And the survey says: This Philly family was made for ‘Family Feud’ glory

Birthdays are a big deal for the Heuislers of Bala Cynwyd.

While siblings John, Bill, Chris, and Tim, have moved to other parts of the country, the Philly-area natives have made it a point to reunite for each of their 40th birthdays. The celebration typically calls for a surprise that’s a bit outside the box.

When John, 49, the oldest, turned 40, the family surprised him during a 26-mile marathon in Raleigh, N.C. They invited his friends and former rowing teammates to cheer him on at every one-mile mark. And when Bill, 47, reached the big 4-0, his loved ones showed up at a golf course in Los Angeles, and revealed surprise “golfers” at all 18 holes.

For Chris, 45, the family made a 70-minute film, and all four siblings played a different phase of the former actor’s life. They even made a soundtrack with the help of Philly-area native Don McCloskey, and premiered the film at a local theater near his current home in Belmont, Mass.

In Sept. 24, 2022, it was time for their sister Katy’s 40th surprise. But the second youngest of the five took matters into her own hands and decided to get married a day before her 40th birthday.

“It kind of threw off our plans,” said Chris. “We were all like, ‘What are we going to do’? And Bill was like, ‘Well, the [wedding] counts.’ And we’re like, ‘No, no it doesn’t.’”

While the wedding “was a great party,” Bill said, it wasn’t a true Heuisler-style surprise. And Katy’s four brothers weren’t letting her milestone go unmarked.

Months after Katy tied the knot, Chris was cooking dinner when he heard Steve Harvey’s voice blaring from the TV. The long-running game show Family Feud was on, and suddenly, a new plan for Katy’s 40th appeared.

Chris reached out to his brothers. “I texted them, ‘Yo, I just applied for Family Feud.’ Moon shot idea, but it would be epic to kidnap Katy and fly to Family Feud,” Chris said. That was April 9, 2023.

Four months later, the four brothers had a Zoom interview scheduled with a Family Feud casting director.

Eventually, they had to put the kidnapping idea to rest and bring Katy into the fold. They invited her on a Zoom call and revealed their audition video for the show, immediately bringing her to tears.

“It took me a minute to realize what was happening, but when I did, I just started crying,” said Katy, who now lives in West Chester. “I was overwhelmed with the lengths that they went to make this special thing happen.”

After their interview, the Family Feud showrunners invited the family down to Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta to film for the show’s 26th season.

They flew to Atlanta in April 2024 and after a series of preliminary rounds behind the scenes, the Katy-led squad earned a spot on the Family Feud stage.

Bill, who now lives in Redondo Beach, Calif., said the experience felt like he was playing with “house money.” He even had a chance to talk about Philly with Harvey in between rounds. “I had a blast. It was so much fun,” he said. “One of my siblings is kind of neurotic and was probably more anxious. And his name is Chris,” he joked.

Along with nerves, Chris said a flurry of unexpected emotion came over him. “I got teared up walking out because I got my four favorite people in the world to my left and my right,” Chris said. “It took my breath away.”

The combination led to a less-than-ideal start to their episode. “Steve literally looked me in the eye and said, ‘What the hell is wrong with you man?’ I kind of blacked out, but I had intention behind my answer. There was thought behind it.’” Chris said.

“You’re trying to justify it, but I thought you were trying to throw the game,” Tim, 38, joked.

While the goal was to take home the $20,000 prize, Katy said the sibling reunion was the real treat. “We got to spend 48 hours together, just the five of us, no husbands, no wives, no kids, and it felt like we were back to childhood,” she said. “It was just us five goofballs having the time of our lives.”

A day before he flew out to Boston for Christmas, Chris got the email that revealed their episode’s airtime — Feb. 11. “It was the best Christmas present,” Tim said.

What seemed like a pipe dream, will finally come full circle on Tuesday night. And while her 40th birthday surprise will arrive at age 42-and-a-half, Katy said the experience was beyond worthwhile.

She’s excited for the world to see her crazed, loving, and Philly-obsessed family.

“There might even be a viral moment. And if there is, it’s probably because of Chris.”

The new episode of “Family Feud” is available on CW Philly 57 at 7 p.m. The show is also available on live streaming services like Philo, DirecTV Stream, Hulu, and Sling TV.