When The Real Housewives of Orange County‘s Emily Simpson signed up for Wife Swap: The Real Housewives Edition, her husband, Shane Simpson, already had at least one specific thing in mind that he’d hope would change in their household.
“I do wish we had more family dinners,” Shane — who shares daughter Annabelle, 12, and 10-year-old twins, Luke and Keller, with Emily — admitted in an Episode 3 confessional. “I think that’s important.”
Emily, for her part, described evening mealtimes in their home as, “I make chicken nuggets for my kids, rice for Luke, and then Shane’s on his own.” (The couple had previously shared Luke’s avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder [ARFID] diagnosis on RHOC Season 19.)
At the time, Shane estimated that he shouldered about 70 percent of the household duties for his family, while Emily guessed it was closer to 60 percent.
RELATED: Emily Simpson Gives a New Update on Son Luke’s Progress: “I Really Worry” (EXCLUSIVE)
“I’m an attorney, and most of my time is spent with domestic duties,” Shane elaborated. “Emily knows that I do a lot, but I don’t think she values how much it is.”
As Emily put it, “When Shane and I first got married, it was supposed to be I’d be home with the kids and Shane would work. And then I end up on a TV show. I work more than I ever anticipated.”
She insisted that she does value her husband of 16 years though, joking to a producer, “I should have sex with him more. He does a lot.”
Inside Emily Simpson’s Wife Swap: The Real Housewives Edition experience with Caley Svensson
With that, Emily jetted off to Park Ridge, N.J., to experience family life with a more “hands-off” dad, Erik Svensson, and his three children, Graham, 11, Adelaide, 7, and Georgina, 5 — plus their indoor pig. Shane, meanwhile, got a taste of living with a family-focused, stay-at-home mom, Caley Svensson.
At the beginning of the experiment, Emily took on Caley’s many duties, including mucking the barn where the family houses their horses and goats, as well as managing the kids’ bedtimes. Meanwhile back in Orange County, Shane continued to cook, clean, and schedule date nights.
RELATED: Emily Simpson Opens Up About Working with Shane on Their Legal Podcast (EXCLUSIVE)
As Shane told Caley during their first night out, he had “hope” that Emily would have a major wake-up call, since Erik, who works as medical director at a large healthcare facility, “doesn’t do anything” around the house.
“I would like it if Emily came home and said thank you more,” he elaborated to a producer. “Some form of recognition for things that I do, yeah, I would love that.”
When the rules changed, Caley implemented the family dinner tradition that Shane had been craving. She enlisted Annabelle to help her cook and even invited Shane’s parents, Larry and Pary, and his cousin Tara.
What Wife Swap: The Real Housewives Edition taught Emily Simpson about Shane
Ultimately, the experience opened up Emily’s eyes in some of the ways that Shane had hoped it would.
Observing how her swap husband, Erik, felt undervalued and underappreciated for his familial contributions, she told him, “I can see my husband in you and then it makes me sad that I don’t recognize his feelings.”
Prior to flying back to California, an emotional Emily further told the Svensson family, “You guys being so amazing and so fun, like, really ignited something in my heart that I just wanna go home and have those same kind of moments with my kids.”
The RHOC ‘Wife shared even more with a producer.
“Going into this experience, I didn’t really feel like there was much to take away from someone else’s life,” she said, before tearing up. “It makes me reflect. Why do I not put more time and effort into my own family?”
After meeting Caley back at her Orange County home, Emily said she was thrilled to hear about the dinner she hosted: “I love that you did that because we never sit down as a family.”
As Emily concluded, “If I took anything away from your home… I really appreciated how much Shane contributes to this family and how much he does. … I should just say thank for all those things that he does.”
A post-filming update from one month later revealed, “Emily lightened Shane’s load with carpool duty for one week, until Shane took over again.”
As you await the Wife Swap: The Real Housewives Edition finale, get more details on where Emily and Shane’s marriage stands today.
