Big dreaming inventor Dina Bouvet believes by envisioning what she wants she can manifest it which is how she got her house husband and two kids to stay positive she begins every day repeating the mantra I am my best me she swapped lives with poor and happy sherry clayton though her husband is unemployed and her local area hit hard by the economic downturn she maintains a cheerful outlook while living on a budget to save money she makes her own laundry detergent and uses vinegar as fabric softener. For the first week, the wives must live by their new family's rules. Later, they get to make some changes. It's the moment of truth.
The wives are about to come face-to-face with their new husbands and children. Hi. Hi.
I'm Kennedy. Kennedy, nice to meet you. Nice to meet you. I like hugs.
Hi, I'm the dad. Hi. How you doing?
And what is your name? Cher. I'm Cher. Cher? Well, welcome.
I heard you were laid off. Right. And I'm so sorry to hear that.
I mean, I know... Well, we're still living pretty decent. And I think that is awesome. Steve is letting himself go, letting himself gain weight, losing the tooth and not replacing the tooth.
To get a job, you know, we're going to have to polish up a bit. Dina seems rich. I don't really care if she's rich or not.
I'm just saying she looks rich. We're a real spontaneous family. We absolutely do not follow any kind of order in our home.
Cher is very different from Dina. Cher is a big woman. Dina takes magnificent care of her teeth. It doesn't look like Cher has really done that. In Indiana, health and fitness fanatic Dina must prepare one of Cherie's favorite recipes for dinner, chili cheese fries.
We are not real big calorie counters, so we just eat whatever's good and just move on. Even though it tastes good, do you guys know that it's really unhealthy? We really can't afford fruit and vegetables. Cherie, she's over 300 pounds. Exactly.
I want her to eat healthier. But I like baked women. Dina seems really concerned about the food that we eat.
A little processed cheese ain't going to hurt nobody. Do you wish you ate healthier, or do you like eating like this? I really don't care about this stuff. This is gross.
There's a big blob. of glue sitting in my stomach. It's just awful for them.
It's going to make them fat, overweight, not setting them up for success. In Arizona, Sherry must help prepare dinner for the health-conscious Bouvet family. Our goal is 70% fresh fruit. and vegetables.
What kind of things do you guys make for dinner? I make a really yummy dish called Butterburgers. It's our favorite meal. We also have chili cheese fries with that dinner usually. If you keep eating like that, it's going to come at an even higher cost to your health.
I understand that, but if it's once in a while it's not gonna kill anybody. Honestly. It may kill you. Look at yourself. Look at where it's gotten you.
I think she's let herself go so far, she's lost self-value. If Sherry was my wife... I would be absolutely embarrassed and ashamed, you know, to be seen with her. It's the first morning of the swap at the Claytons, and image-conscious Dina must dress down, Sherry style. I mean, I like it, other than the cigarette burn and the stains.
Dina then discovers that 11-year-old Kennedy is motivated to exercise. Do you like doing the video? Not really, but I'm trying to lose weight, so it's good for that.
Why are you trying to lose weight if you don't... Because I'm obese. You're obese?
Yeah. You're considered obese? Yeah, I weigh 125. Average weight is 80, 90. So does the doctor want you to lose weight, or is it kids at school? I want to.
Oh, that's good. Good. It looks like Kennedy is the only one in this family who's motivated to do anything healthy. I definitely feel like there's something that I can do to help Kennedy achieve his goals.
And he could totally manifest whatever he wants. At the Bouvet's, it's up to Sherry to make sure the kids leave the house with a positive attitude. When mom talks to you in the morning, Lauren, and talks about being the best you can be, does it help you make your day better? It kind of bothers me sometimes because it's like, Lauren, be your best you!
Does she behave that way all the time? Yeah. Tell me if I can do it just like her.
You are awesome, Lauren. What a wonderful kid you are. You're going to be the best me you can be today, aren't you? Is that good? Is that close?
Yeah. She's a walking infomercial. That's what mom is.
She's a walking infomercial. Be your best you! Sherry must then take the next steps towards becoming her best self by reading Dina's daily affirmations. I am thin, lean, and strong.
A size three. I am my best. I do my best. I look my best!
