We Are Family (TV series) explained

Genre:	Game show
Presenter:	Anthony Anderson Doris Bowman Joel McHale (guest host; eps 9–10)
Country:	United States
Language:	English
Num Seasons:	1
Num Episodes:	10
Executive Producer:	Jeff Apploff Joni Day Jamie Foxx Matilda Zoltowski
Camera:	Multi-camera
Company:	BiggerStage Fox Alternative Entertainment Apploff Entertainment
Network:	Fox

We Are Family was an American game show that premiered on January 3, 2024 on Fox. Hosted by Anthony Anderson and his mother Doris Bowman, the show featured three unknown singers, each performing in one round, and a celebrity relative to each singer who is hidden until the end of their round.

Format

During each one-hour episode, three performers sing for a studio audience consisting of 100 contestants who stand at individually-named desks attempting to guess what famous celebrity the performer is related to. Over the course of three rounds, contestants have several opportunities to win various amounts of cash, with the maximum possible shared prize winnings totaling $150,000 per episode. The same 100 contestants carry throughout the season, returning for each new episode.

The first two performers each sing two songs; one solo followed by one duet with their famous relative. The third and final performer of each episode does not sing solo, only singing the duet with their relative. Performers are visible on the stage and give a brief bio of themselves before singing, while the famous relative is concealed within "the sphere", a large half-circle in the middle of the set. The celebrity relatives are obscured using various lighting techniques. Brief glimpses of the celebrity are shown only in silhouette form. During the performer's intro, contestants need to listen carefully in the event that they might give some verbal clues to their celebrity relative's identity.

Prize money for the first round is $20,000 and is split among all contestants who correctly guess the celebrity relative. During round one, three clues to the celebrity identity are displayed on the sphere during the solo performance, and three more clues are shown during the duet, for a total of six clues. During each song, contestants lock in their guesses on a tablet at their station. The speed with which they lock in correct answers determines their possible eligibility to participate in the third round. After each song is performed, the host polls randomly-selected contestants regarding who they guessed as the celebrity and why. After the contestant interviews are complete, the performer and their celebrity relative begin the same duet again, this time for the reveal. After the first couple of lines of the song, the singing stops, but the music continues as the two halves of the sphere start to open. With smoke obscuring their identity, the celebrity gradually comes forward on the stage to reveal who they are. The duet then finishes with both performer and celebrity relative now visible. The host speaks with the pair briefly before they exit the stage together. Once the pair have left the stage, the host reveals how many of the 100 contestants correctly guessed the identity of the celebrity relative, and therefore split the $20,000 prize for round one.

Prize money for the second round is raised to $30,000 and is once again split among all contestants who correctly guess the celebrity relative of the second performer. The format for round two is identical to round one.

After the first two rounds, the host reveals how many contestants correctly guessed both the first and second celebrity relatives, qualifying them for a chance to be the single "Star Player" who will guess in the third round. Out of the group of contestants eligible for round three, the person with the fastest times guessing correctly in rounds one and two earns the position of Star Player for round three. Only the Star Player can guess during round three and compete for the round three prize winnings. Once a contestant has been selected as Star Player, they are ineligible to be the Star Player again in future episodes.

Prize money for the third round is raised to $100,000. During round three, the performer skips the solo song, and only performs a duet with their celebrity relative. During the duet, five clues to the celebrity's identity are displayed on the sphere. The possible winnings in round three for the Star Player are determined by when they lock in their guess, and whether or not they are correct. An incorrect guess results in no prize money from round three, but they do keep their winnings from the first two rounds. In the event of a correct guess of the celebrity's identity, the round three prize money is awarded as follows: $100,000 if guessed after the first clue, $75,000 if guessed after the second clue, $50,000 if guessed after the third clue, $25,000 if guessed after the fourth clue, and $10,000 if guessed after the fifth and final clue.

