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* AbusiveParents: The Reimers were very enthusiastic about discipline and the husband was seething with rage because the Bittner mother had the audacity to let them have fun for 5 days and attend public school for not just education but so they can socialise with other kids. The Reimer patriarch also beat his children with a leather strap and was a complete control freak. It's really saying something that the Reiner children were practically glowing when the rules were lifted and were happy to attend public school, while also dreading that the rules were going to be brought back as soon as the mother returns to her own family.
to:
* AbusiveParents: AbusiveParents:
** The Reimers were very enthusiastic about discipline and the husband was seething with rage because the Bittner mother had the audacity to let them have fun for 5 days and attend public school for not just education but so they can socialise with other kids. The Reimer patriarch also beat his children with a leather strap and was a complete control freak. It's really saying something that the Reiner children were practically glowing when the rules were lifted and were happy to attend public school, while also dreading that the rules were going to be brought back as soon as the mother returns to her ownfamily.family.
** Jennifer forces her children Elena and Alex to do all the chores to "pay them back", times their teeth brushing and refuses to spend time with Elena, leaving the poor girl neglected for ''five years'' before Melissa makes it so the family paints with her. She does improve after returning to her family, being nicer and spending time with her daughter.
** The Reimers were very enthusiastic about discipline and the husband was seething with rage because the Bittner mother had the audacity to let them have fun for 5 days and attend public school for not just education but so they can socialise with other kids. The Reimer patriarch also beat his children with a leather strap and was a complete control freak. It's really saying something that the Reiner children were practically glowing when the rules were lifted and were happy to attend public school, while also dreading that the rules were going to be brought back as soon as the mother returns to her own
** Jennifer forces her children Elena and Alex to do all the chores to "pay them back", times their teeth brushing and refuses to spend time with Elena, leaving the poor girl neglected for ''five years'' before Melissa makes it so the family paints with her. She does improve after returning to her family, being nicer and spending time with her daughter.
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* BigotVsBigot
to:
%% * BigotVsBigot
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** The Heenes, even if not ''especially'' after the show.
** The Heenes, a family of extreme storm chasers who shovel snow with blowtorches. They're better known as the family behind the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balloon_boy_hoax Balloon Boy hoax]].
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* {{Hypocrite}}: Many of the husbands on this show can be seen as this.
to:
%% * {{Hypocrite}}: Many of the husbands on this show can be seen as this.
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* {{Jerkass}}: Christopher Childs, in spades.
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* {{Jerkass}}: %% Christopher Childs, in spades.
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* LargeHam: Richard Heene is a big one, as is his wife.
* ManipulativeBastard: Christopher Childs, see {{Jerkass}} or KnightOfCerebus.
* ManipulativeBastard: Christopher Childs, see {{Jerkass}} or KnightOfCerebus.
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%% * LargeHam: Richard Heene is a big one, as is his wife.
%% * ManipulativeBastard: Christopher Childs, see {{Jerkass}} or KnightOfCerebus.
%% * ManipulativeBastard: Christopher Childs, see {{Jerkass}} or KnightOfCerebus.
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* {{Odd Couple}}s: The backbone of the premise.
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%% * {{Odd Couple}}s: The backbone of the premise.
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* {{Spoiled Brat}}s: Gosh, where do we ''start?!''
* StrictlyFormula
* StrictlyFormula
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%% * {{Spoiled Brat}}s: Gosh, where do we ''start?!''
%% * StrictlyFormula
%% * StrictlyFormula
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Entry needs trimming but I don't feel up to the task, so quick grammar edit.
Changed line(s) 29 (click to see context) from:
* KnightOfCerebus: A rare nonfiction example, but Christopher Childs certainly qualifies along with filling the {{Jerkass}} tropes. His family's episode caused things to, rather than be funny BigotVsBigot comedy that's usually the standard, contain little to no laughter but considerably more tear-jerking and/or rage-inducing moments. First, he brainwashes (''and admits to purposely doing it'') his children into believing his crazy "Christian" lifestyle where women should StayInTheKitchen and men rule. Dread sets in when halfway through, it becomes obvious that his replacement wife (Kim Beckman-Heskett) won't be able to fix his family while Lee-Ann Childs introduces rules that negatively impact the Beckman-Hesketts. One such rule included the Beckman-Heskett's young daughters writing purity pledges. This rule caused great stress to the girls as they didn't fully understand what exactly they were pledging, only that they felt like they couldn't really stick to them. Christopher's real dark moment is after Kim tells his rebellious daughter Columbia to follow her dreams of becoming a successful woman (specifically, doctor) rather than a housewife. He takes Columbia away in his car (off-camera) and forces Kim to promise not to influence Columbia; when Columbia comes back, she's been brainwashed by Christopher into not only giving up her dreams and becoming a housewife, but also believe that Kim was trying to manipulate her. At the end, it's revealed that neither family learned anything (although the Beckman-Hesketts were nowhere near as screwed up as the Childs') and have come off '''worse''' as a result due to Lee-Ann's rules being horrible and Columbia being successfully brainwashed.
to:
* KnightOfCerebus: A rare nonfiction example, but Christopher Childs certainly qualifies along with filling the {{Jerkass}} tropes. His family's episode caused things to, rather than be funny BigotVsBigot comedy that's usually the standard, contain little to no laughter but considerably more tear-jerking and/or rage-inducing moments. First, he brainwashes (''and admits to purposely doing it'') his children into believing his crazy "Christian" lifestyle where women should StayInTheKitchen and men rule. Dread sets in when halfway through, it becomes obvious that his replacement wife (Kim Beckman-Heskett) won't be able to fix his family while Lee-Ann Childs introduces rules that negatively impact the Beckman-Hesketts. One such rule included the Beckman-Heskett's Beckman-Hesketts' young daughters writing purity pledges. This rule caused great stress to the girls as they didn't fully understand what exactly they were pledging, only that they felt like they couldn't really stick to them. Christopher's real dark moment is after Kim tells his rebellious daughter Columbia to follow her dreams of becoming a successful woman (specifically, doctor) rather than a housewife. He takes Columbia away in his car (off-camera) and forces Kim to promise not to influence Columbia; when Columbia comes back, she's been brainwashed by Christopher into not only giving up her dreams and becoming a housewife, but also believe that Kim was trying to manipulate her. At the end, it's revealed that neither family learned anything (although the Beckman-Hesketts were nowhere near as screwed up as the Childs') Childses) and have come off '''worse''' as a result due to Lee-Ann's rules being horrible and Columbia being successfully brainwashed.
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* SlobsVsSnobs: The Stephen Fowler episode is a perfect example. British expat Fowler and his family live in an upscale neighborhood in San Francisco, and dedicate their lives to healthy eating, education and the fine arts. Meanwhile, kindhearted Midwestern mom Gayla Long and her family live a working class lifestyle, have a love for fast food, ride all-terrain vehicles, enjoy paintball and do not care much about education. The Long family is shown in a far more sympathetic light, as Fowler often berates Gayla, calling her "under-educated, over-opinionated, and overweight", bragging about scoring in the "99th percentile" on the GRE, and emotionally abuses Gayla in every way possible. He is also very cruel and strict with his children, not allowing them to have fun. He also dislikes Americans despite the fact that he chose to move America.
to:
* SlobsVsSnobs: The Stephen Fowler episode is a perfect example. British expat Fowler and his family live in an upscale neighborhood in San Francisco, and dedicate their lives to healthy eating, education and the fine arts. Meanwhile, kindhearted Midwestern mom Gayla Long and her family live a working class lifestyle, have a love for fast food, ride all-terrain vehicles, enjoy paintball and do not care much about education. The Long family is shown in a far more sympathetic light, as Fowler often berates Gayla, calling her "under-educated, over-opinionated, and overweight", bragging about scoring in the "99th percentile" on the GRE, and emotionally abuses Gayla in every way possible. He is also very cruel and strict with his children, not allowing them to have fun. He also dislikes Americans despite the fact that he chose to move to America.
