‘Family Feud’ players took herpes tests when Richard Dawson hosted

TV

By Samantha Ibrahim

Testing, testing … 1, 2, 3.

“Family Feud” contestants allegedly had to take herpes tests during former host Richard Dawson’s reign.

The comedian — who died at 79 in 2012 — had a knack for kissing female players on the mouth during the show’s episodes. And in order to keep everyone sanitary, tests for the oral sores went down on set, according to the new book “Outrageous: A History of Showbiz and the Culture Wars.”

Author Kliph Nesteroff penned that the iconic trivia show endorsed the new policy and had both male and female contestants “undergo a mouth test with a magnifying glass from medical distaff.”

Nesteroff recounted one player’s alleged experience, who recalled one production assistant announcing, “OK, everybody line up for your herpes tests,” in a dressing room.

Dawson was the emcee of the game show from 1976 to 1985, and from 1994 to 1995.

The assessments were implemented when a string of competitors complained about Dawson’s actions.

“Several game show fans were repulsed [by Dawson],” Nesteroff scribed.

A letter was then published in the Philadelphia Daily News, which slammed the show for having “promiscuous kissing.”

The memo read: “As a physician, I have wondered about the risks Richard Dawson takes in kissing every female contestant on ‘Family Feud.’”

“The diseases that could be transmitted by promiscuous kissing are too long and too loathsome to recount here. Does Dawson or the producers take any caution to prevent infection? Are none of them informed?” the letter asked.

Nesteroff spoke to People about his new book and gave some insight into how history has changed the show’s landscape.

“When you watch clips of that era of ‘Family Feud’ on YouTube and you see Richard Dawson kissing the ladies, a lot of the comments in the comment section will say things like, ‘Well, it was a different time. That’s the way men were back then. It was a different time. People weren’t so sensitive,’” he said.

He went on: “And here, again, is evidence to the contrary that all kinds of people were complaining.”

Dawson revealed to the Television Academy in 2010 why he kissed the players.

The “Hogan’s Heroes” alum, who died from complications of esophageal cancer, began handing out smooches because one female contestant was so tense that she couldn’t name a vegetable.

“I said, ‘I’m gonna do something that my mom would do to me whenever I had a problem of any kind,’” he said at the time. “And I kissed her on the cheek, and I said, ‘That’s for luck.’ And she said, ‘Asparagus.’”