A Sports Crazed Wife and an Artistic Cafe Owner Tonight on "Wife Swap"

A Sports Crazed Wife and an Artistic Cafe Owner Tonight on "Wife Swap" 3/19/08

MARCH 19

A TESTOSTERONE-FUELED WRESTLING FAMILY WHOSE WIFE DEDICATES HER LIFE TO HER SON'S WRESTLING CAREER SWAPS LIVES WITH AN ARTISTIC CAFÉ OWNER WHO THINKS SPORTS ARE A WASTE OF TIME, ON "WIFE SWAP"

This week in "Ketchum/ Sheron," a Type-A wrestling/sports crazed wife who does all the dirty work for her family swaps lives with a wife who owns a busy coffee house where her kids do the dishes, on "Wife Swap," WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

Note: This episode replaces "Silver/Pitney."

Each week from across the country, two families with very different values are chosen to take part in a two-week long challenge. The wives from these two families exchange husbands, children and lives (but not bedrooms) to discover just what it's like to live another woman's life. It's a mind-blowing experiment that often ends up changing their lives forever.

In Oklahoma, Teresa Ketchum (46) and husband Gary (47) dedicate their lives to their son Cade's (15) wrestling career. In this household, there's no time to be a wimp because sports come first. Teresa, who sacrifices her own wants and needs to see Cade become a champion, caters to both her husband's and son's every needs. She monitors Cade's strict diet by putting a scale in the pantry so he doesn't overeat, plus she puts a lock on the refrigerator every night so Cade doesn't sneak in for a snack. Chauffeuring him to his matches and organizing his schedule are Teresa's main responsibilities around the house. Gary, a retired wrestler, is also Cade's coach and doesn't like sissies. His main goal is to make sure that his son makes his weight. Wrestling is everything in the Ketchum household, and they call singing and playing instruments "sissy sport."

Teresa heads to the Maryland home of the Sheron family whose lives revolve around anti-soccer Mom Donna's (46) passion for art and fulfilling her dream of running a busy coffee shop. Dan (53) is a sensitive visual artist who supports Donna's dream. Creativity is really important to Donna, who encourages the children to paint even on the walls of their home. Their busy café hosts art showings and screamo-rock bands on the weekend and employs kids Jessi (20), Courtney (18) and Clinton "CJ" (16) to run the business, while Skylar (14), Jonah (11), Danni (9) and Sunni (8) hang around doing their homework and watching the bands. Teresa is not a strict mom at all, and thinks parents are too restrictive with their children. She could care less about picking up the house after working a long day, and doesn't ask her children to do chores. She likes to defy gender stereotypes and encourages her children to pursue everything except sports, which both she and Dan detest.

In the first week of the swap, Donna has to regulate Cade's meal rations, measuring out portions and making him run twice every morning so he makes weight, and she realizes that Mom Teresa doesn't have much of a life outside of Cade's wrestling. Donna criticizes Gary for pushing his son too hard and confronts him about Cade's desire to play guitar, which Gary thinks is "sissy sport." Meanwhile Teresa doesn't approve of the screamo bands at the café and is concerned that the kids don't play sports, especially Courtney, who used to flag twirl but was never encouraged by her parents. Teresa is horrified with musician son CJ's painting black nail polish and wearing girls' tight jeans.

In the second week of the swap, when the wives change the rules and turn the tables, Teresa closes down the coffee shop and attempts to change Dan and the kids from "losers to winners." She tries to toughen up the Sheron kids with sports and wrestling, and encourages the family to support Courtney at a flag twirling competition. Meanwhile at the Ketchum house, the lock on the fridge is taken off and Cade is allowed to have his cake and eat it too. Donna tries to have Gary get in touch with his artistic side by enrolling him in an art class where he has to sketch a nude man, and he learns that singing is far from "sissy" when he joins an all male choir made up of army veterans and men's men. Cade has a screamo makeover complete with eye-liner and nail polish, and gets expressive when he has to write a song expressing how he feels about training and has to scream it out in front of an audience and his astonished father.

At the end of the swap, when the couples are reunited, will Teresa allow her macho men to show their softer, sensitive side more often? Will Donna toughen up her family and see the value of sports?

"Wife Swap" is an RDF USA production. It was created by Stephen Lambert and is executive-produced by Stef Wagstaffe and Michael Davies of Embassy Row ("Who Wants to be a Millionaire"). Stephanie Schwam Adams, Mike Gamson and Mitchell Rosenbaum, and are the co-executive producers.

"Wife Swap" is broadcast with Spanish subtitles via secondary closed captioning. A TV parental guideline will be assigned closer to airdate.

Source: ABC Press Release