Wife Swap (Courtesy Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Wife Swap is a reality television programme, produced by UK independent TV production company RDF Media. It first aired in 2003 on the UK's Channel 4, and since 2004 an American version has also aired on the ABC network. On 26 January 2007 ABC announced that it had renewed Wife Swap through the 2007-2008 Season.

Synopsis

The title is a play on the term "wife swapping", a practice associated with the swinging lifestyle, which is not a theme of the show. For the television show, two families, usually from vastly different social classes and lifestyles, swap wives/mothers for two weeks. In fact, the show will usually deliberately swap wives with extreme polar opposite lifestyles, such as a dramatically messy wife swapping with a fastidiously neat one, or an overly strict mother swapping with an overly lax one. Though using a phrase from the swinging lifestyle, couples participating in the show do not share a bed with the "swapped" spouse while "swapping" homes.

During the first week, the new wife must adhere to the exact same rules and lifestyle of the wife they are replacing. Each wife leaves a house manual which explains their role in the family and the duties they hold.

During the second week, the new wives are allowed to establish their own rules, and their new families must adhere to these new household rules.

At the end of the two weeks, the two couples all meet together for the first time, and along with their husbands, discuss how they feel about the two weeks. This often descends into personal insults and has degenerated into violence at least once.

In 2006 on the American version, a new twist was added whereby the wife can bring in someone to help her (a family member, a friend) to help on one day of the swap. The twist was discontinued early in the third season and only appeared in a few episodes.

Spin-offs

Other countries

Localised versions of Wife Swap were produced by Viasat and aired in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Viasat was the first company in the world to adapt the format locally. The first adaptation aired in Denmark in Fall 2003. A version in Serbia airs on RTV Pink, called Menjam ?enu, which premiered in July 2006. Also, Chile premiered its own version of Wife Swap called "¿Quién cambia a quién? Intercambio de Esposas" (Who changes whom?: Wife Swap) on March 14. The show is produced by Canal 13 and hosted by Cecilia Bolocco. The Croatian version airs on RTL Televizija.

Celebrity Wife Swap

There have been three celebrity versions of Wife Swap produced on the UK version of the show. The first one saw Charles Ingram playing host to Jade Goody of Big Brother fame, and the second saw racing pundit John McCririck play host to politician Edwina Currie. The third celebrity version broadcasted on April 1st 2007 and featured magician Paul Daniels and journalist and radio host Vanessa Feltz.

Boss Swap

A spin-off, Boss Swap, aired as a series in the UK. A pilot for a U.S. series aired on ABC, but the series never got commissioned. Husband Swap and Vacation Swap pilots were also aired in the U.S., but were not ordered to series. At least once, however, a husband and a live-in boyfriend swapped while the women stayed with their families.

Parodies

Wife Swap was spoofed in a 2006 episode of The Simpsons that was written by and starring Ricky Gervais. It was also spoofed in an episode of Hope & Faith with Wynonna Judd guest starring.

In 2007, Richard Thomas' BBC Two series Kombat Opera Presents included a musical parody of the American version of Wife Swap, under the title Spouse Change.

In the final episode of The Vicar of Dibley, it showed Dawn French, and Sting participating in a "Celebrity Non-Entity Wife Swap".

An episode of the Chappelle Show aired a parody titled "Trading Spouses".

Legal issues

Trading Spouses

In the United States, the Fox network airs another show entitled Trading Spouses, with a near identical format to Wife Swap. In 2004, the RDF Media sued Fox for copyright infringement for reproducing the Wife Swap format without their permission.

In 2004, ABC showcased their upcoming Wife Swap show including projections of its popularity. Weeks before the show's debut, FOX introduced Trading Spouses. The producers of Wife Swap, RDF Media, claimed FOX stole their concept, while FOX argued that TV shows have always borrowed from one another and that FOX simply beat ABC to delivery.

British version

In her 2003 appearance on the programme, Lizzy Bardsley was shown to be living entirely on state benefits, which she continued to do so without declaring payments she subsequently received for media work. Prosecuted and found guilty in 2005, she was sentenced to 80 hours community service and ordered to repay £4,879 in overpaid benefits. In February 2007 she was convicted of child cruelty charges, receiving an eight month suspended sentence and a two year supervision order.

American version

On March 23 2005, 50-year-old former Wife Swap participant Edward Heiss, Jr., of Warwick, Rhode Island, was arrested on charges of identity theft and for obtaining money under false pretenses. He allegedly used his father's identity to obtain a luxury automobile, loans, and goods with a value of $100,000. Heiss appeared in Wife Swap in the autumn of 2005. His wife Susan said that he is impulsive with money.

In November of 2005, Jeffrey Bedford, a participant on the show, sued ABC network for trading his wife for a gay man. He accused ABC of being dishonest, not allowing him contact with his wife, and making him miss college classes. He claims that when he ceased participating with the production of the show, ABC threatened that it would not tell him his wife's whereabouts and would not pay for his wife's return home. He is suing for over USD$10,000,000.00. The producers of the show have dismissed the alligations and claim that his argument was simply homophobia on his behalf.

Wife Swap