Vinton gets an idea of taking the family (eveyone except Sonja) on to the game show Family Feud, so that they can have a chance at winning $10,000. He's even selected each person for his team for different reasons: Buzz (the teenage heartthrob), Naomi (the beauty), Mama (the sweet old lady), and Ellen and Vint as the brains of the family and could prolly win the money on their own. Ellen disagrees and says that she is the only one that is smart enough to win the money (meaning that Vint is dumb). Everyone takes a while to convince Mama to go, but she finally gives in. The opposing family is the very snooty Van Courtland's, who win the first round. Vint ends up winning the second match-up and decides to play in order to take the lead. After a short break, the point values are doubled and the Van Courtland's win the face-off and almost win the game, but Mama gets one last chance to steal. The survey question was ""What do you wind up?"" and the Harper's are telling Mama to answer with ""A m

Mama's already annoyed and trying to avoid Roselle so she won't have to head up the latest charity drive. While Bubba's late for dinner, which of course annoys Mama even more. He's learning to use the school video camera as he's planning to make a film about the Harper family for a school project. So to begin he has everyone gather at the dining room table, problem is their all decked out in their best clothes.

The story starts in the hosptal, and Vint comes into the scene with Naomi, Ellen, and Eunice standing the the middle of the lobby, looking worried. As he asks what happened, Naomi is the first one to tell him the story of what happened in the kitchen that day. Mama and the girls were in the kitchen making gooseberry jam, and she was being the perfect daughter-in-law, Ellen was helping a little bit, and Eunice comes into the door late, claiming that her car broke down, and that she was almost run over out on route 5. Ellen said that she was out on route 5 getting the berries, and she didn't see her at all. However, Eunice thinks different.They pick a fight, and then the gooseberries start to stick to the pot. When Mama says: ""Sweetie, Get that pot for me"", they both run to the pot and start to argue for it. They tell Naomi to butt out, and then they fight for the pan. As they are swinging it around, they smack Mama in the afce with it. She is out cold. The next one to tell the story is

Naomi is giving Bubba and Vint a love test to see how romantic they are,from the latest issue Lady's Circle.As it turns out Vint is a ""cold fish"" and Bubba is a ""Red Hot Romeo"". Vint decides to try and be more romantic and gets Bubba to.write a romantic letter to Naomi

The Harpers, Iola and Aunt Effie must go.for cover in the basement when a tornado passes through Raytown on Thanksgiving.

After attending a family wedding, Bubba, Mama, and Iola fantasize about what married life would be like with the objects of their affections.

Ellen Shows up and announces she's been given the ""Woman of the Year"" award at the Raytown Country Club that night.But what she doesn't know is Mayor Tutwiller has invited Mama and the family along as a surprise for Ellen. In a side plot Vint thinks Mama's lost his bowling ball after she says she put it in a ""Safe Place"".As expected the family arrives at the country club and Ellen is mortified.They ofcourse embarass her with the way they act. Finally after dinner,which Mama complains wasn't done.Mayor Tutwiller starts the ceremony by letting Mama say a few words.It turns out to be more than few as she basically brings the house down with comments.

Iola is distraught when her cat Midnight dies,although everyone else is thankful,noting that the cat was as mean as a rattlesnake. But Iola refuses to let go and nothing can console her---until she decides to have it freeze-dried.She goes all out and buys a model that meows when you pet it.She leaves it with Mama for a while and Mama takes it out to the front porch and leaves it. That's where Vint falls on it as he, Naomi and Bubba are bringing in a trunk they just bought from the police surplus. Thinking they killed the cat, they bury it,and go into to open the trunk.Which has a hole on the side of it and is the home of a Mama cat and her kittens.One of which looks just like Iola's former pet who adopts it immediately.

Thelma invites Reverend Meecham to dinner in the hopes of being named the president of the Church Ladies League. However, a surprise visitor of Hubby's throws a hitch into her plans.

Mama forgets one of Bubba's phone messages but refuses to admit she needs to write them down, as she did earlier with Naomi. So Iola suggests they get a answering machine. Thinking it would cost to much, Mama refuses, until Iola says she has one they can have for free. Meanwhile, Naomi brings a stray dog home and her and Vint try to find a home for it, while trying to keep it hid from Mama. They lock it up in the garage, where Mama keeps hearing it bark but they convince her she's losing her mind. After intercepting a series of phone messages, Mama becomes convinced there gonna send her off, because she's going crazy. But all is soon revealed, and the dog finds a home at the senior citizens center.

After reading about how much it costs to raise a child, Vint and Naomi decide to start a business selling bottles of Mama's mother-in-law's "miracle tonic."

