Sunday, August 23, 2015

Seven Year Switch S:1 E:7 Reunited With Reality



Participating in FYI's Seven Year Switch gave four couples a once in a lifetime opportunity to see what it would be like to be married to someone else. It allowed them to see if their perceived ideal qualities in a partner were what they really needed and wanted.

Now it's time for the experimental spouses to say goodbye to each other and return to reality. What did they learn in switch therapy and will they successfully apply it to their marriages? 

Final Goodbyes


Aleshia experienced life with a spouse that was attentive to her. She felt appreciated, something she didn't feel with Houston. Will Houston make their marriage a priority?

Neal appreciated Aleshia's open and honest opinions. He felt at ease as she posed thought-provoking questions. This method of communication really worked well for them. Will Neal feel this comfortable once he returns home?
Danielle spent two weeks connecting on a deep level with someone who is as driven and serious as she is. Although she said CW saved her life, is 14 days long enough to  know someone beyond surface level?

 CW is going to miss spending time with Danielle, who has the same work ethic and drive for success. Can he go back to someone who doesn't understand his drive?
Although, Leah guided Houston on the importance of bringing balance into his life,  she personally shut down early in the process. Did Leah reap the potential benefits of switch therapy? 

Houston is now open to the concept of balance, but will he realize his traditional values may not be what his marriage needs?


Rachel felt a weight lift off her shoulders and she was able to freely share her thoughts and feelings with Eric. Will she stay unmuted once she returns to CW?

Eric really embraced the communication exercises and gave it his all. Once he returns to Danielle, will he use those skills or shut down?

Questions Abound 


Did Houston miss Aleshia, or did he cross any boundaries?








Will Aleshia come to appreciate the hard work Houston does for his DJ-ing and day job? 






Did this experiment show CW he should have married someone else? 








Will Rachel become less sensitive and appreciate CW's intense work ethic?








Will Eric step it up in his work and their marriage?









Will Danielle become less quick to judge Eric's laid back and chill demeanor?







Will the time apart help Neal and Leah get back to that beginning place in their marriage?







Can Neal finally forgive Leah so they can restore their relationship? 









Reunited With Reality


CW says Rachel is even more beautiful and sexy than he remembered. 




Danielle tells Eric she wonders if she would be better off with a type A personality. 



Houston doesn't like that Neal was willing to share a bed and feels Aleshia is talking too much about Neal. 

Leah confronts Neal about changing his mind on wanting to have kids. 
This is a game changer. 


Golden Nuggets
One of the things I love the best about Seven Year Switch is the communication activities and advice Dr. Dan Shapiro and Dr. Jessica Griffin give the couples. Each week I learn something new that I can apply to my own relationship. This week the experts were on point as they guided the couples after they returned home. Here are my golden nuggets.



  • To ensure you are on the same page with your spouse, it's important to have a master five-year plan with a vision for your marriage.
  • Problems in marriages were not created overnight and they will not be fixed overnight. It takes time, commitment and a lot of hard work.
  • Sometimes there is this idea that the grass is greener on the other side, when in fact, we should be watering our own grass. 
  • Our spouses can be set-up to compete with our work for attention, leaving them feeling resentment towards it.
  • When our partner withdraws or becomes silent, we tend to go to dark places in our heads and image the worst. 
  • In order for both partners to feel honored in the relationship, there needs to be equal compromise.



 A Bee in My Bonnet
If there is one thing Seven Year Switch fans are, it's passionate and loyal, invested in the success of the four couples.

 As I did my top tweets blog for this episode, there was clearly one thing viewers were outraged about...CW lying to Rachel.

 CW openly admits to the camera that he hasn't told Rachel the truth about drinking with Danielle. But in usual CW fashion, he doesn't take responsibility for his actions, rather blames it on the fact that Rachel is highly sensitive. 


I'm confused by this. Does CW think Rachel should not be upset that he didn't honor his commitment not to drink with his experimental spouse? Does he think that lying about it to Rachel is going to make it better? Does CW realize cameras captured him drinking twice with Danielle? Does he think that dishonoring Rachel in front of millions of viewers on National television is okay? 

 I sincerely hope that Rachel finds out about the lie before decision day. Trust is the foundation of a marriage and keeping your word is what that foundation is built on. This breach would crack any foundation. We shall see if it can be fixed or if it comes crumbling down. 




Will the four couples choose to stay married or get a divorce? Watch the 2-hour Season Finale of Seven Year Switch, Tuesday at 9/8c on FYI. 










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