- The New Family Challenge -

After the short hiatus during the summer of 1996, Family Challenge returned
with a new name, and a new host.  Michael Berger, from
Mike & Maty, and notably Woody Fraser's other show at the time,
Home and Family, became the host of the show.
 
 

Michael Berger
 
 

In a television interview, Berger said that "Hosting a game show is all
I've ever wanted to do."  Whether he was asking a
mom to hit her daughter in the face with a pie, or asking a son to pour
chocolate syrup onto his dad, Michael did a good job, too.

The new version of the show involved challenges with the audience
as well as the families, because it was taped live
in front of a studio audience at Universal Studios, and they had to allow
time for the families to get cleaned up backstage.
 
 

Two audience members facing off.
 
 

As you can see in the photo above, not only was this the debut
of audience challenges, but it was also
the debut of the new Family Challenge set.  One nice thing
about the new set is that there are large pictures
featuring memorable moments from the original Family Challenge.

As stated in the Game Format  section of this website, some of the original
challenges were used in the new version as well, especially
the infamous Gunk Tank.
 
 

The original Gunk Tank
 
 

The new Gunk Tank looked similar to one used in the original show, only it
was larger and featured a different substance.  The original
consisted of organic potting material, while the new one consisted of
watered-down green gelatin.
 
 

The new Gunk Tank
 
 

Now, onto the challenges.  Below are a few pictures of the challenges
used on the first episode of The New Family Challenge.
 
 

Beak Balloon Break
 
 

Know-your-family Pie Challenge
 
 

Left-overs Toss Challenge
 
 

Monster Outfit Giant Fan Relay