IMDb > "Wife Swap" (2004)

"Wife Swap" (2004) More at IMDbPro »TV series 2004-????

Photos (see all 26 | slideshow)

Overview

User Rating:
4.5/10   377 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?

Down 3% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.

Contact:

View company contact information for Wife Swap on IMDbPro.

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | unknown full episode list

Release Date:

September 2004 (USA) more

Genre:

Reality-TV more

Awards:

2 nominations more

NewsDesk:
(40 articles)

Reality TV Couple Charged Over 'Balloon Boy' Drama
 (From WENN. 12 November 2009, 2:06 PM, PST)

'Wife Swap' producers talk balloon boy's dad back in 2008
 (From EW.com - Hollywood Insider. 19 October 2009, 9:55 AM, PDT)

User Comments:

For a Reality Show, There is too Much Acting and Posing more (9 total)


Cast

 (Series Cast [1])
John Schwab ... Narrator (99 episodes, 2004-2009)
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:

60 min (including commercials)

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

USA:TV-14 (some episodes) | USA:TV-PG (some episodes)

Company:

RDF Media more


Fun Stuff

Trivia:

Parodies: Wife Swap was spoofed in an episode of Hope & Faith with Wynonna Judd guest starring, as well as on a 2006 episode of The Simpsons, written by and starring Ricky Gervais. 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 Wife Swap. more

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Simpsons: Homer Simpson, This Is Your Wife (#17.15)" (2006) more


FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
18 out of 30 people found the following comment useful.
For a Reality Show, There is too Much Acting and Posing, 23 December 2006
3/10
Author: the-evil-cult from Australia

I've watched a few episodes of Fox's Trading Spouses and I liked some of the episodes a lot. I especially loved the episode that takes a man from Southern America and puts him in a New York city apartment with a very rich New York family. The two families were different, yes, but the Southern man tries to fit in with the new culture and does a very good job. The host family was nice and treated him like a guest. What was nice was the way the host family carried on as normal.

Most episodes of Wife Swap are different, however. Like Trading Spouses, the families are completely different, but the problem is that instead of simply having the wife living with a new family the show tries to start a fight by getting each wife to read some sort of manual about the other family and then after a while to set rules. The wives who swap don't even try to adapt to the environment. They are intolerant of other cultures. They loudly and proudly hold on to their way of life, thinking it is superior, and try to change the other people in the process. I hate it most when the wives tell us at the beginning who they are. You don't learn about who someone is by listening to what they say because their ideals about what they should be will get in the way with what they really are. There's a reason why people buy status symbols like large cars and large houses. They are trying to express themselves and project signals to others so they can be recognized as belonging to a certain social identity. Too many families use Wife Swap as a vehicle to show off their identity. Everything the parents do on the show, whether it is sport or shouting at their kids, is just another weak attempt to conform to an image or a stereotype.

It's not just the contrived conflict that makes Wife Swap so painful to watch but also the fact that you know the wives are posing for the camera. It is so clear these women are desperately trying to show off their identity for the world to see. In other words, they are acting, and that goes against what I expect in reality TV.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (9 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for "Wife Swap" (2004)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
homeschool family nutmeg30
Haggerty mom jennifer_libby
Re-airing Heene episode peeker52
ketchum family in_dis_guise
Ketchum/Sheron hollywoodstarlet10
Japanese storm chaser mom jennifer_libby
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
"The 1900 House" Longford The White Countess The Aryan Couple "The Osbournes"
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Episode guide Full cast and crew Company credits
News articles IMDb TV section IMDb Reality-TV section
IMDb UK section Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.

You may add a new episode for this TV series by clicking the 'add episode' button