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Changed line(s) 43 (click to see context) from:
* SlobsVsSnobs: The Stephen Fowler episode is a perfect example. British expat Fowler and his family live in an upscale neighborhood in San Francisco, and dedicate their lives to healthy eating, education and the fine arts. Meanwhile, kindhearted Midwestern mom Gayla Long and her family live a working class lifestyle, have a love for fast food, ride all-terrain vehicles, enjoy paintball and do not care much about education. The Long family is shown in a far more sympathetic light, as Fowler often berates Gayla, calling her "under-educated, over-opinionated, and overweight", bragging about scoring in the "99th percentile" on the GRE, and emotionally abuses Gayla in every way possible. He is also very cruel and strict with his children, not allowing them to have fun. He also dislikes Americans despite the fact that he chose to move there.
to:
* SlobsVsSnobs: The Stephen Fowler episode is a perfect example. British expat Fowler and his family live in an upscale neighborhood in San Francisco, and dedicate their lives to healthy eating, education and the fine arts. Meanwhile, kindhearted Midwestern mom Gayla Long and her family live a working class lifestyle, have a love for fast food, ride all-terrain vehicles, enjoy paintball and do not care much about education. The Long family is shown in a far more sympathetic light, as Fowler often berates Gayla, calling her "under-educated, over-opinionated, and overweight", bragging about scoring in the "99th percentile" on the GRE, and emotionally abuses Gayla in every way possible. He is also very cruel and strict with his children, not allowing them to have fun. He also dislikes Americans despite the fact that he chose to move there.America.
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Changed line(s) 43 (click to see context) from:
* SlobsVsSnobs: The Stephen Fowler episode is a perfect example. British expat Fowler and his family live in an upscale neighborhood in San Francisco, and dedicate their lives to healthy eating, education and the fine arts. Meanwhile, kindhearted Midwestern mom Gayla Long and her family live a working class lifestyle, have a love for fast food, riding ATVs, paintballing, and do not care much about education. The Long family is shown in a far more sympathetic light, as Fowler often berates Gayla, calling her "under-educated, over-opinionated, and overweight", bragging about scoring in the "99th percentile" on the GRE, and emotionally abuses Gayla in every way possible. He is also very cruel and strict with his children, not allowing them to have fun. He also dislikes Americans despite the fact that he chose to move there.
to:
* SlobsVsSnobs: The Stephen Fowler episode is a perfect example. British expat Fowler and his family live in an upscale neighborhood in San Francisco, and dedicate their lives to healthy eating, education and the fine arts. Meanwhile, kindhearted Midwestern mom Gayla Long and her family live a working class lifestyle, have a love for fast food, riding ATVs, paintballing, ride all-terrain vehicles, enjoy paintball and do not care much about education. The Long family is shown in a far more sympathetic light, as Fowler often berates Gayla, calling her "under-educated, over-opinionated, and overweight", bragging about scoring in the "99th percentile" on the GRE, and emotionally abuses Gayla in every way possible. He is also very cruel and strict with his children, not allowing them to have fun. He also dislikes Americans despite the fact that he chose to move there.
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* AbusiveParents: The Reimers were very enthusiastic about discipline and the husband was seething with rage because the Bittner mother had the audacity to let them have fun for 5 days and attend public school for not just education but so they can socialise with other kids. The Reimer patriarch also beat his children with a leather strap and was a complete control freak. It's really saying something that the Reiner children were practically glowing when the rules were lifted and were happy to attend public school, while also dreading that the rules were going to be brought back as soon as the mother returns to her own family.
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* KindheartedSimpleton: While the Bittners were overly nice and spoiling their children with treats and a lack of discipline, they were considered a lesser evil in comparison to the Reiners, whose patriarch beat their children with a leather strap for simply acting their age.
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* ItsAllAboutMe: Several parents are shown to be self-absorbed and refuse to change their ways for the sake of their families. One family featured a swap between a family run by a woman who was lazy and refused to foster any sense of togetherness, and the other was a wife who while stern still knew the importance of a strong family bond. The first wife’s family actually enjoyed the time with the replacement wife, liking spending time and meals together and her more wholesome ways. When the episode ended and the first wife returned, she scoffed at any recommendation the second wife made and made a crappy dinner for herself, boasting that she wouldn’t change and her family would have to accept it.
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* BrattyTeenageDaughter: At least two cases:
**Chastity Hamilton, whose parents never told her "no," and who constantly went on shopping sprees for designer clothes with her mom, while Dad was forced to chauffeur them to the mall and carry their bags.
**Alicia Gustafaro, a pageant "princess" who was obsessed with glamour and appearance. She was so spoiled, her parents kept up a Christmas tree year-round and gave her at least one present a day.
**Chastity Hamilton, whose parents never told her "no," and who constantly went on shopping sprees for designer clothes with her mom, while Dad was forced to chauffeur them to the mall and carry their bags.
**Alicia Gustafaro, a pageant "princess" who was obsessed with glamour and appearance. She was so spoiled, her parents kept up a Christmas tree year-round and gave her at least one present a day.
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**The Haigwoods, whose lifestyle included making their kids brush their teeth with butter and clay, and eat raw meat. They were so entrenched that one meal of cooked food made their daughter vomit.
**Some of the moms come across like this even if their families don't necessarily fit the mold. Laura Sweaney-Ernst, for instance, "worships Mother Earth," prays to The Goddess, and talks to fairies, as does her family. But when compared to her husband and sons, Laura is ''far'' more dedicated to the lifestyle.
**Some of the moms come across like this even if their families don't necessarily fit the mold. Laura Sweaney-Ernst, for instance, "worships Mother Earth," prays to The Goddess, and talks to fairies, as does her family. But when compared to her husband and sons, Laura is ''far'' more dedicated to the lifestyle.
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**Stephen of the Long/Stephen-Fowler episode. He made no secret that he believed his swapped wife Gina Long was inferior to him and was so verbally abusive toward her, she absconded to a hotel. Among other things, Stephen called Gina a "stupid redneck," laughed at the idea that she was literate, told her she couldn't be expected to know what terms like "99th percentile" meant, and made constant slams against her for being a Midwestern American.
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removed incredibly long and complainy description.
Changed line(s) 2,20 (click to see context) from:
Series on Creator/{{ABC}} based on a programme of the same name from the United Kingdom whose premise involves two wildly-different families swapping wives for a two-week period.
Or at least, that ''should'' be the premise. But, since the series producers really went out of their way to find the most hideous examples of whatever differing ideologies they could find, things are a little.. .different. Your standard setup went something like this:
''"Two moms, with wildly different parenting styles, are swapped between families! Watch the [[HilarityEnsues hilarity]] as the mom who's been used to a harsh militaristic setting all her life is swapped with the mom who lets her kids talk to her however they want! Marvel as the excessively-clean mother puts up with a family who barely ever cleans! Be amazed as the industrialist's family meet their new mom, a nonconforming vegetarian who thinks all corporations are evil! Gaze in wonder as the super Christian mother who only wears black skirts swaps with a vehemently-atheist tattooed stripper!"''
