How did Boyz II Men become a trio? Grammy-winning R&B group BATTLE Amber Ruffin on ‘Celebrity Family Feud’
'Celebrity Family Feud', hosted by Steve Harvey, returned on July 31, Sunday for Episode 4 as Grammy-winning boy band Boyz II Men faced off against comedian Amber Ruffin and her family. In Season 8 of the show that airs every Monday on ABC, two teams go head-to-head for a chance to win a grand cash prize that goes to a charity of their picking.
In the other feud during Episode 4, actor-comics Joe Lo Truglio and Thomas Lennon went up against each other. Boyz II men picked UK HealthCare's Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center as the charity of their choice. However, only two out of the four famous singers from the band, Wanya Norris and Shawn Stockman, made their appearance on the show. The duo was joined by Jo Koy, Joe Mulvihill and Joseph Herbert.
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Here are some more interesting tidbits from the show involving tongue-in-cheek exchanges between the host and the participants
Who make up the Boys II men?
Among one of the most successful R&B groups in the United States, Boyz II comprised of four members, Nathan Bartholomew Morris, Michael Sean McCary, Shawn Patrick Stockman and Wanya Jermaine Morris initially. Boyz II dominated the R&B charts in the country from the early 1990s to around 1995. The band, which was founded by Morris and Marc Nelson (later left), was initially known as Unique Attraction. Their first released was the album 'Cooleyhighharmony' in 1991, which sold over nine million copies and won them a Grammy. 'End Of The Road', a single from the band broke a record for most weeks at the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1992.
Nathan, Wanya and Shawn are listed as the current members of the group. While Marc left even before the group's first release, he had left the group to pursue a solo career. McCary resigned due to a medical condition. In 2003, McCary left Boyz II Men due to back spasms which later turned out to be multiple sclerosis.
Over the years, there were members who joined and left the group. However, the band stabilized once Shawn, Michael and Wanya joined the ensemble. The name Boyz II Men was mainly inspired by New Edition, a popular R&B group in the 80s. New Edition had a popular song called 'Boys to Men.' Boyz II Men even performed a capella rendition of a New Edition track called 'Can You Stand The Rain'.
Who is Amber Ruffin?
Those of you who have followed ‘Late Night With Seth Meyers’ would be familiar with Amber Ruffin, the talent behind the sharp writing of the show. The American comedian, writer and actress who had been a part of the ‘Late Night With Seth Meyers’ since its inception, now has her own late-night talk show called 'The Amber Ruffin Show' that airs on NBC.
Before she became a prominent part of Meyers's show, Ruffin was focusing on improv and theatre. She first began performing in local theatre productions and improv in 2001 in Omaha, where she was born. She pursued studies in improv at the iO Theater in Central Chicago. After gaining a few years of experience in acting and improv, she then moved to Amsterdam with the improv comedy troupe called Boom Chicago Amsterdam, to work as a writer and performer.