Yee Haw!
Jerome Family Paints Idaho Rhinestone-y on TV’s Wife Swap
By Jennifer Gelband, 11-14-06
On Monday evening I went to the gym, like I do most weekday evenings. After the rough and tumble of the workday, it’s my Me Time. I balance the healthy aspect of running with the mind-melting fun of watching smut on the TV attached to the treadmill.
First I watched the E True Hollywood Story on America’s Next Top Model, but at the first commercial (I’m a flipper) I headed down the numbers to a show that is almost always painfully boring: Wife Swap. But unlike usual, I stopped on Wife Swap for good.
Imagine my surprise when I hear that half of the show is taking place in Jerome, Idaho! (Two fold surprise, in fact, because ABC generally sends out a press release when locals appear on a national show, and they didn’t.)
The premise of this show is that the moms from two families swap lives for two weeks. One week they live by the other family’s rules and the next week they impose the rules from their home. It rarely goes well because they often set up opposites, like introverted couch potatoes with fitness fanatic cheerleaders.
The family from Jerome is only kinda from Jerome. Kimberly Mink, Dan Mink and eleven-year old son Cody actually live in a converted semi-truck for 42 weeks out of the year. They are the Rhinestone Roper Western Show, and they spend their days entertaining audiences all over the country. So some of the show took place in Nebraska and Kansas, apparently hot markets for trick roping, bullwhip cracking, knife throwing, and quick-draw shooting shows.
This show invariably embarrasses everyone on it. They sent Kimberly, in all of her shiny western garb, to Ohio to live with a lickspittle dad and his two rambunctious kids. The bossy Ohio mom went on the road with the Mink men -- lonely and friendless Cody and perfectionist Dan.
In Ohio, Kim taught the dad how to stand up to his bossy wife and how to lighten up on his love of vacuuming. She also encouraged the rowdiest son to git some guitar pickin’ lessons. It all went pretty smoothly.
But on the road with the Rhinestone Ropers, the Ohio mom had a hard time dealing with Dan and his high standards. There were face offs, lots of yelling, and when it was the wife’s turn to create rules, she made them stay at home for the week. This was not the best representation of Idaho.
In the end, everyone turns out a little better, learns a little about their weaknesses and picks up some of the other mom’s strengths. It’s a heartwarming show, really. But unless it embarrasses another Idaho couple, I probably couldn’t sit through it again.
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Those der days made lively times in a distant land an the pioneers learned le'son that settled the Old West.
One cowboy's remark was his cousin stew (Porage)stayed on the stove for over nine days. with just rabbits, peas, greens or potatoes, quail, turnips, squirril or what ev'r rut she could find throwwed in at any time.
On the nineth day she'd proclaim eat it up boys..
Fresh water and a new pot would begain.
Hence the term I will not forget pea porage hot, pea porage cold pea porage in the pot nine days old! Gittup ;)
And this is so Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, but I know people who know those people. Anyone want my autograph?