Common Sense Media Review
By Melissa Camacho
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Swap spin-off is edgier than the original.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
What's the Story?
In CELEBRITY WIFE SWAP, wives who are celebrities -- as well as the wives of celebrities -- trade places with each other to experience life in the other's home. In each episode, stars like actress Tracey Gold, singers like Carnie Wilson, or the wives of controversial figures like Gary Busey and evangelical pastor Ted Haggard move into another celebrity's home. The week-long experiment requires them to live in the home according to the host household's daily rules and routines. Later in the week, the guest wife gets to run the household according to her own rules. When the week is over, the wives reunite with their partners and briefly discuss what they've learned from the experience.
Is It Any Good?
This Wife Swap spin-off features all the trappings of the original, with the exception that the people being featured here happen to be famous in some sort of way. But their guest wife responsibilities -- whether it be managing a handful of children or relating to a spouse -- pose the same challenges.
It's pretty mild overall (though a little edgier than the original), and folks who like this sort of thing may find it entertaining to watch these celebs performing mundane duties like laundry while negotiating habits and belief systems that are very different from their own. The series' themes are positive ones, but the show leaves little time for discussing any of the insights that participants may have gained from the experience.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what it would be like to swap their lives with someone else's for a week. Do you think it's possible to really get to know a family in that amount of time? What kind of things do you think you'd learn? What kinds of things would you change?
Why do you think the wives featured in this reality series agreed to participate in these swaps? Do you think it's to learn something about themselves and others? Or do you think it's a chance to get on camera or redeem themselves in some way?
TV Details
- Premiere date : January 3, 2012
- Cast : Carnie Wilson , Gary Busey , Tracey Gold
- Network : ABC
- Genre : Reality TV
- TV rating :
- Last updated : September 21, 2019
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate