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Trading Spouses

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Trading Spouses
GenreReality television
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes59
Production
Executive producers
  • Jean-Michel Michenaud
  • Chris Cowan
Running time60 minutes
Production companyRocket Science Laboratories
Original release
NetworkFox
ReleaseJuly 20, 2004 (2004-07-20) –
May 4, 2007 (2007-05-04)

Trading Spouses: Meet Your New Mommy is an American reality television series broadcast by the Fox Broadcasting Company (Fox). The series ran for three seasons from July 20, 2004, to May 5, 2007. Each episode of Trading Spouses followed two families, often of different cultural or social backgrounds, who swapped mothers or fathers for a week. Both families were awarded $50,000, with the stipulation that the guest mother decides how her host family must spend the money.

The show shares a very similar format to Wife Swap (and its American remake). In 2004, ABC showcased their upcoming Wife Swap show including projections of its popularity. Weeks before the show's debut, Fox introduced Trading Spouses: Meet Your New Mommy.[1] The producers of Wife Swap, RDF Media, claimed Fox stole their concept.[2]

The show completed airing its third season on May 3, 2007. On February 27, 2008, Fox announced that it had sold the rights to Trading Spouses: Meet Your New Mommy to CMT, effectively ending the series.[3]

In 2005, Trading Spouses was one of several television programs cited in a class-action lawsuit filed by the Writers Guild of America concerning labor law violations.

Reception

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Brian Lowry of Variety criticized the series, stating, "Trading Spouses is as cynical as its name — designed to stoke conflict and elicit well-orchestrated feelings of contempt or bemusement toward the key 'characters.'"[4]

Lawsuit

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On December 15, 2004, Fox and Rocket Science Laboratories were sued by RDF Media over allegations that Trading Spouses copied Wife Swap.[5]

D'Amico-Flisher/Perrin episode

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In November 2005,[6] a two-part episode entitled D'Amico-Flisher/Perrin aired. In the episode, a Christian woman from Louisiana named Marguerite Perrin[7] was staying with the New Age D'Amico-Flisher family[7] in Massachusetts[8] while hypnotherapist and radio talk-show host, Jeanne Marie D'Amico stayed with Perrin's family. Throughout the episode, Perrin became increasingly angry[8] with the beliefs of the D'Amico-Flisher family due to viewing their beliefs as Satanic. Upon returning home, Perrin had an angry outburst due to her discomfort felt during her experience. The episode went viral and Perrin earned the nickname the "God Warrior" due to her calling herself this during her outburst.[9][10][8][11] Due to her fame from her outburst, she made guest appearances on The Jay Leno Show and The Tyra Banks Show. During her appearance on The Jay Leno Show, Perrin was gifted a bobblehead in her likeness.[6]

References

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  1. ^ "Spouse swap a fit for Fox: Net snipes at Alphabet with Trading Spouses". Variety. Archived from the original on 2011-12-23.
  2. ^ "Wife Swap sues Trading Spouses". post-gazette.com. Archived from the original on 2007-03-10.
  3. ^ "Twentieth Television Sells Family Focused Reality Series "Trading Spouses" And "Nanny 911" To CMT". TheFutonCritic.com.
  4. ^ Lowry, Brian (July 21, 2004). "Trading Spouses: Meet Your New Mommy". Variety. Archived from the original on January 22, 2024. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  5. ^ Collins, Scott (December 16, 2004). "'Wife' Producer Sues Fox Over Rival Show". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 14, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  6. ^ a b "God Warrior Remains a Beloved Meme, But Marguerite Perrin Isn't Afraid of Dark-Sided Stuff Anymore". Esquire. 2019-11-08. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  7. ^ a b Thomas, Bronwen; Round, Julia (2015-07-30). Real Lives, Celebrity Stories: Narratives of Ordinary and Extraordinary People Across Media. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 978-1-5013-0863-5.
  8. ^ a b c Edwards, Leigh H. (2013-01-09). The Triumph of Reality TV: The Revolution in American Television. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 979-8-216-15752-6.
  9. ^ Baker, Paul (2023-05-25). Camp!: The Story of the Attitude that Conquered the World. Footnote Press. ISBN 978-1-80444-033-9.
  10. ^ Geiger, Eric (2008-09-01). Identity. B&H Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-8054-6439-9.
  11. ^ Bader, Christopher D.; Mencken, F. Carson; Baker, Joseph O. (2011-01-05). Paranormal America: Ghost Encounters, UFO Sightings, Bigfoot Hunts, and Other Curiosities in Religion and Culture. NYU Press. ISBN 978-0-8147-8642-0.
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