Wife Swap is a prime time network reality series that airs Monday nights at 8:00 pm EST on ABC. The show debuted in 2003 and is still in production.
Every week, from across the country, two families participate in a life exchange, entering a two-week challenge period when each family receives a new “wife” and “mother.” ABC takes a very active role in choosing the two families that participate in each exchange, selecting couples largely based on their very different lifestyles or values. Typical trading combinations have featured a wealthy, materialistic family trading with a family living off the land, a lesbian couple trading with a fundamentalist Christian family, and an animal rights activist family trading with a family of hunters. Over the two weeks, viewers watch the experience of a woman and a family learning to live with each other’s habits and beliefs, often with explosive, life-changing results.
Each wife leaves behind a manual that describes how the home works, explaining details such as food preparation, hours, expectations, chores, manners, and budget. For the first week, each new wife is expected to live by the rules of her foster family. This week shows each woman as she reacts to the initial loss of power required by the show’s format; she must live life exactly like the “real wife”, including raising children, cleaning the house, and working. The second week is even more drama-filled as the new wife makes the rules. She superimposes her own beliefs and lifestyle onto her new family. For example, if she homeschools her own children, she can withdraw her new offspring from any school they attend. If she feeds her own family a constant diet of tofu and wheat germ, the new family (who are likely to survive on soft drinks and fast food) must comply with the new diet. This week brings tremendous emotional responses from all family members involved. It is not unusual to see the male family member crying and storming out of his own home in anger and disgust. The children come to see that his “real mom” isn’t so bad after all, and they look forward to her return.
The “twist” occurs during each episode when each family discovers that they can learn something from the new mom and her way of caring for her family. The ties usually occur by the end of the second week, and the wounds demanded during the first week are healed. The two couples meet again at the end of the show and a highly charged reunion usually ensues. Insults are hurled, but bridges are often built. The show follows the families a month later, with viewers seeing apparent subtle changes in each family.
Wife Swap often has a nice ending that no one expects.
ABC has recently sued Fox over a replica of the original concept. Fox’s Trading Spouses offers a different twist, but is very similar to the original ABC.
