Welcome to the recap for Wife Swap: The Real Housewives Edition Episode 3! Last week, Real Housewives of New Jersey star Melissa Gorga learned to spend less time cleaning up and more time with her family. This time around, Real Housewives of Orange County star Emily Simpson will be put to the test. Here’s exactly what went down in Wife Swap: The Real Housewives Edition Episode 3: “Daddy Duties vs. Daddy Dont’s.”
What happened in Wife Swap: The Real Housewives Edition Episode 3?
Emily didn’t know how good she had it until she swapped lives with Caley. While her husband, Shane Simpson, does all the chores and takes care of the kids, Emily does whatever she pleases. But all that changed when she went to the Svensson household. She not only had to do the chores but also take care of the kids … and a farm too. That experience made Emily thankful for Shane and reminded her she needed to spend more time with her family. Meanwhile, Caley and her husband, Erik (aka Shane 2.0), were lost in the day-to-day grind of it all. Caley realized that she needed to not just prioritize time with the kids and animals, but time with her husband as well.
Shane wants Emily to appreciate all the work he does running the house
We kick off in Orange County, California, with Emily, Shane, and their three kids: Annabelle, Luke, and Keller. Annabelle is teenagering hard, which is putting a lot of stress on Emily. And we already know she is stressed about Luke. While Shane’s complaint is that he does the majority of the chores and feels underappreciated. He said, “The family that Emily is going to go be spending time with … I hope that that husband doesn’t do crap in the house.”
All the way across the country in Park Ridge, New Jersey, we meet Erik and Caley Svensson. They also have three young kids: Graham, Adelaide, and Georgina, as well as a fourth family member… a giant pig named Pikachu. Caley is a stay-at-home mom who runs the household, as well as takes care of all the animals on their farm. While Erik … doesn’t do much. Shane’s wish just came true!
Caley got the news she was headed to the OC. When Caley kissed the kids goodbye, she gave Erik the cold shoulder. There was definitely trouble afoot on the farm.
Emily also got the cold shoulder, but from Annabelle. She then headed off to Jersey. Emily hoped to be greeted by a dog, but she was pleasantly surprised to see their pig instead. However, she did not enjoy the equestrian vibe or the Crocs scattered about the house.
And Caley judged Emily’s home too. She threw some shade and said, “I feel like it felt bigger on TV … There’s not a lot of stories being told in the design of the house. It feels like I could have walked into Pottery Barn.” Welcome to the OC!
Gina Kirschenheiter sets Caley straight
Caley smiled when she read Emily’s note that Shane came across as “sarcastic and snarky.” She joked, “That feels very familiar.” What was surprising was the fact that Shane did all the chores. And the surprises continued. Once she met Shane, he told her they were having a date night. In her confessional she said, “I didn’t think these husbands exist.”
Over some pizza, Caley explained to Shane that Erik wanted her to be a “traditional wife” who stayed at home. However, she felt guilty not bringing in any income. Shane said, “I disagree with that. Of course I don’t know your household, but finance is not everything. Could he have three kids on his own? No. So, it goes both ways.”
Over in Jersey, Emily noticed, reading Caley’s rules, that she would have to cater to Erik’s every whim. Well, that was going to change once the rules swapped. But first she had to abide by Caley and that meant heading out to the barn to muck the stall.
Caley’s mom, Sue, was impressed Emily knew what she was doing. Emily dished she was an old pro and had grown up with horses. Still, that didn’t mean she wanted to go back to farm living anytime soon. After saving a horse from escaping, Emily then put the kids to bed by herself. She was exhausted.
The next morning, Caley met up with RHOC star Gina Kirchenheiter for coffee. Gina was shocked to learn that Caley never took any time for herself and only talked with their pig. She said, “I feel like we can do better than that.” Gina advised that Erik could help when he came home so Caley could get some time for herself. But this was a foreign concept to Caley.
Emily had Erik’s number
While Caley chilled with Gina, Emily was burning breakfast in the oven. She was a little out of practice. Afterwards she had fun with Adelaide as they wore matching outfits and collected eggs from the chickens. Emily made a note to boil one for later and throw it in her purse for a snack.
But now it was time for new rules! Emily put Erik right to work on taking care of the animals and the kids. Erik lamented the horse bites him and the goat is “cracked out.” On top of that, he had to make dinner for her for date night. Cans of soup it is!
As Erik scooped manure, he pondered, “How does she do this every day?” Graham just shook his head at his dad. Later on, the kids helped Erik cook dinner. They each had on waiter outfits and welcomed Emily to their restaurant, “Glorious.”
However, Erik was feeling anything but glorious. He shared he felt all the work he did supporting the family wasn’t noticed. Emily mused, “I think he just doesn’t feel valued, so he just doesn’t try.” She told Erik, “I can see my husband in you, and then it makes me sad I don’t recognize his feelings. And so maybe the same thing’s happening to her.” Erik responded, “Mic drop.”
As for Caley, her new rules were family togetherness… and limited screentime. Annabelle gasped. Caley wanted to make good on getting Annabelle to interact more, so she asked her to help make dinner. Annbelle scowled, but at least she wasn’t staring at her phone.
Soon after, Shane’s parents came over. They reminisced how eating dinner together used to be a normal part of growing up. Shane’s mom, Pary, shared, “Being together as much as possible, just priceless.”
Emily plans to prioritize Shane and the kids
Caley’s rule of family togetherness worked like a champ as Annabelle finally warmed up to her. Caley dished, “This is amazing; I finally got through to her!”
Meanwhile, Emily wanted to make Erik feel special, so she took him and the kids fly fishing. Erik said it was one of his favorite pasttimes, but laughed the experience was a disaster because the kids were bored.
As Emily said her goodbyes, she told them how amazing they were. Spending time with the kids made her realize she needed to spend more time with her own. And Erik shared he learned to be a better husband. He said, “I’m excited to introduce her to this newer, better version of me.”
Back in the OC, Caley thanked Emily for taking care of her family. Caley told her she had the family sit together at dinnertime. And it took a while, but Annabelle warmed up to her. Emily was grateful and said she was going to turn off the TV and spend more time with the kids.
She told Caley she thought Erik didn’t feel appreciated. Caley struggled with how to begin, and Emily suggested a simple hug. Emily noted she also needed to let Shane know she was grateful for him.
One month later, Emily helped Shane with carpool duties … for a week. However, she did get some bonding time with Annabelle in Paris. Caley and Erik now have weekly dinner dates. And Erik does get some hugs, provided he washes those dishes.
Wife Swap: The Real Housewives Edition airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on Bravo and streams on Peacock.
TELL US – WHAT DID YOU THINK OF WIFE SWAP: THE REAL HOUSEWIVES EDITION EPISODE 3? DO YOU THINK EMILY WILL HELP SHANE WITH THE CHORES?
