I remember when this first aired (yes, it's true, I've occasionally watched these asinine shows). It was actually "Trading Spouses" on Fox, not "Wife Swap". That may seem like a silly distinction until you remember that Fox is known for ripping off other networks' shows and adding a slightly sleazy component to them. (However philosophically one may have objected to "Extreme Makeover", Fox's turning it into "The Swan" and then making the newly nipped & tucked women compete in a BEAUTY CONTEST is the most stomach-turning thing I've ever witnessed. It makes the clip we're discussing seem tame by comparison, to me.)
Anyway. Back on topic. For one thing, the original "WS" was nothing more than a social experiment--there was no "goal", it wasn't like a game show. Fox added this whole idea of "Each family gets $50,000, but the visiting "wife" gets to decide how they spend it" which to me really made it about the money, not the experience.
Anyway. On to the nasty clip. For one thing, Fox showed this clip on the previews AD NAUSEUM until I just had to change the channel. Then they made it a two-part episode and made the beginning of the meltdown at the very end of the first episode, so you had to wait till next week to see the whole thing. (SOP, I know).
Anyway, when I finally did watch it (yes, I got as sucked in as anyone else...eurrrgh), it was just too over the top for me. I'm sure it's possible that she was really, earnestly psycho, but I also can't shake the idea that she was shamelessly chewing the scenery for the benefit of the cameras. Especially if you see the end of the show...it was noted that, even though she ripped up the letter and declared that she didn't want the money because it was tainted by the touch of the "satanic" other wife, she changed her mind when they told her that $30,000 of it had been earmarked for her to get the gastric bypass surgery she desperately wanted. Hmmm...guess that Satanic money wasn't so tainted after all.
The whole thing just made me tired. As usual, FOX played to the lowest common denominator and whored out this woman's mental instability for the world to see. I really, really wish the Simpsons was on another network, because having my favorite television show in the world on a network I despise with every fiber of my being is a real bummer. (At least the Simpsons crew are unrelenting in their mockery of their home network...God bless the little four-fingered buggers!)
OK. /Rant off. Just had to put in my oar. Now I submit myself to be mocked mercilessly for my intricate knowledge of trashy TV. ;)