And so on.
This is one of the most extreme cases of BigotVsBigot you'll ever see on primetime television. To be fair, plenty of episodes ''do'' end with one or both families changing a little (e.g., an extremely rules-oriented family becoming a little more relaxed and an extremely laid-back family becoming a little more organized)...but this is of course ''after'' a lot of screaming and yelling.
It's also particularly amusing to watch the gender role debates. Pair a highly-conservative, husband-is-king family with a "get with the times" wife-is-queen-bee family. Swap the wives and you have, on the one hand, a man and woman both prepared to hold their ground to the last bloody inch (and both used to being waited on hand and foot), and on the other hand, a pair of domestic servants who have never stood up for themselves in their lives. ''Then'' you have the housewife tell the HouseHusband that he should stop being lazy and go get a job ([[SarcasmMode since obviously people at home do no work of value at all]]) while the househusband tells the housewife that she should stop letting her mate walk all over her (since obviously staying at home is a nonstop drudgery that no free human soul would willingly accept...[[FridgeLogic wait a minute]]).
The other thing that is unusual about this show and those who choose to appear on it is that '''there's no visible reward for participating'''. Part of the formula is having each wife say what her reason for doing it is, which may or may not work out, but ABC offers no direct financial incentive — they just say "If you want to appear on ''Wife Swap'', write..." There actually ''is'' a financial reward, but they seem determined to avoid mentioning this in-show.
That said, anyone who applies to be on the show is probably kind of insane, extremely stupid, or some combination of the two.
In early 2009 it featured Stephen Fowler, a San Francisco resident who got some notoriety after [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9m8BC8NGHJI spending two weeks berating a Midwestern woman.]] Also featured (twice!) were the Heenes, who went on to greater infamy ''after'' their two shows by "accidentally" sending up their son in a homemade balloon, only later to confess to lying about it. There's also the '''extremely'''-infamous Christopher Childs, who got an entry below.
The series ended in August 2010 after 123 episodes, only to return in January 2012 as ''Celebrity Wife Swap''. With another revival premiering in 2019 on Creator/ParamountNetwork.
Or at least, that ''should'' be the premise. But, since the series producers really went out of their way to find the most hideous examples of whatever differing ideologies they could find, things are a little.. .different. Your standard setup went something like this:
''"Two moms, with wildly different parenting styles, are swapped between families! Watch the [[HilarityEnsues hilarity]] as the mom who's been used to a harsh militaristic setting all her life is swapped with the mom who lets her kids talk to her however they want! Marvel as the excessively-clean mother puts up with a family who barely ever cleans! Be amazed as the industrialist's family meet their new mom, a nonconforming vegetarian who thinks all corporations are evil! Gaze in wonder as the super Christian mother who only wears black skirts swaps with a vehemently-atheist tattooed stripper!"''
And so on.
This is one of the most extreme cases of BigotVsBigot you'll ever see on primetime television. To be fair, plenty of episodes ''do'' end with one or both families changing a little (e.g., an extremely rules-oriented family becoming a little more relaxed and an extremely laid-back family becoming a little more organized)...but this is of course ''after'' a lot of screaming and yelling.
It's also particularly amusing to watch the gender role debates. Pair a highly-conservative, husband-is-king family with a "get with the times" wife-is-queen-bee family. Swap the wives and you have, on the one hand, a man and woman both prepared to hold their ground to the last bloody inch (and both used to being waited on hand and foot), and on the other hand, a pair of domestic servants who have never stood up for themselves in their lives. ''Then'' you have the housewife tell the HouseHusband that he should stop being lazy and go get a job ([[SarcasmMode since obviously people at home do no work of value at all]]) while the househusband tells the housewife that she should stop letting her mate walk all over her (since obviously staying at home is a nonstop drudgery that no free human soul would willingly accept...[[FridgeLogic wait a minute]]).
The other thing that is unusual about this show and those who choose to appear on it is that '''there's no visible reward for participating'''. Part of the formula is having each wife say what her reason for doing it is, which may or may not work out, but ABC offers no direct financial incentive — they just say "If you want to appear on ''Wife Swap'', write..." There actually ''is'' a financial reward, but they seem determined to avoid mentioning this in-show.
That said, anyone who applies to be on the show is probably kind of insane, extremely stupid, or some combination of the two.
In early 2009 it featured Stephen Fowler, a San Francisco resident who got some notoriety after [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9m8BC8NGHJI spending two weeks berating a Midwestern woman.]] Also featured (twice!) were the Heenes, who went on to greater infamy ''after'' their two shows by "accidentally" sending up their son in a homemade balloon, only later to confess to lying about it. There's also the '''extremely'''-infamous Christopher Childs, who got an entry below.
The series ended in August 2010 after 123 episodes, only to return in January 2012 as ''Celebrity Wife Swap''. With another revival premiering in 2019 on Creator/ParamountNetwork.
to:
Series on Creator/{{ABC}} based on a programme of the same name from the United Kingdom whose premise involves two wildly-different families swapping wives for a two-week period.
Or at least, that ''should'' be the premise. But, since the series producers really went out of their way to find the most hideous examples of whatever differing ideologies they could find, things are a little.. .different. Your standard setup went something like this:
''"Two moms, with wildly different parenting styles, are swapped between families! Watch the [[HilarityEnsues hilarity]] as the mom who's been used to a harsh militaristic setting all her life is swapped with the mom who lets her kids talk to her however they want! Marvel as the excessively-clean mother puts up with a family who barely ever cleans! Be amazed as the industrialist's family meet their new mom, a nonconforming vegetarian who thinks all corporations are evil! Gaze in wonder as the super Christian mother who only wears black skirts swaps with a vehemently-atheist tattooed stripper!"''
And so on.
This is one of the most extreme cases of BigotVsBigot you'll ever see on primetime television. To be fair, plenty of episodes ''do'' end with one or both families changing a little (e.g., an extremely rules-oriented family becoming a little more relaxed and an extremely laid-back family becoming a little more organized)...but this is of course ''after'' a lot of screaming and yelling.
It's also particularly amusing to watch the gender role debates. Pair a highly-conservative, husband-is-king family with a "get with the times" wife-is-queen-bee family. Swap the wives and you have, on the one hand, a man and woman both prepared to hold their ground to the last bloody inch (and both used to being waited on hand and foot), and on the other hand, a pair of domestic servants who have never stood up for themselves in their lives. ''Then'' you have the housewife tell the HouseHusband that he should stop being lazy and go get a job ([[SarcasmMode since obviously people at home do no work of value at all]]) while the househusband tells the housewife that she should stop letting her mate walk all over her (since obviously staying at home is a nonstop drudgery that no free human soul would willingly accept...[[FridgeLogic wait a minute]]).
The other thing that is unusual about this show and those who choose to appear on it is that '''there's no visible reward for participating'''. Part of the formula is having each wife say what her reason for doing it is, which may or may not work out, but ABC offers no direct financial incentive — they just say "If you want to appear on ''Wife Swap'', write..." There actually ''is'' a financial reward, but they seem determined to avoid mentioning this in-show.
That said, anyone who applies to be on the show is probably kind of insane, extremely stupid, or some combination of the two.
