Yahoo Movies ““Family Feud”” contestant convicted of killing his wife says marriage joke 'was supposed to be funny'
Paramount+ Timothy Bliefnick on '48 Hours'
Timothy "Tim" W. Bliefnick, the former Family Feud contestant who infamously joked about regretting marriage on the game show and was later convicted of murdering his estranged wife, Rebecca, is speaking out for the first time in a new 48 Hours special.
In a sneak peek at The Game Show and the Murder, Bliefnick, who was handed three life sentences in an Illinois prison for the crime, maintains his innocence and claims that his Family Feud quip was made in jest.
"The question was, 'What is the number-one regret that people have from their wedding day?'" he recalls in the clip. "It wasn't said with any malice or bad intentions. It was supposed to be funny."
While competing on the game show in 2020, Bliefnick drew an audible reaction from the audience with his response to the question, "What's the biggest mistake you made at your wedding?"
"Honey, I love you," he prefaced. "But… Said, 'I do.'" When host Steve Harvey gave him an expressionless look, Bliefnick continued, "Not my mistake! I love my wife." He then jokingly added, "I'm going to get in trouble for that, aren't I?"
Rebecca Bliefnick, a mother of three, was found shot to death inside her home by a family member in February, after she didn't show up to pick up her children from school, according to the Associated Press. At the time of her death, the Bliefnicks were in the process of getting a divorce.
Tim Bliefnick acknowledges in the 48 Hours preview that, due to their divorce proceedings, he "had to kind of make an assumption that, yeah, I probably was going to be a suspect" in his wife's murder. However, he denies any involvement in her death.
"No, I did not murder Becky," he tells 48 Hours journalist Erin Moriarty. "The idea of murdering someone — let alone the mother of my kids — is not any part of who I am."
Rebecca was a registered nurse who was nominated for a DAISY award, which celebrates nurses who administer exceptional care, in 2020, according to an obituary.
48 Hours: The Game Show and the Murder will air Saturday, Sept. 30, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. It will also be available to stream on Paramount+.
Related content:
