Wife Swap? (1 Viewer)

[SarahG]

Did anyone see this sneak preview last night? The premiere is actually Wednesday but they had a sneak peak last night. I was already watching EM: Home Edition, so I ended up watching this and it was pretty good. I liked the differences in the families and the potential to make an impact. Intereste to see what the fams are like this Wednesday. Thoughts?

 

[RyanAn]

"I have never said this before, BUT I HATE YOU." Classic ABC and their family-orientated banter. I loved the show, ofcourse I liked Trading Spouses as well. Is the only reason they are calling it "The Original" because they thought of the idea before and they are just complaining because FOX was quicker? Dave Chappelle did this almost three years ago, he deserves royalties.


Ryan

 

[Lew Crippen]

This was gender-based in our home. My wife liked it (and promoted watching it after a very positive review in the Dallas Morning News—male reviewer) and I did not.

There were a few interesting moments, but I had a hard time buying into either family. Or believing that they would consent to that kind of intrusion for no purpose. I really wanted to know why they would consent to such personal intrusion—money or 15 minutes of fame or what?

 

[andrew markworthy]

Is this a reality show about two couples who agree to exchange partners (except for the sex)? If so, then the same format of show (with the same title) was on Brit TV last year.

 

[Michael Hughes]

I thought it was pretty good. The anl retentive Mom really needed this show, she loosened up quite a bit and the family seems happier becuase of it. The friends Mom was a little too muich of a pal, that house was pretty gross, but the family seemed happy.

A pretty good reality show.

 

[Jordan_E]

Since it seemed too much like the show on Fox, I gave it a pass; maybe I'll give a gander when it's on again, because it always amazes me how people will let this happen just to be on TV!

 

[Bob-N]

I thought it was pretty good overall. But what a huge disparity of philosophies. I suppose that's what gets ratings. It was good to see the 5 hr/day cleaning mom loosen up and that the older kid admitted it would be nice to have some interaction with the family. The dad looked happier also.

For a while, I thought I was watching the Osbournes without the foul language. ("poo-poo presents").

 

[BrianB]

It's a US "licence" of the British original, Andrew, unlike Fox's ripoff.

 

[andrew markworthy]

Thanks for the info, Brian. No doubt we'll get this fed back to us on one of our satellite channels. However, if you guys get the chance to see the Brit version, do so. Any belief you may have that the British class system is disappearing should be utterly demolished by one of the programmes.

 

[Lew Crippen]

I’ve not seen that one Andrew, but I did watch one episode of Holiday Showdown.

Apparently it is the height of humor for two families to show each other a good time by taking each other on their usual vacation.

Working class family loves to go camping (in England)—tents, bangers on the grill, long walks along the historic countryside (of course what is not historic in England) to see where William landed and so forth. The also like to go into town and night, have a few pints at the local and return in a mood to take the piss out of the upper class.

The upper class family has not interest in doing anything physical on vacation, considers that one part of the beach looks pretty much like and other part (no need to actually walk very far) and is not amused by working class insults.

Their turn is to take a vacation to the island of Boreno (I’m pretty sure that they were outside of Kuching—the capital of Sarawak, a Malaysian state. They claim that they like to learn about other cultures (or at least as much as one can in an isolate five star hotel). The working class family wonders what there is to do and is not at all comfortable sitting by the pool for the entire time.

Their outing is to an area where orangutans are being reintroduced to their native habitat. They only stay long enough to see one. The working class family wonders what why they bothered. (I’ve actually been to that preserve and it is pretty easy to see several orangutans, so I wonder if there was not a bit of editing—but anything for a bit of tension.

The two weeks is interspaced with constant bickering and veiled (and direct) insults.

My wife liked this and has recorded another episode or two. I already know enough supercilious Poms to last a lifetime (and these are my friends), so I don’t need to see any more.

 

[andrew markworthy]

I didn't realise you had got that in the USA. The families are typical of two sub-genres of the Brit class system but they're not of course typical of all Brits any more than e.g. a show concentrating on a New England socialite and a taxi driver from New York would be typical of all Americans (Brits have an image of America that either you live in a tenement block or in a house with a white picket fence).

My experience of Americans is largely based on American academics and students, but I would guess that the typical middle class Brit and American (i.e. the bulk of the population) are pretty similar. The only differences I can find are that you guys are more likely to go to church and Brits more likely to use insults to friends in lieu of saying we like them.

 

[Lew Crippen]

It’s on BBC America (BBCA), not a broadcast channel, but one widely available on the satellite services and many cable providers.