In early 2009 it featured Stephen Fowler, a San Francisco resident who got some notoriety after [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9m8BC8NGHJI spending two weeks berating a Midwestern woman.]] Also featured (twice!) were the Heenes, who went on to greater infamy ''after'' their two shows by "accidentally" sending up their son in a homemade balloon, only later to confess to lying about it. There's also the '''extremely'''-infamous Christopher Childs, who got an entry below.
period. The series ended in August 2010 after 123 episodes, only to return in January 2012 as ''Celebrity Wife Swap''. With Swap'', with another revival premiering in 2019 on Creator/ParamountNetwork.
Or at least, that ''should'' be the premise. But, since the series producers really went out of their way to find the most hideous examples of whatever differing ideologies they could find, things are a little.. .different. Your standard setup went something like this:
''"Two moms, with wildly different parenting styles, are swapped between families! Watch the [[HilarityEnsues hilarity]] as the mom who's been used to a harsh militaristic setting all her life is swapped with the mom who lets her kids talk to her however they want! Marvel as the excessively-clean mother puts up with a family who barely ever cleans! Be amazed as the industrialist's family meet their new mom, a nonconforming vegetarian who thinks all corporations are evil! Gaze in wonder as the super Christian mother who only wears black skirts swaps with a vehemently-atheist tattooed stripper!"''
And so on.
This is one of the most extreme cases of BigotVsBigot you'll ever see on primetime television. To be fair, plenty of episodes ''do'' end with one or both families changing a little (e.g., an extremely rules-oriented family becoming a little more relaxed and an extremely laid-back family becoming a little more organized)...but this is of course ''after'' a lot of screaming and yelling.
It's also particularly amusing to watch the gender role debates. Pair a highly-conservative, husband-is-king family with a "get with the times" wife-is-queen-bee family. Swap the wives and you have, on the one hand, a man and woman both prepared to hold their ground to the last bloody inch (and both used to being waited on hand and foot), and on the other hand, a pair of domestic servants who have never stood up for themselves in their lives. ''Then'' you have the housewife tell the HouseHusband that he should stop being lazy and go get a job ([[SarcasmMode since obviously people at home do no work of value at all]]) while the househusband tells the housewife that she should stop letting her mate walk all over her (since obviously staying at home is a nonstop drudgery that no free human soul would willingly accept...[[FridgeLogic wait a minute]]).
The other thing that is unusual about this show and those who choose to appear on it is that '''there's no visible reward for participating'''. Part of the formula is having each wife say what her reason for doing it is, which may or may not work out, but ABC offers no direct financial incentive — they just say "If you want to appear on ''Wife Swap'', write..." There actually ''is'' a financial reward, but they seem determined to avoid mentioning this in-show.
That said, anyone who applies to be on the show is probably kind of insane, extremely stupid, or some combination of the two.
In early 2009 it featured Stephen Fowler, a San Francisco resident who got some notoriety after [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9m8BC8NGHJI spending two weeks berating a Midwestern woman.]] Also featured (twice!) were the Heenes, who went on to greater infamy ''after'' their two shows by "accidentally" sending up their son in a homemade balloon, only later to confess to lying about it. There's also the '''extremely'''-infamous Christopher Childs, who got an entry below.
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Deleted line(s) 33 (click to see context) :
* FollowTheLeader: Copied blatantly by {{Creator/FOX}} into ''Trading Spouses: Meet Your New Mommy'' (although, due to that premiering in the United States '''before''' the US ''Wife Swap'', plenty of people think it's actually the original). This one had open financial incentives, with the catch that it's the visiting mother who picks how the family spends the money.
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Thankfully, the revival isn't a rotting carcass.
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** "Each wife has written a guide to the running of their homes."
to:
** "Each wife has The wives sit down to read the manual written a guide to by the running of other based on how their homes."home is run.
Changed line(s) 48 (click to see context) from:
** The meeting of the two couples at the end, which inevitably ends in a shouting match.
to:
** The meeting of the two couples at the end, which inevitably sometimes but not always ends in a shouting match.
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Changed line(s) 20 (click to see context) from:
The series ended in August 2010 after 123 episodes, only to return in January 2012 as ''Celebrity Wife Swap''.
to:
The series ended in August 2010 after 123 episodes, only to return in January 2012 as ''Celebrity Wife Swap''. With another revival premiering in 2019 on Creator/ParamountNetwork.
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* {{Hypocrite}}: Many of the husbands on this show can be seen as this.
Changed line(s) 52 (click to see context) from:
* SlobsVsSnobs
to:
* SlobsVsSnobsSlobsVsSnobs: The Stephen Fowler episode is a perfect example. British expat Fowler and his family live in an upscale neighborhood in San Francisco, and dedicate their lives to healthy eating, education and the fine arts. Meanwhile, kindhearted Midwestern mom Gayla Long and her family live a working class lifestyle, have a love for fast food, riding ATVs, paintballing, and do not care much about education. The Long family is shown in a far more sympathetic light, as Fowler often berates Gayla, calling her "under-educated, over-opinionated, and overweight", bragging about scoring in the "99th percentile" on the GRE, and emotionally abuses Gayla in every way possible. He is also very cruel and strict with his children, not allowing them to have fun. He also dislikes Americans despite the fact that he chose to move there.
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Changed line(s) 37 (click to see context) from:
* JerkassHasAPoint: Frequently, each side has some perfectly valid criticisms, but each side refuses to listen to each other.
to:
* JerkassHasAPoint: Frequently, each side has some perfectly valid criticisms, but each side refuses to listen to each other.other (at least until a particular denouement).
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* InAnotherMansShoes: In Another Woman's Shoes -- two wives change places in their respective families (although there was at least one Husband Swap).
to:
* InAnotherMansShoes: [[InAnotherMansShoes In Another Woman's Shoes Shoes]] -- two wives change places in their respective families (although there was at least one Husband Swap).
Changed line(s) 43 (click to see context) from:
* OddCouple: Very much so.
to:
* OddCouple: Very much so.{{Odd Couple}}s: The backbone of the premise.
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* FollowTheLeader: Copied blatantly by {{FOX}} into ''Trading Spouses: Meet Your New Mommy'' (although, due to that premiering in the United States '''before''' the US ''Wife Swap'', plenty of people think it's actually the original). This one had open financial incentives, with the catch that it's the visiting mother who picks how the family spends the money.
to:
* FollowTheLeader: Copied blatantly by {{FOX}} {{Creator/FOX}} into ''Trading Spouses: Meet Your New Mommy'' (although, due to that premiering in the United States '''before''' the US ''Wife Swap'', plenty of people think it's actually the original). This one had open financial incentives, with the catch that it's the visiting mother who picks how the family spends the money.
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* TheBadGuyWins: Christopher Childs. He kept his family's twisted lifestyle unchanged despite the replacement wife's best efforts, while his actual wife "infected" the other (considerably more sane) family.
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* ResetButton: The end result of the KnightOfCerebus description.
to:
* ResetButton: The end result of In the KnightOfCerebus description. Christopher Childs case, TheBadGuyWins + KnightOfCerebus = this.
Deleted line(s) 54 (click to see context) :
* TheBadGuyWins: Christopher Childs. He kept his family's twisted lifestyle unchanged despite the replacement wife's best efforts, while his actual wife "infected" the other (considerably more sane) family.
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* InAnotherMansShoes: In Another Woman's Shoes -- two wives change places in their respective families.
to:
* InAnotherMansShoes: In Another Woman's Shoes -- two wives change places in their respective families.families (although there was at least one Husband Swap).
