Výměna manželek

The formats of successful foreign shows are commonly copied in the Czech Republic, usually with problematic results. I know only one case where the Czech version is more interesting than its original. The American show Wife Swap has (paradoxically) higher ratings on FilmBooster, but it is much more superficial than its Czech clone. The ethnically, culturally, and religiously complex structure of American society seemingly allows for an interesting exploration of the coexistence of people of different races, classes, and religious affiliations, but in practice, it is nothing more than finding the biggest oddballs and pitting them against each other. The camera only focuses on conflict situations, and the radical editing allows for nothing more than the cheapest exploitation of emotions. The Czech version is more refined, and longer, introduces the participants' background, and tends to tell human stories. Certainly, it is still voyeurism, but in addition to that, the first seasons have an undeniable sociological dimension, and, above all, for women, the glimpse into other people's kitchens has a certain therapeutic value - they see that household operations are complex elsewhere as well, and many families are far from perfect. The show may evoke categorical moral judgments from commenters, but the bottom of reality TV must be sought elsewhere (I include Big Brother and its spin-offs among them). In fact, Wife Swap is one of the most interesting things that reality shows have offered in the Czech Republic. Later seasons, in an attempt to maintain viewership, offered progressively more extreme characters with greater potential for conflict, gradually approaching the American starting point. Overall impression: 40%. (10/01/2017)

It doesn’t matter how I look at it, I find Wife Swap to be a supremely repulsive and inhumane affair. I don't know what is wrong with those people that they’ll sign up for something like this. (06/03/2012)