Even back in 2008, Wife Swap‘s producers knew Richard Heene — a.k.a. balloon boy’s dad — made for good TV. When speaking to EW one year ago for our Fall TV Preview issue, executive producers Stef Wagstaffe and Mike Gamson insisted their season 5 premiere, which featured the Heene family, would turn heads. “The dad in the family, he’s like this mad scientist,” Wagstaffe said. Here’s more of what Wagstaffe and Gamson had to say about the family.
EW: What can we expect out of season 5?
SW: Well, we’re kicking off the season with a very exciting show featuring a family of tornado chasers. And we have swapped them with a family that has made a business out of safety proofing. So you can imagine both families are questioning each other about their lifestyle changes. Really exciting change and the storm tracking family is out of this world. The dad in the family, he’s like this mad scientist. He has all these amazing theories that he’s trying to prove all the time and when they go storm chasing, they all pile into their SUV and literally drive right to the edge of a storm, and then he jumps out, jumps onto his motorbike with a camera strapped to his head and a rocket strapped to his back and drives right into the eye of the storm.
EW: And how does the safety-conscious wife deal?
SW: They didn’t actually hit a full-blown tornado, but they were in extreme weather conditions. And he was treating her exactly how he treats his wife, so he’s like, “Where’s this, where’s that? We have no time! Hurry up!” So it was really high-octane. I think even for the crew as well, it was one the most exciting shoots we’ve done. [The safety wife] was an amazing woman in her own right. We weren’t sure obviously with her cautious background how she would respond. And she was kind of disbelieving but she rose to the challenge. She went along with it and she really coped fantastically with this guy who was like a tornado himself. She really was amazing. We were really, really proud of her.
EW: Do we see any blow-ups?
MG: Oh yes.
SW: Well, the storm-chasing episode was pretty stunning from that point of view. The scientist dad and safety mom really – they had a very strange time because they really butted heads. Incredibly butted heads, like a couple we haven’t seen for a long time.
EW: Why?
SW: Because their philosophies were so wildly different and also the scientist dad has a very strained out attitude towards women. He sees that women after 25 are used up and not worth talking to. So obviously, safety mom, who is a very self-possessed woman, found that incredibly frustrating. So they just were constantly arguing about the parenting choices, the fact that these guys were basically sexist, but by the end of the swap, the scientist dad, he basically wrote a power ballad for her and sang it in the table meeting. He really sings it, and he’s emoting, and he’s singing it like a ’70s ballad, giving it all that he’s got. It was really quite a turnaround. That’s why it’s the first show of the season, because he’s just so entertaining.
Photo Credit: ABC
Zzzzzzzzzzz.
Sounds like more people trying to use up every bit of their 15 minutes.
ZZZZZZZZ indeed. Thank you EW for continuing the cycle and encouraging this family to behave like idiots just to keep their name in the news.
No, he i snot a SCIENTIST – mad or otherwise. The only people saying that are people who do not know real scientists and he himself.
You’re right…not scientist. Try Wife-beater. Let’s stop giving this man what he wants, shall we?
Don’t think they meant literal scientist, but point well taken.
I like how they keep calling him a “scientist” when the police officer told everyone this guy only has a high school education. I think you need a little bit more than that to be a real scientist.
ahaha — good TV? I like how good TV these days is reality TV. Write a freakin’ show with a story and interesting characters then call it good TV.
Exactly “behave like idiots” In fact we’re even idiots to read and patronize todays trash TV and entertainment news. We just stoke the fire for other actors to step up and “entertain” us.
Oh look, we can watch a family of idiots swap wives with a family of normal people.
Yawn, Maybe I can find a re-run of Seinfeld instead.
WATCHING HIM LOOSE HIS TEMPER ON THE TAPE WHEN THE BALLOON LIFTED AWAY, WHAT WILL HE DO TO HIS SON FOR SPILLING THE BEANS ON TV?
Not defending the guy, but the balloon thing was staged so he was only pretending to lose his temper.
Oooooooo! I LIKE science! I’m a SCIENTIST!! I just BARELY made it out of high school and didn’t go to college and now I work odd jobs, but I’m a SCIENTIST! I LIKE to see storms! I’m a REAL SCIENTIST!!! I’ve been on TV and EVERYTHING!!!
WHAT A DIPSTICK! If I had HIM for a neighbor, I’d have to move. Can you say “ADULT ADHD?” Get this Heene guy some therapy and meds FAST before he hurts someone!!!!!
I watched Wife Swap for the first and last time about 10 days ago and it was with this Heene A$$. This guy has several screws loose and needs major Anger Management and a high school diploma. At one point on the show he said ” Thank God my wife is Japanese and will do what I tell her…” By the way his wife is just as mad as he is. Both are total nut jobs and I pray for their kids.
I knew there was a reason I never watched this crap!!!!!
Hmmm. Can we say that this guy is passive agressive?
Oh wow, watching the Heene family was not entertaining, as the producers would call it…it was really disturbing. This is an abusive father (verbally for sure) with a wife and children following in his footsteps – really pathetic. If this is what the show is like, its like allowing abuse and hoping for those kinds of arguments and horrible things to be said about each other.
Oh yeah Leo. I agree with you. His wife did call 911 one time and decided not to go through with talking to the police. So I am assuming he is physically abusive to her.
Ugh. Can we please let this story die!?!?! And…note to EW.com (and all other information-driven Web outlets) no one cares about this story!!!! Please…don’t give this family any more attention. They’ve had their 15 minutes of fame (and that was way too much). I dread going to the supermarket and CVS this week as this will be all over the covers of “People”, “US Weekly”, etc. I’ll have them staring me in the face as I wait in line. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.
TIP: If you don’t want to hear about something don’t click on the link or make comments about the story. They look at how many hits something is getting and think you want to hear about it. You are contributing to the problem as much as many one.
Legalize pot immediately. Nature shows will become the most popular TV programs. The last thing people will wanna watch is other people screaming at each other. Then again, the media knows this and they probably lobby against the legalization of pot….I’m kidding. I’m adding levity. Wait, you’d be amazed at who lobbies for and against what…you would, trust me. Who runs the media anyway? Anyone know who the kingpins are? Anyone?? Bueller???
To the advertising partner of this programing! I WOUND NOT WATCH ANY SHOW THAT WOULD SHOW A FAMILY THAT WOULD DO ANYTHING LIKE THIS! YOU WOUND ENCOURAGE OTHER TO DO THIS IF THE PRODUCER EVEN PUTS THEM ON TV THEY SHOULD BE BLACK BALLED the PRODUCERS FROM HOLLYWOOD AND PUT IN JAIL WITH THE FATHER!
Heene beats his wife, no doubt terrorizes his children with his temper tantrums, lays tile for a living, has been sued multiple times, and never went to college. He’s hyperactive, super intense, nuts, and possibly dangerous. His “mad scientist theories” are just nutty. He’s the Palin of Science. If it were up to Wife Swap producers, he’d be our next president no doubt, for his entertainment value.
I have to say that it amazes me they were chosen to come back – do people enjoy watching an abusive, sexist, domineering ass try and pummell his agenda down other women’s throats?
OMG!!! How can you perpetuate something like this? Get these kids away from this maniac and get him off international television.