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** The second half of the episode, in which the new rules are laid down.
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* ResetButton: The end result of the KnightOfCerebus description.
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* Complete Insanit- uh, RealityShowGenreBlindness: Anyone who appeared after Season 1. The first thing on the questionnaire must be "Have you seen ''Wife Swap'' prior to beginning this questionnaire? If yes, don't bother filling out the rest of the paperwork. And get the hell away from us."
to:
* Complete Insanit- uh, RealityShowGenreBlindness: Anyone who appeared after Season 1.2 and onward. The first thing on the questionnaire must be "Have you seen ''Wife Swap'' prior to beginning this questionnaire? If yes, don't bother filling out the rest of the paperwork. And get the hell away from us."
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* {{Spoiled Brat}}s: Gosh, where do we ''start?!''
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[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wife_swap.jpg]]
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Changed line(s) 33 (click to see context) from:
* JerkAss: One wife-swap involved a swap with a Wiccan family. During the rule-change the swapped wife berated the Wiccan kids for believing in magic and even broke one's wand in front of them. There's changing the rules, and then there's being flat out mean.
to:
* JerkAss: {{Jerkass}}: Christopher Childs, in spades.
** Some of the families that are more repressed have this trope, full stop. Onewife-swap such swap involved a swap [[SarcasmMode normal housewife]] with a Wiccan family. family. During the rule-change the swapped wife from the 'normal' household berated the Wiccan kids for believing in magic and even broke one's wand in front of them. There's changing the rules, rules and then there's being flat out mean.
** Some of the families that are more repressed have this trope, full stop. One
Changed line(s) 35 (click to see context) from:
* KnightOfCerebus: A rare nonfiction example, but Christopher Childs certainly qualifies along with filling the JerkAss tropes. His family's episode caused things to, rather than be funny BigotVsBigot comedy that's usually the standard, contain little to no laughter but considerably more tear-jerking and/or rage-inducing moments. First, he brainwashes (''and admits to purposely doing it'') his children into believing his crazy "Christian" lifestyle where women should StayInTheKitchen and men rule. Dread sets in when halfway through, it becomes obvious that his replacement wife (Kim Beckman-Heskett) won't be able to fix his family while Lee-Ann Childs introduces rules that negatively impact the Beckman-Hesketts. One such rule included the Beckman-Heskett's young daughters writing purity pledges. This rule caused great stress to the girls as they didn't fully understand what exactly they were pledging, only that they felt like they couldn't really stick to them. Christopher's real dark moment is after Kim tells his rebellious daughter Columbia to follow her dreams of becoming a successful woman (specifically, doctor) rather than a housewife. He takes Columbia away in his car (off-camera) and forces Kim to promise not to influence Columbia; when Columbia comes back, she's been brainwashed by Christopher into not only giving up her dreams and becoming a housewife, but also believe that Kim was trying to manipulate her. At the end, it's revealed that neither family learned anything (although the Beckman-Hesketts were nowhere near as screwed up as the Childs') and have come off '''worse''' as a result due to Lee-Ann's rules being horrible and Columbia being successfully brainwashed.
to:
* KnightOfCerebus: A rare nonfiction example, but Christopher Childs certainly qualifies along with filling the JerkAss {{Jerkass}} tropes. His family's episode caused things to, rather than be funny BigotVsBigot comedy that's usually the standard, contain little to no laughter but considerably more tear-jerking and/or rage-inducing moments. First, he brainwashes (''and admits to purposely doing it'') his children into believing his crazy "Christian" lifestyle where women should StayInTheKitchen and men rule. Dread sets in when halfway through, it becomes obvious that his replacement wife (Kim Beckman-Heskett) won't be able to fix his family while Lee-Ann Childs introduces rules that negatively impact the Beckman-Hesketts. One such rule included the Beckman-Heskett's young daughters writing purity pledges. This rule caused great stress to the girls as they didn't fully understand what exactly they were pledging, only that they felt like they couldn't really stick to them. Christopher's real dark moment is after Kim tells his rebellious daughter Columbia to follow her dreams of becoming a successful woman (specifically, doctor) rather than a housewife. He takes Columbia away in his car (off-camera) and forces Kim to promise not to influence Columbia; when Columbia comes back, she's been brainwashed by Christopher into not only giving up her dreams and becoming a housewife, but also believe that Kim was trying to manipulate her. At the end, it's revealed that neither family learned anything (although the Beckman-Hesketts were nowhere near as screwed up as the Childs') and have come off '''worse''' as a result due to Lee-Ann's rules being horrible and Columbia being successfully brainwashed.
Changed line(s) 37,41 (click to see context) from:
* LargeHam: Richard Heene is a big one.
* ManipulativeBastard: Christopher Childs, see above.
* MeaningfulName: Infamous Christian Christopher Childs's first name holds the meaning of, "bearer of Christ."
* MoneyDearBoy: Averted, as none of the families seem to apply ''for'' the money. TVTropes advises all viewing this page '''not''' to apply for ''Wife Swap'' just for the financial incentive.
* OddCouple
* ManipulativeBastard: Christopher Childs, see above.
* MeaningfulName: Infamous Christian Christopher Childs's first name holds the meaning of, "bearer of Christ."
* MoneyDearBoy: Averted, as none of the families seem to apply ''for'' the money. TVTropes advises all viewing this page '''not''' to apply for ''Wife Swap'' just for the financial incentive.
* OddCouple
to:
* LargeHam: Richard Heene is a big one.
one, as is his wife.
* ManipulativeBastard: Christopher Childs, seeabove.
{{Jerkass}} or KnightOfCerebus.
*MeaningfulName: NonindicativeName: Infamous Christian Christopher Childs's first name holds the meaning of, "bearer of Christ."
*MoneyDearBoy: Averted, as none of the families seem to apply ''for'' the money. TVTropes advises all viewing this page '''not''' to apply for ''Wife Swap'' just for the financial incentive.
* OddCoupleOddCouple: Very much so.
* ManipulativeBastard: Christopher Childs, see
*
*
* OddCouple
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* DefrostingIceQueen: The Weiners are originally a seemingly emotionless fun hating family, but by the end, they have a lot more fun and the dad ends up being a lot more emotional, though given his background as an army veteran you can kind of see why he'd be emotionless.
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* BrattyHalfPint: "King Curtis" Holland of the Brown/Holland episode, who runs his house like a spoiled prince.
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* MeaningfulName: Infamous Christian Christopher Childs's first name holds the meaning of, "bearer of Christ."
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,isuse of Too Dumb To Live and other changes (indentation etc.)
Changed line(s) 15,16 (click to see context) from:
That said, anyone who applies to be on the show is pretty much [[YoureInsane completely insane]], [[TooDumbToLive extremely stupid]], or some combination of the two.
to:
That said, anyone who applies to be on the show is pretty much [[YoureInsane completely insane]], [[TooDumbToLive probably kind of insane, extremely stupid]], stupid, or some combination of the two.
Deleted line(s) 29 (click to see context) :
* EnfantTerrible: More disrespectful than psychotic, but yeah.
Changed line(s) 34,40 (click to see context) from:
* KnightOfCerebus: A rare nonfiction example, but Christopher Childs certainly qualifies along with filling the JerkAss tropes. His family's episode caused things to, rather than be funny BigotVsBigot comedy that's usually the standard, contain little to no laughter but considerably more tear-jerking and/or rage-inducing moments. ([[TakeOurWordForIt The video has since been deleted.]])
