We have enlisted the best Wife Swap episodes in this article. If you are a fan of the hit reality show Wife Swap then this is the right place for you.
Wife Swap is one of the most popular reality shows. It’s a reality program unlike any other, with kitchens, living rooms, and even bedrooms as battlegrounds. Even though the premise of the show sounds bizarre, it provides a lot of entertainment.
The initial version of the show ran from September 26, 2004, until August 13, 2010, with a revival airing from March 21 to May 2, 2013. From January 2012 through May 2015, a different version of the show called “Celebrity Wife Swap” aired.
However, in 2019, the Paramount Network aired a revival of the series. Now with all these different versions of the show, it might be hard to keep track of it. So, we have compiled a list of the top 20 best wife swap episodes that’ll keep you entertained.
But before we dive into that, let’s learn a bit about Wife Swap first.
Wife Swap Premise
So the premise of Wife Swap is quite obvious from the name. In this show, two families swap wives/mothers (and sometimes husbands) for two weeks.
The “swapped” wife must follow the same rules and lifestyle as the woman she is replacing for the first week. Furthermore, each wife leaves a guidebook that details how the house is managed.
The new women are free to set their own rules that the family must observe in the second week. In the end, the two couples meet and discuss what changes they’ve experienced throughout this venture.
Best Wife Swap Episodes
Wife Swap’s premise is quite unique and interesting, however, not every episode manages to provide the same quality of entertainment. So for that reason, we have handpicked the very best episodes of Wife Swap for you guys.
So let’s dive into it.
20. Season 7, Episode 4
We are kicking off our list of best Wife Swap episodes with episode 4 of season 7. This episode is titled “Avery-Lamb/Martin.” It aired on April 11, 2013.
The premise of this particular episode is quite interesting. In this episode, a rigorous disciplinarian swaps places with a mother who believes children should be allowed to be free. Now, they’ve to find a way to get comfortable with the children.
Such episodes of Wife Swap where the swapped wives are opposite to each other make for an interesting watch. Moreover, this episode is quite entertaining yet sad for the interaction between the free-willed children and the disciplinarian mother.
19. Season 7, Episode 5
Another entry coming from the 7th season of wife swap is titled “DiBella/LaRosh.” This episode aired on April 18, 2013. It is the fifth episode of season 7.
In this episode, a San Diego fitness enthusiast and workaholic mother swap homes with an Italian mother from New Jersey who enjoys spoiling her family. This episode is pure gold. It provides a unique outlook on mothers from backgrounds.
It is definitely one of the best Wife Swap episodes because of the Italian mother DiBella. She is so entertaining to watch and is the highlight of this episode. In fact, the entire DiBella family is just awesome. Overall, it is quite an enjoyable episode.
18. Season 1, Episode 7
The 7th episode of the first season of Wife Swap is our next entry on this list. It aired on November 10, 2004. This episode is titled “Bittner/Reimers.”
As mentioned earlier it is always interesting to watch when the wives are polar opposites of each other. This episode is the same. It features A strict, vegetarian ex-Navy wife who disciplines her children switching lives with a junk food-eating mother who gives her two wild teenagers everything they want.
Overall, the episode runs at a great pace. Furthermore, it gives the audience a chance to understand why parents can act strictly at times. It portrays both families really well and is quite enjoyable.
17. Season 1, Episode 2
The next entry on our list of best Wife Swap episodes is very interesting. This entry also comes from season 1.
The 2nd episode of season 1, titled “Spolansky/Bradley” aired on September 21, 2004. In this episode, a multimillionaire heiress from New York, 36, swaps places with a 45-year-old wife and mother of two from remote New Jersey.
Lynn, the hardworking and urban mother is the highlight of this episode. Her reactions towards the luxurious lifestyle of Jodie are very sweet to watch. In short, this whole episode was like a well-deserved vacation for her.
In addition to that, she actually cared for the children and you can tell she was worried for them. Overall, the class difference among the wives made this episode interesting to watch.
16. Season 1, Episode 10
Episode 10 of season 1 aired on December 8, 2004. It was titled “Ray/Aguirre.” This episode featured a punk rock mom with tattoos switching life with a conservative Southern Baptist mother. The results, however, were quite obvious.
The biggest change in this episode was for the religious mother’s daughter. She can be seen complaining about how her parents don’t allow her to do certain normal stuff. Moreover, the entire Aguirre family was very entertaining.
In the end, it was a learning experience for both wives. They each developed new opinions surrounding parenting by the end.