Weeks

Week 1 (January 3)

Performances on the first episode
Name	Solo Song	Duet Song	Celebrity Relative
Evandia Penix^[1]	"The Greatest Love of All"	"Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)"	Michelle Williams
Audrey Brown^[2]	"Valerie"	"It's Still Rock and Roll to Me"	Joel McHale
Edward J. (E.J.) Glaser^[3]	N/A	"How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)"	Nikki Glaser

Highlighted Contestants
Name	Hometown	Occupation	Strategy
Juwane Brown	Marietta, GA	Customer Service Manager	"My strategy is to not only pay attention to the given clues, but pay attention to everything that goes on on that stage because everything can be a clue to win this game."
Charlie Semar	Chicago, IL	Sports Statistician	"Well, when she said Cubs fan, I’ve seen him at games all the time, I went with Bill Murray!"
Adam Sanderson	Carmarillo, CA	Ballroom Dance Instructor	"I like to listen, unlike my ex-boyfriends. On the side of being a bartender and ballroom dance instructor, I am an avid casino poker player so I'm used to taking risks."

Week 2

Night 1 (January 10)

Performances on the second episode
Name	Solo Song	Duet Song	Celebrity Relative
Jaelyn Kay	"I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)"	"Born This Way"	JoJo Siwa
Lola Sofia Bonfiglio	"Wouldn't It Be Nice"	"California Dreamin'"	Carnie Wilson
Caylin Newton	N/A	"We Will Rock You"	Cam Newton

Highlighted Contestants
Name	Hometown	Occupation	Strategy
Maria Boyancé	Atlanta, GA	Business Consultant	"Since I'm a true Millennial, I'm always on Instagram looking at all the gossip blog posts and everything, so I'm hoping to take my knowledge from there, use it with the clues to figure out what celebrity is behind the sphere, and all around."
Scott Kirschman	Columbus, OH	Retired Prosecuter	N/A

Night 2 (January 14)

Performances on the third episode
Name	Solo Song	Duet Song	Celebrity Relative
Kenzie Bausmith	"Un-Break My Heart"	"Hot Stuff"	Candace Cameron Bure
Tyler Suddeth	"Country Girl (Shake It for Me)"	"Midnight Train to Georgia"	Lauren Alaina
Shaina Farrow	N/A	"I Want It That Way"	Jay Pharoah

Highlighted Contestants
Name	Hometown	Occupation	Strategy
Tim Sternberg	Plantation, FL	Education Advocate	“I host a daily trivia show on social media and I am going to dig into the crevices of my mind to find the right answers!”
Chelsea Kline	Chicago, IL	Public Health Worker	N/A

Week 3 (January 17)

Performances on the fourth episode
Name	Solo Song	Duet Song	Celebrity Relative
Mary English	"Last Dance"	"I Will Survive"	Tiffany Haddish
Nick Gibson	"Dreams"	"Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)"	Debbie Gibson
Michael Conrad Braxton Jr.	N/A	"Lean on Me"	Tamar Braxton

Highlighted Contestants
Name	Hometown	Occupation	Strategy
Jenna DiCostanzo	Long Island, NY	Lawyer	"As an attorney, I have to look at evidence every day, so while I'm looking at these clues, I'm looking at them to see if I can find the truth: who is it behind that sphere?"
Jason Walker	Akron, OH	Pastor	"My strategy is to watch the players. I feel like everyone's got a tell. You gotta kind of move around with that, see what they're thinking."

Week 4 (January 24)

Performances on the fifth episode
Name	Solo Song	Duet Song	Celebrity Relative
Sharmaine Stowes	"Respect"	"24K Magic"	Terrell Owens
Rock Richard Monahan	"One Call Away"	"I Don't Want to Miss a Thing"	Pat Monahan
Sophia Umansky	N/A	"Love You like a Love Song"	Kyle Richards

Highlighted Contestants
Name	Hometown	Occupation	Strategy
Cody Latimer	Steubenville, OH	Academic Advisor	"In my free time, I play in a band and sing. So I'm really listening to how the celebrity and their relative duet together."
Hannah Neuman	Colorado Springs, CO	Pop Culture Influencer	"I'm a Pop Culture Influencer, and my niche is actually 'Deep Dives' so I'm constantly filling up entire notebooks of research on celebrities's scandals, breakups, makeups and more. So, I'm just going to trust my gut. This stuff just kind of lives in my head rent free, as it is already."
Tyler Woodbridge	Columbus, OH	Server	N/A

