A BURLESQUE DANCER WIFE SWAPS LIVES WITH A LUMBERJACK WIFE
WHO LOVES CHAINSAWS AND THE OUTDOORS, ON ABC'S "WIFE SWAP"
This week in "McDonald/Robarge," a very open and feminine burlesque dancer wife swaps lives with a "just one of the guys" lumberjack wife, on "Wife Swap," WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. (Rebroadcast. OAD 1/30/08)
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.
Washington state mom Sarina McDonald (36) is a real estate agent by day and burlesque dancer by night. She sees burlesque as an artistic craft and loves to celebrate her femininity on stage as her alter ego, Ravenna Black. Sarina doesn't feel the need to hide her passion from her sons, Will (12) and Tyler (5), with whom she is very open. Both kids are extremely artistic and musically talented. Sarina supported husband Dan's music dreams and now feels it's her turn to build her career. While she's out working all day and rehearsing or performing her burlesque shows at night, Dan (45) takes care of the kids and household chores with help from Grandma, who loves taking care of the family but sometimes admits she takes care of the kids more than the parents do. Sarina prides herself on teaching the kids to be responsible and independent, including getting themselves -- and her -- up in the morning.
Sarina travels to the upstate New York home of the Robarge Family, where wife Andrea (37), husband Wally (40) and their kids, Mathew (16), Dakota "Koty" (14), Anthony (12) and Mitchell (10), are lumberjacks. Andrea doesn't consider herself a girly girl and loves the sound of chainsaws and wood chopping. She's part of the USA timber drill team and participates in chainsaw competitions with her sons and her professional lumberjack husband. The eldest son, Matthew, is described as a "different egg" by his father because he enjoys filmmaking and the arts. He finds it difficult to relate to his outdoor family and spends most of the time in his room drawing. Kids and family are the #1 priority to Andrea, who does all the cooking, cleaning and chores in the house without any help from the boys or her husband. She doesn't sit at the table to eat her meal until after the boys and Wally have finished eating. Both Wally and Andrea are uncomfortable talking about the birds and the bees with their boys, and are very protective of them.
In the first week of the swap, Andrea gets a break from the chores with new husband Dan doing all the housework, and feels way out of her element in the burlesque world. She breaks down in tears in a dance rehearsal and struggles with her first appearance on stage in costume. She also sees that Sarina spends more time with burlesque than with her family. Meanwhile, Sarina has to go from burlesque to burly as she tries to cut it as a lumberjack. She discovers that Andrea doesn't have a place at the table, having to wait to eat until after the boys and Wally have eaten, and she talks candidly with Wally about his distant relationship with Matthew.
In the second week of the swap, when the wives change the rules and turn the tables, Andrea tries to implement family time by taking over all Dan's household chores so he can spend more time with the boys and relieving Grandma of all parenting duties. Dan starts to cry when Andrea tries to get rid of everything burlesque in the house, and the boys bond with their father when they all compete at an axe throwing competition. Meanwhile in the Robarge house, Sarina presents a sex education book for Wally to teach the boys the facts of life. Wally defies the rule, chops the book in two and sets it on fire. The Robarge boys resist taking on all the household duties and have to learn how to pick up after themselves and clean up Sarina's feathers from her burlesque costumes. Sarina tries to get Wally and his son Matthew to bond when she enforces a rule change for Wally to make space for Matthew's art studio in his woodshop barn.
At the end of the swap, when the couples are reunited, will Sarina give up her burlesque alter ego and start spending more time with her children? Will Andrea finally let her boys become men and learn how to take care of themselves?
"Wife Swap" is an RDF USA production. It was created by Stephen Lambert and is executive-produced by Stef Wagstaffe and Stephen Lambert of RDF Media ("Faking It" and "Junkyard Wars") and Michael Davies of Embassy Row ("Who Wants to be a Millionaire"). Mike Gamson, Stephanie Schwam Adams and Mitchell Rosenbaum are the co-executive producers.
"Wife Swap" is broadcast with Spanish subtitles via secondary closed captioning. This program carries a TV-PG,D,L,S parental guideline.
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