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Wife Swap

Two families, both of whom have never met, have agreed that the Wives will swap homes, children and husbands for two weeks to see what they can learn from their own lives.

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Cast & Crew See All

Samantha Fox
Self
Olivia Williams
Self
Ken Lorimer
Self - Narrator

Season 13 Episode Guide See All

Episode 1

Celebrity Wife Swap

During the first week of this reality series, the new wife must adhere to exactly the same rules and lifestyle of the wife she is replacing. Each wife leaves behind a house manual which explains her role in the family and the duties she holds. This almost always determines what rules the wives will apply at the "rules change ceremony". 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. It usually takes a while for the families to adjust to this policy, meanwhile the wives disburse a sum of money to the family they have become involved with, to do what the wives see fit to spend it on. At the end of the two weeks, the two couples all meet together for the first time, and the wives, along with their husbands, discuss how they felt about the two weeks. This often descends into personal insults and has degenerated into violence at least twice. More often than not, however, both families reach toward a middle ground and express that they have learned from the experience. Sometimes, the table meeting is a very heartfelt and emotional time for the two families who sometimes have complete and mutual respect for each other. A few weeks later, the cameras return to record what changes have occurred since the wife swap.

Where to Watch

Awards

  • 2004 - Broadcasting Press Guild Award - Best Documentary Series - winner
  • 2004 - BAFTA TV Award - Best Features - winner
  • 2004 - National Television Award - Most Popular Factual Programme - winner
  • 2004 - Golden Nymph - Formats - Reality Format of the Year - winner

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