MANITOWANING—For three nights last week, residents of Manitowaning and across Manitoulin Island were spellbound, glued to their televisions to watch members of the Sprack family (Marc, Debbie, Anne, Shari and Mike) as they awed Family Feud Canada audiences across the country. Winning three games in a row, the family took home close to $21,000 in total. The program aired on CBC television last Tuesday through Thursday at 7:30 pm and can be watched on CBC Gem, the national broadcaster’s streaming service.
“I thought it was great. The Spracks were wonderful,” said Marilyn Wohlberg, a Manitowaning resident who knows the Sprack family very well. “Debbie is part of the Burns Wharf Theatre group, so it was really exciting to see her. I feel very proud of them and am very happy for them.”
“It is cool,” said Mike Addison of Gore Bay, who also knows the family well. He was in Mike’s class in school and worked with Shari years ago. “It’s nice to see it.”
Assiginack Township’s mayor, Brenda Reid, told The Expositor, “Isn’t it wonderful? Huge congratulations (to the Sprack family). I think everyone is just loving it. The Island was cheering them on.”
The Spracks won their first game against the Davies family of Alberta, although they did not win the $10,000 cash prize in that game. They ended up earning about $800, based on the points they accumulated.
On Wednesday, the Spracks defeated the Gautam family of Mississauga, with Marc and Anne rising to the challenge in the second part of the game, amassing the 200 points needed to win $10,000. They won the $10,000 challenge in two of their three games. Families are allowed to play a maximum of three games.
“Our whole team really did love the Sprack family,” said Lindsay Christopher, acting associate producer for Family Feud Canada with CBC. “Our crew thinks it’s really great when families are genuine and just give us who they are and lay everything on the table.”
“We know how exhausted they were at the end of their (three show) run,” Ms. Christopher added. “We especially love the families that play hard but have fun and show who they truly are. That’s all we can ask for.”
It was Anne Sprack, a nurse in Sudbury, who spearheaded the family’s participation in the game. After seeing an advertisement on Facebook that said show producers were looking for families on Manitoulin Island, Anne called her siblings and asked if they were interested. “They said ‘okay’ so I went into my basement and made a video as to why we should be chosen.”
“I said in the video, ‘You want us on the show! We are from Manitoulin Island. We’re the Sprack Attack,’” Anne said. “It was a lot of work but an incredible journey through practicing and rehearsal, a bonding moment. We reminded each other of stories about living on Manitoulin and about each other, many of them funny stories. We shared that with the audience, about being family.”
She said the whole experience of the show was “a little more than any of us expected. When you watch the show on television, you don’t realize how incredibly talented and hardworking the staff of CBC is. They are all incredibly professional and talented, and we need to credit those that put the show together. They were respectful, and supported and laughed with us.”
One incident stands out in her mind, that occurred while the Spracks were waiting to go on their last show. “A new family was getting ready to film after us and one of the producers asked us to go talk to them and calm them down. They were so nervous,” said Anne.
“Mike went over to talk to the family and within a couple of minutes, there was laughter. “Every family was a good bunch,” said Anne.
“They (producers) do want energy, though,” she added. “By the third show we were tired, tired and nervous. Host Gerry Dee is extremely witty and respectful. He is a great guy.”
“We had a lot of fun but we were like fish out of water,” Marc said. “We’re a tight family, usually lounging around the lake and then we were in a big television studio in front of a live audience and being asked about growing up and living on Manitoulin Island.”
“We were fortunate to have won three times, and that is the limit,” he said. “A family has to be replaced after they have been on the show three times. We did very well. Only one family this season has won the limit of $30,000.”
“If anything, I’m proud that we were able to represent Manitoulin Island and to let people know how incredible a place it is,” Anne said. “It provided us with an opportunity to connect with people we haven’t seen or heard from in years, like my camp instructor.”
“No matter where we live, we are at heart Manitoulin Islanders,” said Anne.
Both Marc and Debbie encouraged other families who may be thinking of applying to be on the show to do so. “Oh my gosh it was fun, and CBC is fantastic. They take care of everything.”
CBC paid for the family to travel to the studio for taping, for accommodation and other needs. “They are top notch,” Marc said. “It is a great way for a family to have a whole lot of fun together. It is fortunate that I come from a family of storytellers.
“It is definitely a worthwhile experience for any family to take part in,” said Debbie. “It is something we will never regret or ever forget. Our family is pretty close, but this experience made us even closer We kept in touch the last three nights (when the show was aired) texting and laughing.”
“It is a process,” Debbie added. “The taping of the show was made a little difficult for CBC as it took place during COVID, but they did a great job. We had to be vaccinated.”
The episodes were taped in May of 2022.
“It is a great deal of fun,” said Debbie. “Gerry was fantastic, and our stage producer, Dan, and his team. We couldn’t have been treated any more royally. We were happy to represent Manitoulin and had so much fun.”
It was evident the family was getting a lot of support when it took Debbie 40 minutes to walk through the Manitowaning grocery store last week when the show was on air. “I knew a lot of people were watching. After the first night, I spent the next five hours answering texts and calls.”
One of the goals the family set was to make a donation to the Wiikwemkoong Nursing home in memory of their mother, Joyce, who lived there before she passed away in December 2022. Before Christmas, the family donated two stereo sets for the residents, along with a karaoke machine.
“We made this donation in memory of our mom,” Anne told The Expositor. “We’re going to have a party one weekend this summer (at sibling Scott Sprack’s camp. He was a member of the team as a back-up), and with whatever was left we were to buy something just for ourselves. I bought myself an electric bike.” Her sibling Scott was also a member of the team, acting as back-up. However, he had to go through the same process as the rest of his siblings.
“We’re dedicated to finding fun families in every province and territory, and would love to see more families from your area,” said Ms. Christopher. For families who want to apply to appear on Family Feud Canada, visit cbc.ca/familyfeud. Ms. Christopher will be keeping an eye out for your applications from Manitoulin Island.