Week 5 (January 31)

Performances on the sixth episode
Name	Solo Song	Duet Song	Celebrity Relative
Red Grammer	"I Can See Clearly Now"	"Humble and Kind"	Andy Grammer
Julian Frampton	"Rebel Rebel"	"Black Hole Sun"	Peter Frampton
Bella Polizzi	N/A	"I Love It"	Snooki

Highlighted Contestants
Name	Hometown	Occupation	Strategy
Miles Triplett	Powder Springs, GA	Delivery Driver	"I am a delivery driver, so my job is to be fast with everything I do. So whatever comes to mind, I will put into this tablet, and that will be the right answer."
Ashlee Gillum	Detroit, MI	Custom Nail Artist	"Well I'm gonna make sure that I pay attention to the details, because I do custom press on nails, and I'm also going to make sure I use the clues, and you know, just nail it."
Alexandra Burris	Atlanta, GA	Stay at Home Mom	N/A

Week 6 (February 14)

Performances on the seventh episode
Name	Solo Song	Duet Song	Celebrity Relative
Janine Fatone-Butler	"Oops!... I Did It Again"	"Walking on Sunshine"	Joey Fatone
Kayla Brianna Smith	"Use Somebody"	"Airplanes"	Kenny Smith
Jason "JD" Morgan	N/A	"Friends in Low Places"	Sarah Palin

Highlighted Contestants
Name	Hometown	Occupation	Strategy
Carolina Sofía	Guaynabo, PR	Dog Walker	"I think that I'm gonna be able to pick up on mannerisms. I feel like family members tend to have the same mannerisms. Like me just gesturing like this? Everyone in my family does that. Ya know what I'm sayin'?"
Cohen Robinson	Lakeland, FL	House Cleaning Entrepreneur	N/A

Week 7 (February 21)

Performances on the eighth episode
Name	Solo Song	Duet Song	Celebrity Relative
Dominic Nash	"Uptown Funk"	"Can You Stand the Rain"	Niecy Nash
Jacquelyn Howard	"For Once in My Life"	"Hound Dog"	Dwight Howard
Ayoub Kharbouch	N/A	"Ready or Not"	French Montana

Highlighted Contestants
Name	Hometown	Occupation	Strategy
Kenny North	Washington, DC	Hotel Manager	"Well I play trivia just about twice a week when I'm back home at one of my favorite bars -- what's up everybody! I'm just kind of used to answering questions, like, quickly. I let the game kind of like come to me though, so."
Brooke Westlake	Reno, NV	Cannabis Expo CEO	"Four years ago, I took a chance on myself and I started my own company. My mission statement for the company is "connect, inspire, and learn" and so it's all about connecting with who's on stage, and then learning all the clues, and dialing in what my guess is."

Week 8 (February 28)

Part 1

Performances on the ninth episode
Name	Solo Song	Duet Song	Celebrity Relative
Jean Rodríguez	"So Sick"	"Stand by Me"	Luis Fonsi
Prima Apollinaare	"Will You Love Me Tomorrow"	"Islands in the Stream"	Dermot Mulroney
Guinevere Liddell	N/A	"Eye of the Tiger"	Chuck Liddell

Highlighted Contestants
Name	Hometown	Occupation	Strategy
Audrey Furtado	San Diego, CA	College Student	"Well, I'm a full time student, actually, so I'm very used to takng tests like every single week. So I feel like in this game, I'm studying the clues as they're popping up, so I'm ready."
Madeline Schneider	Brooklyn, NY	Accountant	"Well, because I'm a New Yorker, I'm a classic overthinker. So my strategy really is to go with my first instinct, listen to what's going on, who's singing, and don't try to overthink it."

