Survey Says: Two Waltham Police Officers To Appear on Family Feud

Set your DVRs. Two Waltham Police officers and three of their family members will compete on Family Feud, airing on Monday, Jan. 28. 

Kristen Tracey, and her husband, Paul, both Waltham Police officers will square off on Family Feud at 3:30 p.m. with Paul’s two sisters, Maureen and Kathi, and brother, Jimmy. The famous game show will air on Ch. 7, WHDH-TV. 

“We had a lot of fun,” Kathi Ruiz, a former crossing guard who worked the intersection of Linden and Main Streets, told Waltham Patch in an interview this week. “It was a fun, family bonding experience.”

For anybody that knows the Tracey family, it’s not surprising they were picked for the show. In April or March 2012, Paul Tracey learned the show would be holding auditions at Foxwoods casino in Connecticut and thought his family’s energetic and boisterous dynamic would make them great candidates for the contest, Kathi Ruiz said.

“We fit all those criteria,” Ruiz said.

The family’s loving banter and charm impressed the show’s producers so much the team was picked to possibly appear on the show. The producers flew the Tracey family to Atlanta in June for five days of filming, Ruiz said.

“We did everything right to get picked,” she said. 

During the practice round, however, the family almost lost their shot to appear on the show, Ruiz said. The team, she said, was nervous especially around the trappings of a television studio. 

“We did not do well at all,” Ruiz said. 

Despite the poor showing, the program’s producers picked the Tracey team to film an episode for broadcast.

Over the next five days, the Traceys competed against several teams as they joked and laughed with host Steve Harvey and other contestants. Whether they were racking their brains for answers or sweating through tough questions, the Traceys loved joking and laughing together. Ruiz said the family had not had a fun outing together in a long time.

One moment of laughter came at the expense of Jimmy, who performed badly during the “Fast Money” round on the first day of filming.

“Jimmy… did horrible!” said Kristen Tracey, adding that he received the second lowest “Fast Money” score in Family Feud history. Harvey was quick to ridicule Jimmy for his low score.

“Steve Harvey was laughing so hard,” Kristen Tracey said.

For the Tracey family, appearing on the show was a tribute of sorts to Ruiz’s mother, Barbara, who died in 2010. Barbara used to watch Family Feud each day with family members who were caring for her, according to Ruiz.

For Kristen Tracey, the most difficult part of filming the show was coming up with answers as Harvey was asking questions or chatting with a contestant.

“I kept getting ‘X’,” said Tracey as she made an X with her hands, indicating she gave an incorrect answer.

For more details on how the Tracey team fared, tune into the show on Jan. 28. Also, the family is holding a viewing party at Shopper’s Café at 3:30 p.m. on Jan. 28. All are welcome.