15. Season 2, Episode 10
Coming in at the 15th spot on our list of best Wife Swap episodes is the 10th episode of season 2. This episode is titled “Johnson/Blackburn.” It aired on November 21, 2005.
In this episode, an undisciplined mother whose 370-pound husband hasn’t even unpacked their home-gym equipment swaps places with a military mom who helps manage a fitness company.
There’s so much going on in this episode of Wife Swap. Both of the wives in this episode were pretty strong in terms of personality. Unlike other episodes where only one side is good, this episode is pretty balanced in that sense. Overall, it is an amazing episode.
14. Season 1, Episode 18
Another episode from the first season is making its way on our list of best Wife Swap episodes. The episode is titled “Cedarquist/Oeth” and it aired on March 16, 2005.
This episode of Wife Swap features a Type A, Harvard-educated woman who works full-time for a financial business switching places with a home-schooling, stay-at-home mom who lives in a treehouse.
Both of the families in this episode were very unique. It was quite interesting to see the Cedarquist family living their life in the “treehouse.” However, the main highlight of the show was the kids in both of the families. They were very sweet and adorable.
13. Season 1, Episode 16
The next episode on our list is titled “Flummerfelt/Bray.” It aired on February 23, 2005. It revolves around an inter-racial marriage’s forceful, dominant woman who exchanges lives with a meek, stay-at-home wife from a completely different inter-racial pair.
This is the 16th episode of the first season of Wife Swap. The concept of this episode was very unique and it definitely paid off. Doreen Flummerfelt’s enraging and furious attitude made this episode quite entertaining.
Moreover, the roles were completely switched since in Doreen’s house she was the boss whereas in LaShelle’s house the husband was the king. So, it was quite fun to watch the two swap places.
12. Season 1, Episode 15
The 15th episode of season 1 is titled “Pyke/Smith.” It aired on February 16, 2005.
In this episode, a stay-at-home mother Michelle Pyke leaves her job at the family’s funeral home to travel the country in the Smiths’ converted Greyhound bus.
This episode gives us a look at a family who lives inside a bus. However, the parents’ attitude is quite questionable but their daughters are very sweet and funny.
The entire episode is quite strange but interesting. Both families were interesting. Furthermore, years after this episode, the funeral home’s owner was found guilty of many felonies and served a sentence in prison.
11. Season 1, Episode 14
Now this entry on our list of best Wife Swap episodes really shakes things up. It aired on February 9, 2005. This episode is one of the unique ones on this list. The episode is titled “Boone Luffey/Gillespie.”
In this episode, a homophobic mother from Texas swaps places with an Arizona woman who shares parenting duties with her lesbian partner.
You can get an idea of what goes down in the episode by reading the synopsis. The episode itself can be quite offensive for some viewers, however, it touches upon an important topic. It is one of the most hard-hitting episodes.
10. Season 4, Episode 9
In this episode, Samantha Myers, a ghost hunter claiming to have supernatural abilities and a shaman son, trades families with Karen Sutton, whose husband, a hardworking Kentucky coal miner treats her like a maid. The episode aired on February 27, 2008.
This entry comes from the fourth season of Wife Swap. It is quite unique to see families that stand out from the rest. The ghost hunting family, specifically, was very entertaining.
However, the other wife named Karen was probably my personal favorite element of this episode. She seems very sweet and is very soft-spoken. She loves to pamper her husband and children. Overall, it is a fun-to-watch episode with many great scenes.
9. Season 5, Episode 2
The 2nd episode of season 5 of Wife Swap aired on October 10, 2008. This episode was titled “McCaslin/Deekens.”
The episode features a power-lifting family’s tomboy-ish mother swapping houses with a woman on a mission to teach the women about femininity, politeness, and the ladylike art of tea parties.
Another episode on our list where both the families were quite lovable. McCaslins were strong and brooding by their appearance, however, they actually were really kind. Even though Donna Deekens had some differences she still managed to keep the family happy by the end.
In summary, this episode is quite emotional at times but it provides great entertainment. It is definitely one of the best Wife Swap episodes.
8. Season 1, Episode 13
Taking the 8th spot of our list of best Wife Swap episodes is the 13th episode of season 1. This episode aired on January 19, 2005. It is titled “Fontaine/Herman.”
In this episode, a coupon-clipping, bargain-hunting, stay-at-home, adoring mother from Ohio swaps places with a high-powered CEO from Maryland who despises discounts, clutter, and children in charge.
