Wife Swap
It’s like a train wreck you can’t quite look away from. Every week when Wife Swap comes on, I promise myself I’m not going to watch, but I just can’t help myself. Who will be pitted against each other in this week’s battle of the moms?
When Wife Swap started out, it was fairly civil – the major differences were lifestyle choices or social class – put the pampered trophy wife in the shoes of a Midwestern schoolteacher and watch the mutual disdain. As the show expanded however, the ratings game came into play – and controversy sells.
Now, for those of you not familiar with Wife Swap, a quick recap: two families trade female protagonists for two weeks – the wife and mother travels across the country to take her counterpart’s place and walk a mile in the other’s shoes.
Each woman writes a manual which the newly arriving wife has to follow for a week. At the end of that time, the rules flip – and the hosting family suddenly has to do things her way. When it’s merely housecleaning and shopping habits things are relatively peaceful – but throw in strongly held beliefs and balky husbands and children and things can get a bit hairy.
Homeschooling and vegetarianism vs. obsession with academia and fast food. Wiccan rituals vs. a family who doesn’t even believe in Santa or Mother Goose. You get the idea. Most of the shows this season have prominently featured the swapped moms weeping hysterically over the ‘poor poor children’ they have temporary charge of.
And I can’t stop watching. I’m waiting for the kicker – I’m not sure what it’s gonna be, but if the samples so far are indication, there may be bloodshed!
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