Celebrity Wife Swap Palin vs Rivers
Tonight was the premiere of Celebrity Wife Swap and man can we say it was interesting watching Bristol Palin and Melissa Rivers swapping places.
Single mom Bristol Palin recently left the rural confines of her hometown of Wasilla, Alaska, to trade places with reality star Melissa Rivers on the season premiere of ABC’s “Celebrity Wife Swap.” The teen abstinence advocate had a chance to live the life of a busy Hollywood mogul when she moved in with Rivers’ mother, famed comedian Joan Rivers, into their sprawling Los Angeles mansion.
Bristol told FOXNews:
“We both got to live kind of in each other’s shoes for a little bit. I come from a teeny-tiny town. They go do big things and that’s just not me. I like my own simple life, I like my little house and just doing my little daily routine.”
Are you ready for what happens Next?
For those not familiar with “Wife Swap,” here are the rules:
1. In the series, two mothers of celebrity families, each with opposing values, trade households, lifestyles and children (but not bedrooms) in a week-long challenge. In the first part of the exchange, each mom moves into the other’s home and agrees to follow a manual of “household rules” written by the departing mother, including: how to parent, manage their social life, do house work, unwind and more.
2. Everything changes in the second half of the week, when “new” mommy” takes charge, introduces her own set of rules and runs the “nest” her way. At the end of the week the two couples meet for the first time. In a raw, honest and highly-charged exchange of views, the couples will make frank assessments of each another and discuss their experiences, having had a very real taste of what life would be like in someone else’s family.
Here the drop on tonight’s premiere episode:
“Bristol & Willow Palin / Joan & Melissa Rivers” – Bristol and Willow Palin reside in Wasilla, Alaska with Bristol’s four-year-old son, Tripp, who rules the roost. What Tripp says goes in the Palin household. When Melissa Rivers arrives in Wasilla, she’s surprised to see snow on the ground – in May! Meeting Willow and Tripp, Melissa finds it a challenge to deal with Tripp’s boyish exuberance, and feels that he needs to have a set daily routine. Aunt Willow is no help when it comes to discipline, and in fact is often the instigator behind Bristol’s back. But Melissa is determined to bring structure to the Palin home, so when it’s time for the rules change, she immediately initiates a new sticker chart reward system for Tripp. She also applies rules changes to Willow, helping Willow to get one step closer to following her passion in a career.
Joan and Melissa Rivers, one of television’s most popular mother-daughter duos, live together with Melissa’s 12-year-old son, Cooper, in her Los Angeles, California home, which doubles as a television production office and the set of three TV shows produced there. Every day in the house is scheduled to the minute. While the Rivers’ home is bustling with assistants, crew members and cameras, the family still find time to sit down together for dinner every night.
Stepping into Melissa’s shoes, Bristol Palin is not prepared for the Rivers’ formality andschedule, and is reluctant to fill in as executive producer of “Fashion Police.” When Joan throws a formal dinner party to welcome Bristol, it doesn’t go as Bristol had expected, leading her to appreciate her life back in Alaska even more. But Bristol is determined to bring some more fun into the Rivers’ lives before the week is over.
Joan and Melissa have a lot of help with all the things that they are trying to accomplish. They have “Fashion Police” as well as a reality show and a network in process so they have a lot going on. Plus, Melissa has a son, Cooper who is very in to school and activities so they need a nanny and a lot of in house help.
Over in Alaska, Bristol has a four-year old son, Tripp, who she became pregnant with at seventeen. This was during the time that her mother was running for Vice President of the USA. She has taken in her sister Willow after she graduated high school because she did not want to go home. The problem is that the Palin’s claim that they are very natural and not in to fashion and stuff but I remember Bristol getting her whole face done so…
They do not know whose family they will be “wifing” but when Melissa heard Alaska, she immediately believed that it was a Palin. Bristol walks around the new house and realizes that she is in Joan Rivers’ home, someone who has criticized her weight on TV. Melissa is having an issue with the whole moose and caribou thing in the freezer while Bristol cannot help but laugh at Joan’s quirks.
Willow and Tripp return home to meet Melissa and she is surprised that the Palin’s are so easy going. But Melissa does not like that Tripp has no discipline in the house. Joan and Cooper come home and they are just tripping out on the whole locale switch. Joan tries to explain to Bristol that whatever negatives she has said about her on the TV show, it was all business.
Within just hours of being in the Rivers’ home, people are coming in and out to film Joan and such. Bristol is not familiar with this lifestyle but I think that she secretly is excited for it. Melissa does take the plunge with Willow and cooks up some moose and eats dinner. Though it looks disgusting, Melissa does try it so kudos to her for at least trying to be a part of the family.
Tripp fell asleep on the couch before dinner and now they cannot get him to sleep, which is a mess. Willow attempts to help out with Tripp but Melissa is just baffled by the way that their life is. In California, everything is so disciplined; Cooper plays his instruments regularly and Bristol cannot believe how functional he is. Bristol’s father, Todd stops by to help out with Tripp who will only do things for popsicles.