** First, he brainwashes (''and admits to purposely doing it'') his children into believing his crazy "Christian" lifestyle where women should StayInTheKitchen and men rule.
** Dread sets in when halfway through, it becomes obvious that his replacement wife (Kim Beckman-Heskett) won't be able to fix his family while Lee-Ann Childs introduces rules that negatively impact the Beckman-Hesketts.
*** One such rule included the Beckman-Heskett's young daughters writing purity pledges. This rule caused great stress to the girls as they didn't fully understand what exactly they were pledging, only that they felt like they couldn't really stick to them.
** Christopher's real dark moment is after Kim tells his rebellious daughter Columbia to follow her dreams of becoming a successful woman (specifically, doctor) rather than a housewife. He takes Columbia away in his car (off-camera) and forces Kim to promise not to influence Columbia; when Columbia comes back, she's been brainwashed by Christopher into not only giving up her dreams and becoming a housewife, but also believe that Kim was trying to manipulate her.
** At the end, it's revealed that neither family learned anything (although the Beckman-Hesketts were nowhere near as screwed up as the Childs') and have come off '''worse''' as a result due to Lee-Ann's rules being horrible and Columbia being successfully brainwashed.
* [[InAnotherMansShoes In Another Woman's Shoes]]
** First, he brainwashes (''and admits to purposely doing it'') his children into believing his crazy "Christian" lifestyle where women should StayInTheKitchen and men rule.
** Dread sets in when halfway through, it becomes obvious that his replacement wife (Kim Beckman-Heskett) won't be able to fix his family while Lee-Ann Childs introduces rules that negatively impact the Beckman-Hesketts.
*** One such rule included the Beckman-Heskett's young daughters writing purity pledges. This rule caused great stress to the girls as they didn't fully understand what exactly they were pledging, only that they felt like they couldn't really stick to them.
** Christopher's real dark moment is after Kim tells his rebellious daughter Columbia to follow her dreams of becoming a successful woman (specifically, doctor) rather than a housewife. He takes Columbia away in his car (off-camera) and forces Kim to promise not to influence Columbia; when Columbia comes back, she's been brainwashed by Christopher into not only giving up her dreams and becoming a housewife, but also believe that Kim was trying to manipulate her.
** At the end, it's revealed that neither family learned anything (although the Beckman-Hesketts were nowhere near as screwed up as the Childs') and have come off '''worse''' as a result due to Lee-Ann's rules being horrible and Columbia being successfully brainwashed.
* [[InAnotherMansShoes In Another Woman's Shoes]]
to:
* KnightOfCerebus: A rare nonfiction example, but Christopher Childs certainly qualifies along with filling the JerkAss tropes. His family's episode caused things to, rather than be funny BigotVsBigot comedy that's usually the standard, contain little to no laughter but considerably more tear-jerking and/or rage-inducing moments. ([[TakeOurWordForIt The video has since been deleted.]])
**First, he brainwashes (''and admits to purposely doing it'') his children into believing his crazy "Christian" lifestyle where women should StayInTheKitchen and men rule.
**rule. Dread sets in when halfway through, it becomes obvious that his replacement wife (Kim Beckman-Heskett) won't be able to fix his family while Lee-Ann Childs introduces rules that negatively impact the Beckman-Hesketts.
***Beckman-Hesketts. One such rule included the Beckman-Heskett's young daughters writing purity pledges. This rule caused great stress to the girls as they didn't fully understand what exactly they were pledging, only that they felt like they couldn't really stick to them.
**them. Christopher's real dark moment is after Kim tells his rebellious daughter Columbia to follow her dreams of becoming a successful woman (specifically, doctor) rather than a housewife. He takes Columbia away in his car (off-camera) and forces Kim to promise not to influence Columbia; when Columbia comes back, she's been brainwashed by Christopher into not only giving up her dreams and becoming a housewife, but also believe that Kim was trying to manipulate her.
**her. At the end, it's revealed that neither family learned anything (although the Beckman-Hesketts were nowhere near as screwed up as the Childs') and have come off '''worse''' as a result due to Lee-Ann's rules being horrible and Columbia being successfully brainwashed.
*[[InAnotherMansShoes InAnotherMansShoes: In Another Woman's Shoes]]Shoes -- two wives change places in their respective families.
**
**
***
**
**
*
Deleted line(s) 53,55 (click to see context) :
* TooDumbToLive: Anyone who goes on the show. Then again, see "the first thing" above (or its own entry in RealityShowGenreBlindness).
** "King" Curtis' ''father'' once said "If we can find a way to fry salad, we may try it." Enjoy your obesity.
** One episode featured a family that smokes frequently, among other things. On the subject of quitting smoking, the dad says, "I can't quit smoking. If I do, I'll get hit by a bus."
** "King" Curtis' ''father'' once said "If we can find a way to fry salad, we may try it." Enjoy your obesity.
** One episode featured a family that smokes frequently, among other things. On the subject of quitting smoking, the dad says, "I can't quit smoking. If I do, I'll get hit by a bus."
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Changed line(s) 34 (click to see context) from:
* KnightOfCerebus: A rare nonfiction example, but Christopher Childs certainly qualifies along with filling the JerkAss tropes. His family's episode caused things to, rather than be funny BigotVsBigot comedy that's usually the standard, contain little to no laughter but considerably more tear-jerking and/or rage-inducing moments. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlKN-3M9MC8 See for yourself.]]
to:
* KnightOfCerebus: A rare nonfiction example, but Christopher Childs certainly qualifies along with filling the JerkAss tropes. His family's episode caused things to, rather than be funny BigotVsBigot comedy that's usually the standard, contain little to no laughter but considerably more tear-jerking and/or rage-inducing moments. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlKN-3M9MC8 See for yourself.]] ([[TakeOurWordForIt The video has since been deleted.]])
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Added DiffLines:
Series on Creator/{{ABC}} based on a programme of the same name from the United Kingdom whose premise involves two wildly-different families swapping wives for a two-week period.
Or at least, that ''should'' be the premise. But, since the series producers really went out of their way to find the most hideous examples of whatever differing ideologies they could find, things are a little.. .different. Your standard setup went something like this:
''"Two moms, with wildly different parenting styles, are swapped between families! Watch the [[HilarityEnsues hilarity]] as the mom who's been used to a harsh militaristic setting all her life is swapped with the mom who lets her kids talk to her however they want! Marvel as the excessively-clean mother puts up with a family who barely ever cleans! Be amazed as the industrialist's family meet their new mom, a nonconforming vegetarian who thinks all corporations are evil! Gaze in wonder as the super Christian mother who only wears black skirts swaps with a vehemently-atheist tattooed stripper!"''
And so on.
This is one of the most extreme cases of BigotVsBigot you'll ever see on primetime television. To be fair, plenty of episodes ''do'' end with one or both families changing a little (e.g., an extremely rules-oriented family becoming a little more relaxed and an extremely laid-back family becoming a little more organized)...but this is of course ''after'' a lot of screaming and yelling.