It's Mama's birthday and she doesn't want no fuss. No cake, no party, and no presents. She only wants one thing, everyone to help clean out the attic. She thinks they could get it done in a couple of hours if everyone pitched in. But Vint, Sonya, Ellen, and Naomi all come up with some silly excuses to get out of it. Buzz is the only one who can't think of one so he agrees. While there cleaning Buzz asks Mama to tell him about her 30th birthday party. In a flashback, we see Mama and the kids as she's getting ready for her party and thinking Carl is going to get a big promotion at work she orders a 19 cubic foot deep freeze. Then Grandma Crowley calls to say she can't make Thelma's Birthday cake. Carl comes in and announces he didn't get the promotion, right as they deliver the deep freeze. Thelma has to use a fruitcake as her cake,topped by Vint's present of a paper heart. Thelma soon finds out that Carl didn't the promotion as Burt Wembley Stops by to thank Carl for turning it down. He

Mama's sister, Frannie, has just passed away, and even if she can't bring herself to tell how Frannie actually died (it was by inhaling a tooth pick in the ladies room at the Bigger Jigger). Mama is never the less determined to give her late sister something she never had, a ""perfect day"". But things soon turn from perfect to terrible as one disaster after another strikes. First Mama finds out Don and Loraine won't be there and ofcourse Buzz and Sonya won't either (for unexplained reasons) and Ed and Eunice have moved to Florida (a blessing). Then Ellen calls and says she's got something more pressing business and can't make it either. Later, as the the family gets home from the funeral, we find out Vint forgot to shut the hearse door, resulting in the coffin flying out of the hearse and down the on-ramp to the free way.

An anonymous letter convinces Vint that he's adopted, so he sets out to find his biological mother.

When Vint is accused of being Raytown's "Courteous Crook", Mama and Iola take action to clear his name.

Mama is sacked out on the couch after laser surgery to remove a Corn from her toe. Having Bubba wait on her hand and foot, when Vint and Naomi come in, dressed for a dance contest their going to. Mama's starts talking about her memories of the place where the event being held and everyone decides to go along with them as their cheering session. Mama runs into an old friend, Ramon and they decide to enter the contest against Vint and Naomi, as do Bubba and Iola. Two of the final three are ofcourse Vint/Naomi and Mama/Ramon. It comes down to having to draw from a hat to determine which dance your gonna do. In the end Mama and Ramon win in an upset after doing the ""Latin Sizzle"" aka Dirty Dancin.

Naomi and Vint rush in to get ready for the awards banquet that night for Food Circus. While Mama complains to the meter guy about her electric bill saying it's always a certain price but this month it's $20.00 higher and she refuses to pay it.

April fools day has Mama in a particularly foul mood, as always. First Bubba gets her with a hand buzzer and Vint scares her with a plastic snake. Before leaving Naomi gets her too with a sign on her back that Iola finds. The fun though isn't contained to the family as Iola gets her too with a special 'lemon sponge cake', that turns out to really be a lemon and sponges. All this time, Mama is hoping to win the golden troll award. The last draw is when Naomi, Vint and Bubba blow off yard work for a day on the lake watching the ski show. While Mama's next door, the family gets a call telling them they've won the award and should expect the media around 4 0'clock. Only problem is Mama doesn't believe them when she's informed off the wonderful news.

Mama is invited to her junior high school's 50th reunion, but she is reluctant to go because of a false rumor that was spread about her years ago that earned her the nickname "Hotpants"

Bubba books a band called The Bonecrushers for homecoming, and tells the family that the band will be staying with them. They turn out to be an all-female heavy metal band, and Mama must rein them in.

Fran gets a fill-in job as a an advice columnist, when she asks Mama for an answer to a question and Mama does what she does best, tells people what to do and Fran uses it. Soon Fran's editor takes notice of her popularity and Buzz advice's Mama that she should be getting some of the money Fran is now earning. But Fran refuses saying she plans to slowly stop using Mama's ""Home-Spun"" advice as she adds some pyschological insights in her latest article. Fran's got a date that night with her editor, Dwight Nettles, who loves the advice Fran's been giving but can't understand why Fran included all the psychological babble (which he edited out)in her latest article. He also has a problem he needs some advice on and that's why he wanted to see her tonight. Seems ""his friend"" has just hired a new woman at work and has the hots for her, even though he's married, he wants to know what to do. Fran sneaks away from the table and calls Mama from the pay phone to beg her advice. Mama recognizes ri

Mama finds Frannie's diary when she goes to get Bubba for breakfast. Inside is a note telling Mama to call the executor of her will, Larwin P. Finstadler. When Mr. Finstadler arrives he informs Mama that Fran was worth $35,000. Fran's will stipulated 10% of that would go to the ""Ray of Hope Home for Wayward Girls"". But the other $31,500 was to be split evenly between Mama, and Vint and Naomi. Only one stipulation stands between Mama and the money, she has to keep from losing her temper for a period of two weeks and it's totally on her honor. So for the next two weeks Vint and Naomi wait on her hand and foot, trying to keep her from getting upset. Including paying Bubba $10 to do his homework and doing the dishes and most of the other housework. While they begin to bicker among themselves, Mama relaxes and takes it easy.

Vint and Naomi are separated yet living in the same house (and driving Mama crazy in the process).

Mama finds herself competing on Jeopardy!

Mama's reign as the Church Ladies League President only has two weeks to go and being that it's limited to one term Mama needs someone to nominate her for a second term. So she drafts Iola to take on the CCL's power broker in Alberta Meechum. but it doesn't quite go as planned as a very nervous Iola stumbles through her nomination of Mama. Thelma versus Iola Alberta makes it clear that she thinks it's unfair to ask anyone to carry the load of being president for another two years. So in a shocking twist she nominates Iola and it's soon decided to have an election. The campaign turns nasty quick and Mama challenges Iola to a public debate.