| Trading Spouses | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Reality television |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 59 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production company | Rocket Science Laboratories |
| Original release | |
| Network | Fox |
| Release | July 20, 2004 (2004-07-20) – May 4, 2007 (2007-05-04) |
Trading Spouses: Meet Your New Mommy is an Americanreality television series broadcast by theFox Broadcasting Company (Fox). The series ran for three seasons from July 20, 2004, to May 5, 2007. Each episode ofTrading 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 toWife Swap (and itsAmerican remake). In 2004,ABC showcased their upcomingWife Swap show including projections of its popularity. Weeks before the show's debut, Fox introducedTrading Spouses: Meet Your New Mommy.[1] The producers ofWife 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 toTrading Spouses: Meet Your New Mommy toCMT, effectively ending the series.[3]
In 2005,Trading Spouses was one of several television programs cited in aclass-action lawsuit filed by theWriters Guild of America concerning labor law violations.
Brian Lowry ofVariety 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]
On December 15, 2004, Fox andRocket Science Laboratories were sued byRDF Media over allegations thatTrading Spouses copiedWife Swap.[5]
In November 2005,[6] a two-part episode entitledD'Amico-Flisher/Perrin aired. In the episode, aChristian woman fromLouisiana named Marguerite Perrin[7] was staying with theNew Age D'Amico-Flisher family[7] inMassachusetts[8] whilehypnotherapist andradio 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 asSatanic. Upon returning home, Perrin had anangry 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 onThe Jay Leno Show andThe Tyra Banks Show. During her appearance onThe Jay Leno Show, Perrin was gifted abobblehead in her likeness.[6]