Wife Swap ran for 6 seasons from 2004 to 2010. It had a short-lived continuation in 2013, and a spin-off (Celebrity Wife Swap) from 2012 to 2016. The original series has 147 episodes, the spin-off has 40, and the reboot has 20. Of the 207 episodes, some are considered the best while others are average.
In this article, we have selected the 10 best episodes of Wife Swap. Our selection is based on rating, popularity, and which episodes have spurred debates among internet users. Although there are no available reviews by movie critics on the series at the time of this report, there are reviews on Reddit and IMDB. Therefore, we have used the judgment of fans as the main criterion in selecting the best episodes of Wife Swap.
Before the list, Wife Swap is an American show adapted from a British show of the same title. The reality show allows people (mostly wives and husbands in rare cases) to be swapped with an opposite family for two weeks. Then, they will discuss their thoughts and experiences afterward.
Best Wife Swap Episodes Everyone Should See
10. Season 5, Episode 18 (Heene/Silver)
- Aired: March 13, 2009
A psychic woman who speaks to the dead and controls the weather swaps with a woman who loves science and experimenting. Their children become the first to hold the table meeting.
9. Season 1, Episode 9 ( Paiss/Davis)
- Aired: 12 January 2004
An episode where husbands are switched rather than wives is not very common on Wife Swap. It is the first husband swap on the series and it aired on 12 January 2004.
In season 1 episode 9, an environmentalist father whose focus is on saving the planet is swapped with a hard-living, leather-wearing biker father.
This episode which is also known as Paiss/Davis has been rated highly by internet users on Reddit and IMDB. On IMDB, it has 8.4 stars from 8 voters.
8. Season 4, Episode 15 (Stockdale/Tonkovic)
- Air Date: April 23, 2008
In this episode, the Stockdale family is very religious and living on a ban on many things such as TV, video games, and curse words. They swap with the liberal family Tonkovic.
On its own, the episode has garnered attention especially because of the two extreme opposite families. Long after the release of the episode (2008), it received more attention when one of the cast, Jacob Stockdale killed his mother and brother in 2017. He then shot himself in the head and later recovered to face charges.
7. Season 1 Episode 14 (Boone Luffey/Gillespie)
- Aired: February 9, 2005
This episode has spurred many debates on the internet. This is partly because of the awkward situation in the swapping of the wives. The wives – one a lesbian and the other a conservative. In the end, the conservative woman’s family accepted the lesbian and attested they had a nice stay with her.
In the same manner, reviews claim that her husband was genuinely happy with the lesbian woman and even went with her to the gay club. However, in the end, his conservative wife says horrible things about the lesbian woman. This leads to a lot of tension in the episode.
Although some of the reviewers claimed to have stopped watching the episode at the table, the episode is an exposure to some of the things that the LGBTQ community may have faced in the 2000s, ‘90s, and decades ago.
6. Season 4, Episode 1 (Boss/Gustaferro)
- Aired: January 2. 2008
This episode may not be the best in reviews but it has prompted emotions more than many other episodes of the TV series. The Boss/Gustaferro episode which has 7.6 stars on IMDB has been widely discussed on social media.
In the episode, a feminist who homeschools her children and makes them stay away from pop culture and teenage stereotypes swaps with another woman who is on the opposite.
In the episode, one of the most notable people is the then-teenage beauty queen Alicia Guastaferro whose parents do not bring down the Christmas tree and give her a present every day. She speaks highly of her beauty and has been described as a ride by some fans.
Long after the episode, Alicia has been on the news for different things. In 2010, she filed a $100 million lawsuit against ABC, claiming that she was portrayed in a bad manner. She claimed that the show made her repeat lines such as speaking about her beauty and popularity in school.
She was also arrested for prostitution in 2012.
5. Season 5 Episode 1 (Heene/Martel)
- Aired: 3 October 2008
One of the best Wife Swap episodes is episode 1 of season 5. It is about the Heene family with a mother and scientist father. The parents are interested in chasing storms and they drag their kids into it. The kids are out of school to chase the storm.
The chaotic mother is swapped with Karen of the Martel family. The Martel family is organized and conscious of their children’s safety and manners.
It is rated at 8.1/10 on IMDB.
See Also: Pioneer Woman Episodes- 10 Best Everyone Should Watch
4. Season 5 Episode 20 (Burroughs/Padovan-Hickman)
- Aired: 27 March 2009
This episode is about a rich wife (Dina) who swaps with a poor but happy wife (Sherrie) who avails herself for her family. Dina is conscious about food and lifestyle whereas Sherrie’s meals are full of fat which contributed largely to her obesity.
The episode is famous and has a 9.0/10 rating on IMDB.
3. Season 7 Episode 6 (Fireheart/Terry)
- Aired: 25 April 2013
There seems to be a unanimous agreement on Reddit that this is by far the best episode of Wife Swap. However, it has a 7.2/10 rating on IMDB.
Season 7, episode 6 is about a witchcraft-practicing family that believes in equal distribution of household duties and a family who is pushed to excellence by the wife and mother.
The wives swap and by the end of the episode, both families have learned greatly from each other and are willing to put their learning into practice.
The open-mindedness of both families and acceptance of correction are the main reasons that fans fall in love with the episode. Many people have attested to watching the episode more than once.
2. Season 5 Episode 20 (Brown/ Holland)
- Aired: March 27, 2009
This has been described as one of the most hilarious episodes of Wife Swap on Reddit. The episode is about a North Carolina family who eats fried foods. Then, the mother is swapped with another mother from a family who takes fitness seriously and eats fruits, vegetables, and supplements.
The episode has 9.2 stars from 15 votes on IMDB.
1. Season 3 Episode 9 (Rowland/Rivera)
- Aired: November 27, 2006
This episode of the Wife Swap has one of the highest ratings on IMDB (9.8/10). The mother in this episode is a strict woman who is more liberal.
The strict mother spies on her children and fixes cameras. She does not allow her children to visit friends and thinks that family is enough.
In the end and at the meeting, the liberal mother, Rowland told Rivera that her kids were not happy. In response, Rivera says she didn’t care.
The episode has become a major debate topic for many fans.
In conclusion, the best Wife Swap episodes on this list are only from the original series. The entire series or the few selected ones here can be watched on Hulu.
