These Conway residents are set to appear on TV game show Family Feud

K.O. Damron just might have a satellite bee lining for his head.

After all, an equally rare occurrence recently happened.

Damron, a Conway resident, and four of his family members participated on popular TV game show Family Feud in May for an episode set to air Monday night.

Damron figured the chances of getting on the show were a long shot when his wife, Sherri, told him she wanted to apply about a year ago.

“I said ‘Well, you could also stand outside and wait for a satellite to hit you. You’ve got about that much of a chance,’” he said. “I said ‘Go ahead and knock yourself out.’”

As it turns out, Damron was right about the long odds but wrong about the skepticism. His family was among 540 of 6,000 applicants that were invited for a tryout in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Damron family members impressed enough in the Tar Heel State to be told that they’d receive a postcard if they had made the cut.

“Sure enough, we got the postcard,” Damron said.

Family Feud paid all expenses to fly and put up the family — including K.O. and Sherri Lynn Damron, and Sherri’s twin sister Terri Ann Dempsey, her husband Jack Dempsey and their daughter Leslie Nichole Bohannon — in Los Angeles, where yet another surprise awaited.

“What we didn’t know was when we got to Los Angeles we had to audition again,” Damron said.

The Damrons ultimately made the cut after a long trial of auditioning. While a disclosure agreement prevents the Damrons from telling how they fared, the experience itself was memorable.

“We liked it a lot. Probably what we liked best was how we were treated by the staff associated with the show,” Damron said. “The producers and the other staff members literally treated us like family and coached us through the whole process. They acted genuinely like they wanted us to do well.”

Damron said the show will air on CW21 and he believes it will be at 7:30 p.m., though it’s possible it could appear at 7 p.m. as there are back-to-back episodes. The family will be introduced as “the Damron Family from Charleston, West Virginia” as that is their native state.

K.O. Damron is a military veteran who reached colonel status and a former West Virginia legislator, Sherri Damron is a former assistant to the West Virginia Lieutenant Governor, Terri Dempsey works at the West Virginia Division of Labor and is a former W.Va. corrections officer, Jack Dempsey is a former coal miner, and Bohannon is an assistant director at Rock Hill and Lancaster Radiation Theory.

The Damrons live in Conway, the Dempseys reside in Lincoln County, West Virginia and Bohannon lives in Indian Land, South Carolina.

K.O. Damron said the family members are big fans of the show, and he believes they held their own during their appearance despite having “250 to 300 people” in the live audience and “millions” ultimately watching with cash prizes and a new car on the line.

“I thought the team responded very well,” he said. “There were very few deer-in-the-headlights moments for us.”

The star of the show is host and comedian Steve Harvey, whom the family got a chance to meet and interact with.

“Steve Harvey’s personality is unbelievable,” Damron said. “His non-verbals, how he handles himself, he makes the show.”

Folks in Conway and back home in West Virginia are excited to tune in for the show, Damron said.

“I really couldn’t believe how excited people were getting,” he said. “Virtually everybody I’ve talked to knows about the show. They know who the star of the show is. And they can’t believe somebody they know is getting ready to be on the show.”

The contestants plan to meet up with friends and family in West Virginia on Monday to watch the episode.

“It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to get a chance to do this,” Damron said.

David Wetzel: @MYBSports, 843-626-0295