The title is a play on the term "wife swapping", a practice associated with the swinging lifestyle, which is not a theme of the show. For the television show, two families, usually from vastly different social classes and lifestyles, swap wives/mothers for two weeks. In fact, the show will usually deliberately swap wives with extreme polar opposite lifestyles, such as a dramatically messy wife swapping with a fastidiously neat one, or an overly strict mother swapping with an overly lax one. Though using a phrase from the swinging lifestyle, couples participating in the show do not share a bed with the "swapped" spouse while "swapping" homes.During the first week, the new wife must adhere to the exact same rules and lifestyle of the wife they are replacing. Each wife leaves a house manual which explains their role in the family and the duties they hold.