It's also particularly amusing to watch the gender role debates. Pair a highly-conservative, husband-is-king family with a "get with the times" wife-is-queen-bee family. Swap the wives and you have, on the one hand, a man and woman both prepared to hold their ground to the last bloody inch (and both used to being waited on hand and foot), and on the other hand, a pair of domestic servants who have never stood up for themselves in their lives. ''Then'' you have the housewife tell the HouseHusband that he should stop being lazy and go get a job ([[SarcasmMode since obviously people at home do no work of value at all]]) while the househusband tells the housewife that she should stop letting her mate walk all over her (since obviously staying at home is a nonstop drudgery that no free human soul would willingly accept...[[FridgeLogic wait a minute]]).
The other thing that is unusual about this show and those who choose to appear on it is that '''there's no visible reward for participating'''. Part of the formula is having each wife say what her reason for doing it is, which may or may not work out, but ABC offers no direct financial incentive — they just say "If you want to appear on ''Wife Swap'', write..." There actually ''is'' a financial reward, but they seem determined to avoid mentioning this in-show.
That said, anyone who applies to be on the show is pretty much [[YoureInsane completely insane]], [[TooDumbToLive extremely stupid]], or some combination of the two.
In early 2009 it featured Stephen Fowler, a San Francisco resident who got some notoriety after [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9m8BC8NGHJI spending two weeks berating a Midwestern woman.]] Also featured (twice!) were the Heenes, who went on to greater infamy ''after'' their two shows by "accidentally" sending up their son in a homemade balloon, only later to confess to lying about it. There's also the '''extremely'''-infamous Christopher Childs, who got an entry below.
The series ended in August 2010 after 123 episodes, only to return in January 2012 as ''Celebrity Wife Swap''.
----
!!This show provides examples of:
* BigotVsBigot
* CelebrityEdition: ''Celebrity Wife Swap'', obviously. Surprisingly, the drama on the celebrity edition seems to be toned down a bit compared to the regular version.
* CloudCuckooLander:
** The Heenes, even if not ''especially'' after the show.
** One family had a psychic for a wife who believed that one of the other family's children was actually a reincarnated alien.
* ComicallyMissingThePoint: Many families, but special props to the family that promised to schedule spontaneity.
* EnfantTerrible: More disrespectful than psychotic, but yeah.
* FollowTheLeader: Copied blatantly by {{FOX}} into ''Trading Spouses: Meet Your New Mommy'' (although, due to that premiering in the United States '''before''' the US ''Wife Swap'', plenty of people think it's actually the original). This one had open financial incentives, with the catch that it's the visiting mother who picks how the family spends the money.
* HouseHusband: As noted above, the DoubleStandard involved in this trope was ''starkly'' illustrated on an episode where a conservative, very religious, "traditional" couple (husband worked, wife stayed home to run the house and care for the kids) switched with a non-religious, more liberal, "unconventional" couple (husband stayed home to run the house and care for the kids, wife worked). The "traditional" housewife almost immediately started berating the househusband (just as competent as her in taking care of a home) for being a "lazy deadbeat" and kept insisting that he "get a job". Surely, if anyone would know, she should have that staying at home and taking care of the kids '''is''' a job and '''''anything but lazy'''''.
* JerkAss: One wife-swap involved a swap with a Wiccan family. During the rule-change the swapped wife berated the Wiccan kids for believing in magic and even broke one's wand in front of them. There's changing the rules, and then there's being flat out mean.
* JerkassHasAPoint: Frequently, each side has some perfectly valid criticisms, but each side refuses to listen to each other.
* KnightOfCerebus: A rare nonfiction example, but Christopher Childs certainly qualifies along with filling the JerkAss tropes. His family's episode caused things to, rather than be funny BigotVsBigot comedy that's usually the standard, contain little to no laughter but considerably more tear-jerking and/or rage-inducing moments. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlKN-3M9MC8 See for yourself.]]
** First, he brainwashes (''and admits to purposely doing it'') his children into believing his crazy "Christian" lifestyle where women should StayInTheKitchen and men rule.
** Dread sets in when halfway through, it becomes obvious that his replacement wife (Kim Beckman-Heskett) won't be able to fix his family while Lee-Ann Childs introduces rules that negatively impact the Beckman-Hesketts.
*** One such rule included the Beckman-Heskett's young daughters writing purity pledges. This rule caused great stress to the girls as they didn't fully understand what exactly they were pledging, only that they felt like they couldn't really stick to them.
** Christopher's real dark moment is after Kim tells his rebellious daughter Columbia to follow her dreams of becoming a successful woman (specifically, doctor) rather than a housewife. He takes Columbia away in his car (off-camera) and forces Kim to promise not to influence Columbia; when Columbia comes back, she's been brainwashed by Christopher into not only giving up her dreams and becoming a housewife, but also believe that Kim was trying to manipulate her.
** At the end, it's revealed that neither family learned anything (although the Beckman-Hesketts were nowhere near as screwed up as the Childs') and have come off '''worse''' as a result due to Lee-Ann's rules being horrible and Columbia being successfully brainwashed.
* [[InAnotherMansShoes In Another Woman's Shoes]]
* LargeHam: Richard Heene is a big one.
* ManipulativeBastard: Christopher Childs, see above.
* MoneyDearBoy: Averted, as none of the families seem to apply ''for'' the money. TVTropes advises all viewing this page '''not''' to apply for ''Wife Swap'' just for the financial incentive.
* OddCouple
* OnceAnEpisode:
** "Each wife has written a guide to the running of their homes."
** The meeting of the two couples at the end, which inevitably ends in a shouting match.
* ParentProducedProject: Alicia Gustaferro's parents did ''all'' her homework for her.
* PoesLaw: A lot of families are so extreme, they seem like parodies.
* Complete Insanit- uh, RealityShowGenreBlindness: Anyone who appeared after Season 1. The first thing on the questionnaire must be "Have you seen ''Wife Swap'' prior to beginning this questionnaire? If yes, don't bother filling out the rest of the paperwork. And get the hell away from us."
* StrictlyFormula
* TheBadGuyWins: Christopher Childs. He kept his family's twisted lifestyle unchanged despite the replacement wife's best efforts, while his actual wife "infected" the other (considerably more sane) family.
* TooDumbToLive: Anyone who goes on the show. Then again, see "the first thing" above (or its own entry in RealityShowGenreBlindness).
** "King" Curtis' ''father'' once said "If we can find a way to fry salad, we may try it." Enjoy your obesity.
** One episode featured a family that smokes frequently, among other things. On the subject of quitting smoking, the dad says, "I can't quit smoking. If I do, I'll get hit by a bus."
* TransatlanticEquivalent: Localized variations sprouted in various countries including Sweden, Norway, Croatia, Australia, the Baltic States, and others.
* WellDoneSonGuy: A staple of the show is that a mother from a free-wheeling family will admonish the father of a strict family for not showing his children enough affection/approval. Sometimes [[JerkassHasAPoint she has a point]], sometimes it's just that [[TheStoic he doesn't express those things]] in the way her husband does with her children.
----
Or at least, that ''should'' be the premise. But, since the series producers really went out of their way to find the most hideous examples of whatever differing ideologies they could find, things are a little.. .different. Your standard setup went something like this:
''"Two moms, with wildly different parenting styles, are swapped between families! Watch the [[HilarityEnsues hilarity]] as the mom who's been used to a harsh militaristic setting all her life is swapped with the mom who lets her kids talk to her however they want! Marvel as the excessively-clean mother puts up with a family who barely ever cleans! Be amazed as the industrialist's family meet their new mom, a nonconforming vegetarian who thinks all corporations are evil! Gaze in wonder as the super Christian mother who only wears black skirts swaps with a vehemently-atheist tattooed stripper!"''
