| Trading Spouses | |
|---|---|
 The Trading Spouses Logo |
|
| Format | Reality TV |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 60 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Chris Cowan Jean-Michel Michenaud |
| Running time | 44 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | FOX |
| Original run | July 1, 2004 – present |
| External links | |
| Official website | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
Trading Spouses (often advertised as Trading Spouses: Meet Your New Mommy) is a FOX reality show in which two families, usually of different social classes, swap wives or husbands for a week. Each family is awarded $50,000, with the stipulation that the guest mother decides how her host family must spend the money. The title of the show is a play on the title of the television program Trading Spaces. The show shares a very similar format to the Channel 4 United Kingdom (and subsequent ABC remake) program Wife Swap. In 2004, ABC showcased their upcoming Wife Swap show including projections of its popularity. Weeks before the show's debut, FOX introduced Trading Spouses.[1] The producers of Wife Swap, RDF Media, claimed FOX stole their concept,[2] while FOX argued that TV shows have always borrowed from one another and that FOX simply beat ABC to delivery. Audio clips from contestant Marguerite Perrin appear often on the radio show Loveline. Comedy Central's Chappelle's Show featured a sketch called "Trading Spouses" nearly a year before the Fox show aired. Despite the similarities, the sketch appears to be based on the home-decorating show Trading Spaces and Dave Chappelle's stand-up comedy. The show has completed airing its third season on May 3, 2007. On May 17, 2007, the series was renewed.[1]
References
- ^ "Spouse swap a fit for Fox: Net snipes at Alphabet with Trading Spouses" article from Variety
- ^ "Wife Swap sues Trading Spouses" article from post-gazette.com
