WIFE SWAP - Fishnet vs hacksaw

OK, do you think these two moms would get along very well?

On one side of the country we have Andrea Robarge of New York, a tomboy who enjoys competing in lumberjack competitions with her rugged and chaste family.  On the other side of the country we have Sarina McDonald, real estate agent by day, burlesque dancer by night, whose artistic family is considerably more laid back about human sexuality.  Andrea Robarge cooks and picks up after her sons, who she is very focused on.  In the McDonald home, husband Dan and grandma take care of the kids most of the time, and the two boys are expected to pick up after themselves.  One family is open about sex, the other family is open about chainsaws. 

As with all Wife Swap episodes, the two moms trade homes and lives for two uncomfortable and hopefully transformative weeks.  Tempers flare and tears are shed, but are any lessons learned?  Well, yes.

Sometimes Wife Swap surprises me when the families involve actually seem open to the experience.  Sure, there is always the initial culture shock and snap judgments - that's what makes the show so entertaining - but sometimes the wives and families are a little more receptive to the whole Wife Swap challenge and respectful of the other family's way of life. 

I thought for sure that the Robarges would be more uptight about Sarina's burlesque dancing, but after some initial discomfort, they seemed to understand the difference between what she did and full-on stripping.  Sarina still couldn't get Dad to talk to the kids about the birds and the bees though - he took an axe to the  sex education book that Sarina wanted him to share with the boys.  Oh, well.  Baby steps.  The sex ed thing was probably too much for him to take on board in one week.

In the McDonald home, Andrea convinces Dan that having busy Sarina around more in Mom-mode would be a better thing, although she's not succesful in her attempt to sell off all of Sarina's burlesque clothes and accessories.  Dan rightly refuses to sell Sarina's stuff, reasoning that it would be like him selling Andrea's beloved chain saws.  Lumberjill Andrea does get bonus points for gamely dancing in a burlesque show, which couldn't have been the easiest thing in the world for her.

In the end, both families seemed to benefit and come to grudgingly respect the others' point of view, and while Wife Swap didn't turn the Robarges into Free Love hedonists or the McDonalds into hearty lumberjacks, I don't think either family would say the experience was a waste.

--Dave Campbell