Part 2

Performances on the tenth episode
Name	Solo Song	Duet Song	Celebrity Relative
Egypt Jahnari Criss	"And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going"	"Lady Marmalade"	Sandra "Pepa" Denton
Mackenzie Lee Hart	"I Put a Spell on You"	"(You Drive Me) Crazy"	Melissa Joan Hart
Olivia Van Der Beek	N/A	"I Hope You Dance"	James Van Der Beek

Highlighted Contestants
Name	Hometown	Occupation	Strategy
Stephan Sharenko	Atlanta, GA	Credit Card Sales Processor	"So I'm in sales, so all competitive sales people spend their time observing. So I'mma pay attention to the music, the clues on that majestic sphere, anything you say to the relatives that pop up here -- and because I have that competitive spirit, these fine folks and this game: they're all going down!"
Noah Bender	Foster City, CA	Kids Birthday Party Character	"I am a maticulous consumer of media. You know, I actually have a list called "Everything I've Ever Seen Ever." So I'm trying to pull from that list and see if I recognize who's up there, because I've seen a lot, let me tell ya."
Ivani Bing	Kansas City, MO	Radio Personality	N/A

Production

On May 15, 2023, it was announced that Fox had ordered the series, with Jamie Foxx and Corinne Foxx as the hosts. Jamie Foxx also serves as the executive producer.^[4] ^[5] ^[6] ^[7] ^[8] ^[9] On November 10, 2023, it was announced that Anthony Anderson and Doris Bowman would replace Jamie Foxx and Corinne Foxx as the hosts. It was also announced that the series would premiere on January 3, 2024, following the third season premiere of I Can See Your Voice.^[10] ^[11] ^[12] ^[13] ^[14] ^[15] ^[16] ^[17] ^[18]

