It's 2009, the end of a decade which -- when it comes to television -- was defined in large part by reality shows. By now, most of us reality fans have become a bit jaded. Backstabbing, catfights, rants, breakdowns - there's just not much shock value left anymore. So after Valleywag ran this story about public reaction to one man's behavior on (of all shows) "Wife Swap" a few weeks ago, it got me thinking about how this particular guy had disturbed and outraged so many people.
If you've never seen the show, it's a basic enough concept. Two women, usually from very different families and very different parts of the country, trade places and move in with each other's husbands and children for two weeks. The housewife swaps with the career woman. The mom of a sports-obsessed family moves in with a brood of bookworms. The hour is often filled with plenty of head-butting, but usually everyone goes back to the farm/penthouse/commune/mansion richer for the experience. CONTINUE>>
