Olympic gymnast, beloved ‘Bachelor’ star on Family Feud Tour — and you can play along

Actress and Olympic gymnast Cathy Rigby and “Bachelor in Paradise” alum Joe Amabile are stepping out of their comfort zones together this summer as celebrity team captains on the first-ever “Family Feud Live: Celebrity Edition.”

“Everything I do nowadays is new to me,” says Amabile, who toured with “Dancing With the Stars” after his run on the show in 2018. “There is no dance rehearsal or learning the salsa or jive. This is definitely more my speed.”

Olympic gymnast-turned-actress Cathy Rigby is no stranger to the stage, or to game shows. She’s appeared on “What’s My Line” and “Hollywood Squares,” but finds working without a script somewhat daunting.

“I’m excited and a little nervous,” Rigby says. “When I read a script, I tend to know exactly what I’m doing at all times. I thought this was a challenge I’d like to try. I play online, and I’m not great. Although with that, I couldn’t type fast enough or I misspelled words. On the show, it’s more spontaneous.”

The “Feud” tour is so unscripted that Rigby, Amabile and comedian Alonzo Bodden — who takes on the Steve Harvey role of host — won’t even meet until the day before the tour launches in Hanover, Md. It reaches Ovens Auditorium Thursday.

Much like the televised “Feud,” which has run for 43 years, there are no rehearsals for “Family Feud Live.”

That’s OK with Amabile given his recent experience as a reality TV star. “Being from Chicago, when I was younger I did Second City and a few improv teams.”

Both he and Rigby are excited about meeting the audience members, who’ll be chosen at random for their teams while the rest of the crowd can play from their seats.

“You don’t have to be with your family or part of a family to play,” Amabile says.

Rigby compares the spontaneity to being on stage in “Seussical.”

“I played the Cat in the Hat, and there is a lot of ad-lib with the audience. It was actually quite fun, and the more you relax, you can kind of feel the temperament of the audience. It can’t help but inform how you play things. It’s like a person. (A crowd) has a vibe, a feel, or a tone.”

For those audience members who aren’t too keen on getting up on stage in front of a couple thousand people, Amabile insists it’s all in good fun: “I know if I was in the audience, I’d want to make the team.”