And so on.
This is one of the most extreme cases of BigotVsBigot you'll ever see on primetime television. To be fair, plenty of episodes ''do'' end with one or both families changing a little (e.g., an extremely rules-oriented family becoming a little more relaxed and an extremely laid-back family becoming a little more organized)...but this is of course ''after'' a lot of screaming and yelling.
It's also particularly amusing to watch the gender role debates. Pair a highly-conservative, husband-is-king family with a "get with the times" wife-is-queen-bee family. Swap the wives and you have, on the one hand, a man and woman both prepared to hold their ground to the last bloody inch (and both used to being waited on hand and foot), and on the other hand, a pair of domestic servants who have never stood up for themselves in their lives. ''Then'' you have the housewife tell the HouseHusband that he should stop being lazy and go get a job ([[SarcasmMode since obviously people at home do no work of value at all]]) while the househusband tells the housewife that she should stop letting her mate walk all over her (since obviously staying at home is a nonstop drudgery that no free human soul would willingly accept...[[FridgeLogic wait a minute]]).
The other thing that is unusual about this show and those who choose to appear on it is that '''there's no visible reward for participating'''. Part of the formula is having each wife say what her reason for doing it is, which may or may not work out, but ABC offers no direct financial incentive — they just say "If you want to appear on ''Wife Swap'', write..." There actually ''is'' a financial reward, but they seem determined to avoid mentioning this in-show.
That said, anyone who applies to be on the show is pretty much [[YoureInsane completely insane]], [[TooDumbToLive extremely stupid]], or some combination of the two.
In early 2009 it featured Stephen Fowler, a San Francisco resident who got some notoriety after [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9m8BC8NGHJI spending two weeks berating a Midwestern woman.]] Also featured (twice!) were the Heenes, who went on to greater infamy ''after'' their two shows by "accidentally" sending up their son in a homemade balloon, only later to confess to lying about it. There's also the '''extremely'''-infamous Christopher Childs, who got an entry below.
The series ended in August 2010 after 123 episodes, only to return in January 2012 as ''Celebrity Wife Swap''.
----
!!This show provides examples of:
* BigotVsBigot
* CelebrityEdition: ''Celebrity Wife Swap'', obviously. Surprisingly, the drama on the celebrity edition seems to be toned down a bit compared to the regular version.
* CloudCuckooLander:
** The Heenes, even if not ''especially'' after the show.
** One family had a psychic for a wife who believed that one of the other family's children was actually a reincarnated alien.
* ComicallyMissingThePoint: Many families, but special props to the family that promised to schedule spontaneity.
* EnfantTerrible: More disrespectful than psychotic, but yeah.
* FollowTheLeader: Copied blatantly by {{FOX}} into ''Trading Spouses: Meet Your New Mommy'' (although, due to that premiering in the United States '''before''' the US ''Wife Swap'', plenty of people think it's actually the original). This one had open financial incentives, with the catch that it's the visiting mother who picks how the family spends the money.
* HouseHusband: As noted above, the DoubleStandard involved in this trope was ''starkly'' illustrated on an episode where a conservative, very religious, "traditional" couple (husband worked, wife stayed home to run the house and care for the kids) switched with a non-religious, more liberal, "unconventional" couple (husband stayed home to run the house and care for the kids, wife worked). The "traditional" housewife almost immediately started berating the househusband (just as competent as her in taking care of a home) for being a "lazy deadbeat" and kept insisting that he "get a job". Surely, if anyone would know, she should have that staying at home and taking care of the kids '''is''' a job and '''''anything but lazy'''''.
* JerkAss: One wife-swap involved a swap with a Wiccan family. During the rule-change the swapped wife berated the Wiccan kids for believing in magic and even broke one's wand in front of them. There's changing the rules, and then there's being flat out mean.
* JerkassHasAPoint: Frequently, each side has some perfectly valid criticisms, but each side refuses to listen to each other.
* KnightOfCerebus: A rare nonfiction example, but Christopher Childs certainly qualifies along with filling the JerkAss tropes. His family's episode caused things to, rather than be funny BigotVsBigot comedy that's usually the standard, contain little to no laughter but considerably more tear-jerking and/or rage-inducing moments. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlKN-3M9MC8 See for yourself.]]
** First, he brainwashes (''and admits to purposely doing it'') his children into believing his crazy "Christian" lifestyle where women should StayInTheKitchen and men rule.
** Dread sets in when halfway through, it becomes obvious that his replacement wife (Kim Beckman-Heskett) won't be able to fix his family while Lee-Ann Childs introduces rules that negatively impact the Beckman-Hesketts.
*** One such rule included the Beckman-Heskett's young daughters writing purity pledges. This rule caused great stress to the girls as they didn't fully understand what exactly they were pledging, only that they felt like they couldn't really stick to them.
** Christopher's real dark moment is after Kim tells his rebellious daughter Columbia to follow her dreams of becoming a successful woman (specifically, doctor) rather than a housewife. He takes Columbia away in his car (off-camera) and forces Kim to promise not to influence Columbia; when Columbia comes back, she's been brainwashed by Christopher into not only giving up her dreams and becoming a housewife, but also believe that Kim was trying to manipulate her.
** At the end, it's revealed that neither family learned anything (although the Beckman-Hesketts were nowhere near as screwed up as the Childs') and have come off '''worse''' as a result due to Lee-Ann's rules being horrible and Columbia being successfully brainwashed.
* [[InAnotherMansShoes In Another Woman's Shoes]]
* LargeHam: Richard Heene is a big one.
* ManipulativeBastard: Christopher Childs, see above.
* MoneyDearBoy: Averted, as none of the families seem to apply ''for'' the money. TVTropes advises all viewing this page '''not''' to apply for ''Wife Swap'' just for the financial incentive.
* OddCouple
* OnceAnEpisode:
** "Each wife has written a guide to the running of their homes."
** The meeting of the two couples at the end, which inevitably ends in a shouting match.
* ParentProducedProject: Alicia Gustaferro's parents did ''all'' her homework for her.
* PoesLaw: A lot of families are so extreme, they seem like parodies.
* Complete Insanit- uh, RealityShowGenreBlindness: Anyone who appeared after Season 1. The first thing on the questionnaire must be "Have you seen ''Wife Swap'' prior to beginning this questionnaire? If yes, don't bother filling out the rest of the paperwork. And get the hell away from us."
* StrictlyFormula
* TheBadGuyWins: Christopher Childs. He kept his family's twisted lifestyle unchanged despite the replacement wife's best efforts, while his actual wife "infected" the other (considerably more sane) family.
* TooDumbToLive: Anyone who goes on the show. Then again, see "the first thing" above (or its own entry in RealityShowGenreBlindness).
** "King" Curtis' ''father'' once said "If we can find a way to fry salad, we may try it." Enjoy your obesity.
** One episode featured a family that smokes frequently, among other things. On the subject of quitting smoking, the dad says, "I can't quit smoking. If I do, I'll get hit by a bus."
* TransatlanticEquivalent: Localized variations sprouted in various countries including Sweden, Norway, Croatia, Australia, the Baltic States, and others.
* WellDoneSonGuy: A staple of the show is that a mother from a free-wheeling family will admonish the father of a strict family for not showing his children enough affection/approval. Sometimes [[JerkassHasAPoint she has a point]], sometimes it's just that [[TheStoic he doesn't express those things]] in the way her husband does with her children.
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