Reception

Critical response

Notes and References

Web site: Who is Evandia's Famous Relative from We Are Family?. Feeling the Vibe. Courtney Rose. January 3, 2024. January 4, 2024. January 4, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240104052804/https://www.feelingthevibe.com/news/who-is-evandia-from-we-are-family-related-to/. live.
Web site: We Are Family Premieres with Star-Studded Surprises: Audrey's Famous Relative Revealed!. Feeling the Vibe. Courtney Rose. January 3, 2024. January 4, 2024. January 4, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240104052805/https://www.feelingthevibe.com/news/we-are-family-premieres-with-star-studded-surprises-audreys-famous-relative-revealed/. live.
Web site: We Are Family Unveils Surprise Talent: Nikki Glaser's Father Takes the Stage on FOX Debut. Feeling the Vibe. Courtney Rose. January 3, 2024. January 4, 2024. January 4, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240104052806/https://www.feelingthevibe.com/news/we-are-family-unveils-surprise-talent-nikki-glasers-father-takes-the-stage-on-fox-debut/. live.
FOX Entertainment Announces 2023-24 Program Slate with 6 New Series Orders, 5 Second Season Renewals and 13 Additional Series Returns. Fox. The Futon Critic. May 15, 2023. December 29, 2023. January 25, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240125172724/http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2023/05/15/fox-entertainment-announces-2023-24-program-slate-with-6-new-series-orders-5-second-season-renewals-and-13-additional-series-returns-99004/20230515fox01/. live.
Web site: Fox Unveils 2023-24 Programming Slate, Does Not Announce Fall Schedule For Second Straight Year. Deadline Hollywood. Nellie Andreeva. May 15, 2023. December 29, 2023. September 7, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230907171045/https://deadline.com/2023/05/fox-2023-24-programming-slate-no-fall-schedule-rob-wade-1235366606/. live.
All-New Music Guessing Game Show "We Are Family" to Be Hosted by Jamie and Corinne Foxx. Fox. The Futon Critic. May 15, 2023. December 29, 2023. January 25, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240125172806/http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2023/05/15/all-new-music-guessing-game-show-we-are-family-to-be-hosted-by-jamie-and-corinne-foxx-790101/20230515fox02/. live.
Web site: Jamie & Corinne Foxx To Host Guessing Game Show We Are Family For Fox. Deadline Hollywood. Peter White. May 15, 2023. December 29, 2023. November 28, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231128220655/https://deadline.com/2023/05/jamie-foxx-to-host-game-show-we-are-family-for-fox-1235366580/. live.
FOX Announces All Original Fall 2023 Slate with All-New Animated and Unscripted Series. Fox. The Futon Critic. July 11, 2023. December 29, 2023. January 25, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240125172710/http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2023/07/11/fox-announces-all-original-fall-2023-slate-with-all-new-animated-and-unscripted-series-971012/20230711fox01/. live.
Web site: Fox Unveils Strike-Proof Fall Schedule With Reality-Heavy Plan; Lego Masters Moves To Thursday, Kitchen Nightmares Returns On Mondays. Deadline Hollywood. Peter White. Denise Petski. July 11, 2023. December 29, 2023. July 20, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230720202317/https://deadline.com/2023/07/fox-fall-2023-schedule-1235434478/. live.
Emmy Nominated Actor and Producer Anthony Anderson to Host FOX's "We Are Family" Alongside His Mother, Doris Bowman. Fox. The Futon Critic. November 10, 2023. December 29, 2023. January 25, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240125172725/http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2023/11/10/emmy-nominated-actor-and-producer-anthony-anderson-to-host-foxs-we-are-family-alongside-his-mother-doris-bowman-864411/20231110fox01/. live.
Web site: Anthony Anderson & Mom Doris Bowman Replacing Jamie & Corinne Foxx As Hosts Of Fox Game Show We Are Family. Deadline Hollywood. Denise Petski. November 10, 2023. December 29, 2023. January 25, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240125172711/https://deadline.com/2023/11/anthony-anderson-jamie-foxx-mama-doris-host-we-are-family-fox-1235599891/. live.
"I Can See Your Voice," with Host and Executive-Producer Ken Jeong, and Celebrity Panelists Cheryl Hines and Adrienne Bailon-Houghton Returns for Season Three on Wednesday, Jan. 3 at 8/7c. Fox. The Futon Critic. November 15, 2023. December 29, 2023. January 25, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240125172815/http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2023/11/15/i-can-see-your-voice-with-host-and-executive-producer-ken-jeong-and-celebrity-panelists-cheryl-hines-and-adrienne-bailon-houghton-returns-for-season-three-on-wednesday-jan-3-at-8-7c-960115/20231115fox01/. live.
Web site: I Can See Your Voice: Fox Reveals Return Date For Ken Jeong Hosted Game Show. Deadline Hollywood. Lynette Rice. November 15, 2023. December 29, 2023. November 22, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231122172138/https://deadline.com/2023/11/i-can-see-your-voice-fox-season-2-return-date-1235612240/. live.
FOX Announces Premiere Dates for New and Returning Series to Launch Winter and Spring 2024. Fox. The Futon Critic. November 21, 2023. December 29, 2023. January 25, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240125172725/http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2023/11/21/fox-announces-premiere-dates-for-new-and-returning-series-to-launch-winter-and-spring-2024-168514/20231121fox02/. live.
Web site: Fox Midseason Premiere Dates: The Cleaning Lady, Alert & Animal Control Set March Return As Family Guy Moves To Midweek Slot. Deadline Hollywood. Peter White. Denise Petski. November 21, 2023. December 29, 2023. November 25, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231125210008/https://deadline.com/2021/06/fox-explores-ufos-tmz-special-is-the-truth-out-there-1234778726/. live.
Anthony Anderson to Host 75th Emmy Awards. Fox. The Futon Critic. December 13, 2023. December 29, 2023. January 25, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240125173215/http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2023/12/13/anthony-anderson-to-host-75th-emmy-awards-325410/20231213fox01/. live.
Web site: Anthony Anderson To Host Emmy Awards On Fox. Deadline Hollywood. Nellie Andreeva. December 13, 2023. December 29, 2023. December 29, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231229192741/https://deadline.com/2023/12/anthony-anderson-host-75th-emmy-awards-fox-2023-2024-1235665886/. live.
Video: First Look at "We Are Family" Premiering Wednesday, January 3, on FOX. Fox. The Futon Critic. December 13, 2023. December 29, 2023. January 25, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240125173216/http://www.thefutoncritic.com/video/2023/12/13/video-first-look-at-we-are-family-premiering-wednesday-january-3-on-fox-108425/20231213fox06/. live.