Warren's Petersons raise public profile on ‘Family Feud’

Staff report

WARREN

Vince Peterson’s many connections to the community – speaker, pastor, participant in an annual weight-loss challenge and probation officer – have made him one of Trumbull County’s most recognizable people.

But thanks to the popular television game show “Family Feud,” the whole Peterson family is about to move up the fame ladder.

An episode featuring the Petersons and host Steve Harvey will air at 7:30 p.m. Thursday on 21-WFMJ TV.

Peterson’s son, Vincent Peterson II, constituent liaison and field representative for U.S. Rep Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th, and Vincent’s wife, Shanice, took the first step.

At a friend’s suggestion, the couple sent a video of themselves to the show.

Show representatives liked it and invited them to bring several other family members to the Kalahari indoor water park in Sandusky for an audition. It involved the Petersons playing a game of Family Feud.

Afterward, they were taken into a room where they were asked to talk about themselves. They were instructed that the key was to “be energetic,” Vince said.

It apparently went well, because six months later, the Petersons were informed they were going to be flown to Los Angeles, where the show is filmed. It would be a four-day trip just after Memorial Day last year.

Not every family ended up in the show, but the Petersons were.

He can’t say anything about the actual game, but Vince says it was a good experience.

“We became friends with some of the families and had great conversations,” he said.

The show’s host, Harvey, graduated from high school while his family lived in Cleveland and knew about Warren, Vince said. Harvey also attended Kent State University with Warren’s mayor, Doug Franklin, Peterson said.