This is a riot! She never stops being an infomercial even when she's alone. That's craziness!
At the Clayton's, Steve gives Dina a tour of their town, which was devastated by the economic downturn. This is where I used to work when I got laid off. Everybody's having the same situation I am.
Everybody? Pretty much, yeah. There's 36,000 families that are having problems.
Is there anything you could actively do to bring in some income? Like maybe mow some lawns around the trailer park? Yeah, you know what, I mean, I could do that.
But I don't. I don't have a reason for that really. It's just, except for spending more time with my wife.
time with my family, really. Steve is not really being a good provider by not actively looking for a job. He can make money somehow. He's got to think more positive.
You know, I live below poverty level with my mom in a poor section of the house. I can relate to that. Have you ever heard of that saying, it goes, what you think about, you bring about?
No, I haven't. You and Sherry have created your reality with your thinking. Right now, you need to dream that when people don't dream, they end up dying. When me and Dana was talking about creating my own reality, I mean, the reality here is the economy dropped.
I'm pretty sure I didn't think about not working at all. I got here somehow, and it wasn't for me creating my own reality. At the Buvees, everyone is working separately.
There's no connection. I don't see any real family interaction in this family at all. But Sherry must stay in Dina's office to think up new inventions. I'm going to invent a push-up belly bra that will bring women's bellies all the way up to their chest and push their boobs out some.
Let's see, hmm, how would this look? We'll have to put the straps behind here, kind of like this. This is absolutely a way of Dina hiding in her office to avoid any relationship with her family.
I think my belly push-up bra would be a real big moneymaker because 70% of my money is going to be spent on my family. of the population is overweight. In Indiana, Dina must accompany the Claytons to a soup kitchen for a free meal, a service the family relies on to help make ends meet.
Oh, thank you. There's a lot of families that are in the same boat as me. But... If you hang out with really, really poor people, then you might end up becoming poor, really, really poor, because of the mindset. Because it's just more and more negative thinking, and then it ends up bringing you down, down, down.
You want to sit here and say places like this is negative, but I'm proud to be able to be here and feed my family versus staying home and starving. I grew up in poverty, and I could have turned out like Steve and Sherry, but I chose to learn how to be a successful person. person.
If this family does not change their mindset, then they're going to keep on going down, down, down to the point of homelessness and even death. In Arizona, Sherry must help make a video selling dream products, but she's questioning Mark about what audience they are targeting. Who do you think buys these things? People that have already reached their dreams or down on their luck people who are reaching and grasping for something, Mark?
Who? We're looking for people that want to grow. You're suggesting we've created this to exploit people or take advantage of people. Nothing could be further from the truth.
I think first you created it to make money. And whether it exploits people or not, it doesn't matter. We have to make income to survive, just like everybody. Even if you take it off of people that can't afford it? She's blaming us for her predicament.
Nothing could be further from the truth. We're trying to put something out there that helps people, that gives people new possibilities, and that's a good thing. Before recording the video, Sherry decides to make a statement. I'm showing him what a fake woman his wife is, and that nothing in his life is real except taking money from people that don't deserve to be taken from. She's a clown.
Okay, have a seat right over here in the chair. So now I'm just getting a look at your makeup. It looks like you're making a big joke out of this.
I think it's hilarious. Okay. I'm perfect. We're just going to go with it. Try and be positive.
I'm very positive. I'll do exactly as you say. Hi, my name is Dina Bouvier. Be careful now because I might just touch your pockets and take a little bit of money out while I'm doing it.
Mark says make sure we get some out of them. Let's talk about that. You know, you are a piece of work.
I am. Read the cue card. I can't read the cue cards. I can't put those words in my mouth. They nauseate me.
I might puke. Do you have a bucket? You know what? Thank you.
You're welcome, Mark. I hope I did. Mark absolutely has no clue what it means to be poor.
If they're trying to market this to people who have truly lost their dream and they're really concerned about that and they want people to do that, that is way out of my budget. Next, the rules change as the wives take control. If you want to eat cake for breakfast, cut yourself a slice.
And Dina gives the Claytons a hair-raising makeover. What do you guys think of Dad? He looks stupid.