The entire episode is a roller-coaster. It goes from one extreme to another. However, one thing that doesn’t change is how it balances out the extremes in-between. Overall, a good episode.
7. Season 1, Episode 12
This episode aired on January 12, 2005. It is titled “Parsons/Bramhall.” This is the 12th episode of season 1.
In this episode, a well-educated and well-organized mother swaps families with a waitress who is struggling to keep her three hyperactive daughters under control.
This episode is noteworthy for multiple reasons. Firstly, it featured a single mom for the first time in the show’s history. Secondly, it focused more on the Parson daughters who were very out of control.
In summary, the entire episode was more about motherhood and the importance of parenting. It is definitely one of the best Wife Swap episodes.
6. Season 3, Episode 3
This episode of Wife Swap features a video gaming wife who stays at home swapping lives with a competitive well-organized mother. It is the third episode of the third season. The episode aired on September 20, 2006. It was titled “Boyd/Milorey.”
Most of us love playing video games but the Milorey family took that thing to another level. It felt as if they spend more time playing video games than doing other stuff. On the other hand, the Boyds were treating life as a competition.
However, after this episode, they actually mended their ways. In fact, both families brought positive changes to their lifestyles. The whole episode is tense which is why it is considered one of the best Wife Swap episodes.
5. Season 2, Episode 8
Coming in on the 5th spot of our best Wife Swap episodes in the 8th episode of season 2. It is titled “Heiss/Kestrel.” This episode aired on November 7, 2005.
In this episode, a well-off Rhode Island mother who cooks and cleans for her loud Italian-American family trades places with an energy-saving, dreadlocked, dumpster-diving, egalitarian mother.
This episode is quite sad, honestly. Especially due to the bad parenting from the dad of the “hippie family.” Overall, it is quite a well-executed episode.
4. Season 1, Episode 6
The 6th episode of season 1 of Wife Swap aired on November 3, 2004. It featured Dena Weiner, a tanned and toned fitness enthusiast mother from California, swaps homes with Dawne, an emotional, overweight mother of two who hasn’t been on a treadmill in years.
In this episode titled “Smith/Weiner,” the change throws both ladies off, especially Dawne who can’t get used to a home without fast food and warm attitudes. It is another episode that features the whole fitness vs. comfort debate.
Overall, it was a pretty good episode. It was entertaining, thought-provoking, and even funny at times.
3. Season 1, Episode 4
Taking the 3rd spot on our list of best Wife Swap episodes is an episode titled “Donahoe/Baker.” It is the 4th episode of season 1 and it aired on October 20, 2004.
In this episode, Christie Baker, a southern belle from Tennessee who believes she deserves the best in life, trades places with Audrey Donahoe, a hardworking dairy farmer from upstate New York.
This entire episode is quite similar to another episode that we’ve covered on this list. However, this one is better than that. It takes things to another level. Moreover, the premise of this episode leads to some hilarious moments.
2. Season 2, Episode 7
The episode titled “Nazario/Lassell” is the 7th episode of season 2 of Wife Swap. This episode aired on October 24, 2005.
This episode featured a free-spirited New York City mother who values beauty and partying switches homes with an authoritative, straight-laced mother from Kentucky who forces her children to get up early to help her grow llamas.
While the liberal New Yorker adjusts to ranch life in the country, the strict Kentuckian is exposed to big-city partying. For the two Big Apple kids, the Kentucky mother enforces a modest clothing code, while the Manhattan mother prepares a celebration for the five ranch kids.
This cultural shock is very entertaining to watch and that is the reason this episode is so high up on our list of best Wife Swap episodes. Moreover, the sweetness of the “Llama Mom” won everyone’s hearts.
1. Season 1 – Episode 17
The number 1 episode on our list of best Wife Swap episodes is taken by “Patrick/Leierwood.” This episode is the 17th episode of season 1 and it aired on March 2, 2005.
In this episode, the wife from a pro-military family who believes that all citizens of the United States should serve in the military swaps places with the wife from a peace activist family.
The entire episode takes a serious tone. However, that is due to the fact that the families being swapped are so different from each other. Obviously, most of the people align with the views of the peace-loving family.
This episode deserves its spot on our list of best Wife Swap episodes due to the theme. The families were unique and the contradiction in their views was very entertaining to see.
Conclusion
So this was our list of best episodes of Wife Swap. If you are a fan of the show, we hope you liked these and agreed to our choice as well.
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