinators look for events that can bring people together, the senior marketing major said.
Bailey said the turnout was great and the audience’s energy was fun for her and other SEE directors to be a part of. SEE’s membership director, Warren Dansou, also joined a team of strangers that became fast friends.
“He’s never met them and he was having a great time,” Bailey said. “Everyone’s there for the same reason, just to have fun and I think it was a testament to how wonderful the UMD community can be.”
While no one walked away with a brand new car, Tiede, “The Goofy Goobers” and other attendees clapping to the beat of the iconic theme song was reminiscent of the actual game show — no Steve Harvey necessary.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story’s photo caption misstated where the Family Feud event took place. This story’s photo caption has been updated.
