First there was ABC’s [1]Wife Swap where the producers of the show scout for two, usually, polar opposite families and swap the wives for a couple of weeks. It was later syndicated on [2]Lifetime and [3]CMT Canada. Now there’s [4]Celebrity Wife Swap and yes, I do watch it and am thrilled they’ve added new episodes. Keep them coming, please! There is even a [5]Wife Swap UK that I didn’t even know about until I did my research. What on Earth would we do without Google! Let’s not forget FOX’s [6]Trading Spouses, which is provides us yet another spouse switcharoo situation.
So, when FYI, the jointly owned network of A&E and Disney-ABC Television Group, opted to brilliantly greenlight [7]Seven Year Switch, they took the wife swap concept to the next level and made it 100 times more interesting, in my opinion. I’m going to review the show and not necessarily describe all the participants and their names, but more or less comment on the structure and concept. But essentially, what’s different from other partner swap shows is the panel of experts. In this way, the show is structured more like A&E’s [8]Married at First Sight.
This didn’t come to me as a surprise since, as I stated, A&E is co-owner of FYI, so the structure of its reality shows are similar. Bringing in experts such as psychologists and relationship experts allows for a level of authenticity that gives it more of a docu-series feel and sets it apart from mainstream, reality TV that’s more about cat fights, gossip and drama. Seven Year Switch doesn’t pit people against one another for the sake of ratings. And similar to Married at First Sight, once the new spouses get together they have an opportunity to get to know each other by living with one another, sharing the same bed and sharing fun activities and even trips.
The show is referred to as an “experiment,” but in a nutshell it’s a reality show that banks off of the “what if the grass is greener” concept. Most of us who’ve been married or in a relationship have wondered what it would be like if they could be with someone, or they’ve thought about the traits of their “ideal” partner.
Seven Year Switch, like Married at First Sight, ends the experiment by requiring the participating couples to make a grueling decision, remain married or get a divorce. It’s a brave concept that films a very intimate and personal decision, and it’s unlike Married at First Sight where the people are strangers. After that experiment it’s no big deal if you decide to end the marriage. Seven Year Switch however sets out to [9]research why couples usually comes to a crossroads at the seven year mark in their marriage or relationship and contemplate divorce.
It’s a great show that’s full of dramatic promise, like perhaps future couples getting intimate? Will we see things get that far? I am definitely going to be tuning in to find out.
[1] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0411040/
[2] http://www.mylifetime.com/shows/wife-swap
[3] http://www.cmt.ca/show/wife-swap
[4] http://abc.go.com/shows/celebrity-wife-swap
[5] http://www.tv.com/shows/wife-swap-uk/episodes/
[6] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0420460/
[7] http://www.fyi.tv/shows/seven-year-switch/about/season-1
[8] http://www.aetv.com/married-at-first-sight