I’ve long marveled at the success of Wife Swap on two fronts. For one thing, I don’t understand what the participants get out of the show, yet the producers seem to have a plethora of volunteers for their program. Second, what do viewers get from watching? Is it fun to see these families struggle like fish out of water, or is it painful? Is the fun in the pain?
That’s why this week I’m taking a look at Wife Swap. Who are the participants, and what are their motives? What’s the audience’s hook? Is it time that I sent the wife out for some hard labor in another family? We shall see.
Episode Summary – It’s not surprising that after six seasons all the easy family types have been covered, but I found it a bit too hard to relate to families like the Herringtons and the Trevinos — traveling performers and low-riders, respectively. In fact, I didn’t even know that the latter was a thing; I’ve certainly seen the cars, but I’d never heard the label.
Anyway, it’s an interesting set-up, I must admit. Two weeks with a different family, the first one when the wife lives by the family’s rules (detailed in an instruction manual), the second when the family lives by the wife’s. And I can definitely see how that is cause for chaos.
Lori (performers) did not play by the rules with the Trevino gang. I understood early on that the time for notes was at the end of each week, but Lori spent the entire first few days chewing Chris’ ear off about how he was raising his five daughters wrong. What was to be gained by her dressing like Tara (low-riders) I’m not sure, but Lori certainly did not embrace the spirit of week one. I’m willing to bet Lori wasn’t the first wife to be thrown out of the house, and I liked how the result of week one had no effect on week two. But I would have liked to know how quickly she got the boot.
Tara did better than Lori, but I certainly think she left what to be desired. I agree that there was no need for her to remove her lip ring, but she also threw her hands up a little too soon. And she moved in on Lori’s husband Jim during the first week — my impression was that week one is intended for the wives’ growth. I think they both failed there.
Week two, however, appears to be what this show is all about (assuming it’s the wives that initiate their family’s participation). This is when the family follows the wife’s rules, and gets to take notes on what they’re doing wrong (or right). It was at this point that I saw a real distinction between Lori and Tara. Lori was looking to bend the Trevinos to her will, while Tara set out to repair Jim’s relationships with his kids, as well as to help the kids to mature. I respect her for that, and I think she gave more than she took from the experience.
Conclusions – Up until the couples came face-to-face, I was still unclear about what motivations drive people to appear on this show. That is, until Jim broke down while talking about how he’d come to realize that he sucked as a father. It was at that point that Lori said, “That’s exactly what I wanted,” and she thanked Tara. Apparently Lori had hoped that someone would help Jim engage more with his family — mission accomplished.
But as for Tara and Chris? Chris said he learned to always stand up for his family … they took this experiment to be an affirmation of their parenting skills, proof that they’re raising their kids right. Sure, Tara is doing more around the house now, but I didn’t see a lesson learned, or even a goal that they had set for themselves in the first place.
I was honestly surprised at how many times I saw the heart and soul behind the show. It was really something to see the way Tara made a difference with Jim, how receptive he was to her thoughts, and how much of a difference two weeks seemed to make in the lives of Jim and Lori’s kids. But aside from those brief flashes, I didn’t get it. And because this seemed to be a lopsided episode, it was hard for me to tell if the couples generally turned out like the Herringtons or the Trevinos.
And I definitely still don’t understand why people put themselves and their families through this in the first place. They seem like lovely people, but the Herringtons looked crazy in their outfits. And the Trevino girls looked completely embarrassed at having to get up on stage and perform. Is whatever they’re getting out of this endeavor worth all of that?
I’m definitely walking out with a much better impression of Wife Swap than when I walked in, but I failed to be hooked. I did appreciate the experience, but I’m with Michael — thanks but no thanks!
Clacked by Aryeh S.
on May 24, 2010 @ 13:00 EST5EDT
