Trading Spouses is a FOX Network reality show in which two families, usually with vastly different social classes, swap wives or husbands for a week. It shares a very similar format to the Channel 4 United Kingdom (and subsequent ABC remake) program Wife Swap. The title of the show is a play on the title of the television program Trading Spaces.
Annually American networks showcase their upcoming series to one another. ABC showcased their upcoming Wife Swap show including projections of its popularity. They were therefore angry when weeks before the show's debut, FOX "scooped" their show with Trading Spouses. They claimed FOX hijacked their idea in an attempt to boost their own sagging ratings. FOX replied saying that TV shows have always borrowed from one another and that ABC was just bitter because FOX beat them with delivery.
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