Because Melissa is a producer on “Fashion Police,” Bristol must now take over that job. She keeps saying that fashion is not what she is in to and I think that is just a crock. I think she wants this lifestyle but she has been rejected. Joan is frustrated that Bristol won’t even attempt to be a part of the social situation.
Melissa goes out with Willow for a bonding day and she loved not having a phone and shutting out the world. They discuss how Willow went to cosmetology school in Arizona and wants to focus on cutting hair. She ultimately wants to own her own salon and that impresses Melissa. They then go out to dinner where Tripp is out of control whereas Cooper has too much control despite all the chaos around them.
Joan decided to host a party for Bristol and she even got her decked out for the occasion. The guests ask all about the differences between LA and Alaska and all the nitpicking in life. Bristol feels like she is being attacked but they are just trying to get to know her away from being Sarah Palin’s daughter. She does not seem to realize that there is depth to people; she thinks that they are superficial but I feel like it is very surfaced.
Joan tells Bristol that she is there for Bristol no matter what, even though they are democrats. Bristol felt like the dinner was all about politics which Joan disagrees about; she makes a good point to the camera. Joan reminds the world that back in her day, there would be a million social stigmas associated with Bristol since she had a baby at 17 out of wedlock.
Melissa and Bristol cannot get used to the whole rules and the swap but now, it is all about to change as the other moms take over. For Bristol, it’s less work and more play; less production in the house which is hard for Joan because she loves her work. Melissa tells Tripp he has to sleep in his own bed and actually go to bed. Bristol then says that Cooper and Joan must stop eating fancy foods and start using paper plates.
On top of that, they will have to dress down and go on a fishing trip, which excites Cooper. Over with Melissa, she sets up a chart that involves stickers over popsicles as incentives for rewards. It actually works and she has a surprise for Willow as well but Willow hates surprises. The Palin family is so weird. Instead of a fancy dinner, Bristol sends the staff home and makes mac and cheese for Cooper and his friends.
Melissa takes Willow and Tripp out for dinner and she is trying to teach Tripp manners but Willow just gives in to his bad behavior. She is an enabler and Melissa feels that she is old enough to take control of it all and help her sister. Melissa wants Willow to start acting more like the adult that she is or nothing will change.
Time for Bristol to take Joan and Cooper out to fish on a dressed down day. Melissa did note that even though she thinks she can, Joan cannot drive. Joan defies her and drives the truck until she hits a garbage can and Bristol must take over. In Alaska, Melissa reveals her surprise for Willow: she has pulled strings so that Willow could do the hair for the local ABC news anchor.
That is so exciting! Except Willow does not like the idea so she declines it and Willow is shocked. In California, Bristol and Joan do each other’s nails, which is so sweet after the go fishing. Cooper catches the fish while Bristol grills them and everyone just enjoys a day out of the box. I like seeing a different side of both Joan and Bristol and I even like seeing the new Melissa; she’s not super obnoxious like I expected.
Tripp keeps getting better every day so he gets to spend a day at his favorite bounce park. Bristol still will not let the crew come back to the home so Joan is forced to spend the day playing with Cooper and his friends. This shows a real side to Joan and she even acknowledged that she could tell her grandson liked having her in the game not on the side lines. Bristol even likes seeing this down to Earth side of Joan and so do I but now they must depart and it is time for the round table.
The first issue is that Bristol sat on the side lines and did not want to judge people on the“Fashion Police.” Hey…whatever. But when Bristol found out that Willow turned down a professional hair job, she was pissed. They both has opportunities to learn something new and neither took it; hypocrites. Joan talks about the fancy dinner that she threw for Bristol and though she felt ambushed, she did not show that. Joan appreciated that a lot.
Melissa tells Bristol about the sticker system and she is so happy that it worked but Willow needs to not be an enabler at all. Bristol loved how Cooper grew up and has hopes that Tripp will be like that. Melissa liked the break of routine while Willow agrees that she needs to help her sister.
With tears in her eyes, Joan tells Bristol that she has learned not to judge a book by a cover and that she does adore her. But both moms are happy to see their kids again and in the end, Tripp stayed in his bed and kept with the sticker system. Willow is now looking for a job in a salon while Melissa is more about family time and less about cell phones!
All and All and despite some rocky moments, Bristol managed to bond with the matriarch of the Rivers clan.
This was actually one of the best episodes yet because you could see them actually learning things, unlike the most frustrating and disturbing Wife Swap that still angers us to this day. Back in April, Wife Swap had two families who just got under my skin. I was so anger by the episode I had to say something about the parents and especially the Lamb family. There is one thing about having no rules like the Dayna and Joe Martin who raise their kids with no rules vs Cindy Avery-Lamb and her lame husband Andrade who are so strict with their kids they are miserable. I don’t think these people remember what its like to grow up with non-emotional, non-supportive and extremely strict parents.
Too bad there wasn’t a boot camp to teach these gawd awful people some darn emotion. We know their daughter commented about our article and we feel for her. We understand, but what we saw on Wife Swap was highly disturbing and to see any child go through that much at a young age is completely wrong. Discipline is good to an extent, but not to the extreme to where your kids will end up resenting their parents. to read what we had to say about the most disturbing Wife Swap ever, continue here…
