'Trading Spouses' filming Longview family
Wednesday, October 18, 2006 7:40 AM PDT
By Amy M. E. Fischer
Printable version
E-mail this articleDon't be surprised if you happen to see a family being followed around town by camera crews this week.
They're not celebrities yet, but the Longview family is about to be featured on the FOX TV reality show "Trading Spouses: Meet Your New Mommy," in which wives from two families in different cities trade places for several days.
Crews began filming at Mark and Teresa Nelson's West Longview home this week, causing a buzz in the middle-class neighborhood.
"I wouldn't do it, but if somebody wants to do it, that's fine," said neighbor Mary Kell, 67, who saw crews installing cameras in the back yard Monday. "It's just strange to think it's happening next door to you."
Previous episodes have typically featured two families with vastly different lifestyles and parenting methods. For example, a free spirited, flamboyant mom with lax housekeeping skills might trade places with a straight-laced taskmaster.
Based on neighbors' descriptions, the Longview family might well fit into the flamboyant category.
Neighbors say the family keeps to themselves but plays loud rock music late into the evening. Other than that, "They're really quiet," said neighbors Tony and Angela Katzenberger, who have interacted with the Nelsons only once in six years.
"They're kind of grungy-type people," Angela Katzenberger said, referring to the musical genre, not their hygiene. Teresa Nelson has bright red hair and often dresses in all black, the Katzenbergers said. They believe Mark Nelson, a drywall hanger, is a drummer in a rock band.
The couple has a teenage daughter whom they homeschool, they said.
Due to the contract they signed with the network, the family itself is mum at this point, as are the producers of "Trading Spouses" (which is not to be confused with ABC network's "Wife Swap," a reality show with a similar premise).
Producers did, however, distribute a flier to neighbors last week explaining what would be going on at the Nelsons' home from Monday through Oct. 24 in case anyone decided to visit.
The Katzenbergers, who can see the Nelsons' house from theirs, agreed to let producers rent their motorhome this week. The show's writers will camp inside around the clock to watch the family's activities on TV monitors and decide what material to use for the episode, the Katzenbergers said.
What city Teresa Nelson was sent to and what sort of household she's in remains a mystery, barring further leaks.
Jennifer Sprague, a FOX public relations representative, said Tuesday the network doesn't comment on shows in the works until the episode's air-date is scheduled, and that won't happen until at least December.
But based on previous episodes, the sparks are sure to fly as personalities and values clash. It's set up that way --- families who apply are asked what type of family would be their exact opposite.
"How many times have you watched 'Trading Spouses' and thought you could change the views of another family? Well, here's your chance," reads the Web site, www.fox.com/tradingspouses/.
At the end of the taping, each family receives $50,000 for participating, but the catch is, the wives decide how the other family gets to spend it. Before reuniting with their own families, the wives write letters to each other, offering advice, praise and criticism about the others' family habits and dynamics.
The Katzenbergers, who don't normally watch "Trading Spouses," said they won't miss this local episode.
"It's the only way we'll get to meet our neighbors," Tony Katzenberger said.
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