Kate Gosselin: Celebrity Wife Swap
Oh my. Just when I thought Kate Gosselin’s 15 minutes of quite extended fame had come to an end, she turns up on Celebrity Wife Swap.
I’ve watched Wife Swap before, but wasn’t even aware that a Celebrity version of this highly cerebral form of entertainment existed, until Tuesday night. Kate swapped places with Kendra Wilkinson, who I know only from my unfortunate relationship with trashy celeb magazines. “Wife swap” was a bit of a misnomer, as Kate is no longer a wife. She drove away former husband Jon. Would she do the same for Kendra’s husband, football star Hank Baskett?
Thoughts from Celebrity Wife Swap with Kate Gosselin:
- She can draw an audience. On the one hand, this amazes me. If there’s one person who’s the human definition of unlikeable, surely it’s Kate Gosselin. She’s always got a harsh look on her face. She seemingly has no filter and just says whatever harsh or nasty thought pops into her head. She thinks she can do no wrong. On the other hand, perhaps watching such a train wreck makes us feel better about ourselves in comparison. Regardless of the reason, this episode of Celebrity Wife Swap drew the highest ratings the show has ever received.
- Wow, do Kate and Kendra Wilkinson look alike, or what? Several times during the show I had to concentrate to determine which of the two I was watching. Observing the harshness now of Kate’s face and her hair, bleached to within an inch of its life, I can’t help but remember what she used to look like:
Sure, she’s more glam now. But really? I preferred her look back then. She was a real person, not a Hollywood wanna-be who prefers hawking her dubious acting “skills” to her former job as a nurse. When you look eerily similar to a Playboy Bunny, kids, it’s a sign that perhaps you’ve gone too far.
I enjoyed seeing the Gosselin kids again. They’re growing up! I especially noticed the twins getting bigger. Cara is nearly as tall as Kate, and Mady sounded so much older when she talked. One show I’d really enjoy is “Kate Gosselin plus Eight Teens.” Bring it on, baby. One book I’d really enjoy? “Growing Up with Kate Gosselin as a Mom,” by any of the kids. I’ll put my copy on hold at the library today!- I think Kate tried hard to come across as more likeable in this episode. After all, she’s forever trying to get another TV show or some kind of paying gig. But come on. The only thing she learned from the show was to take more time for herself? All her kids are in school all day. She has all those hours to herself, since quitting her mediocre job years ago.
And despite the impression she likes to give that she does everything on her own, this has been shown not to be the case. She doesn’t let it be filmed, but she has numerous babysitters, a housekeeper, and had a cook at one time (at least), as well. Are we supposed to look at this woman, who clearly goes to tanning and has had various cosmetic procedures, and still feel sorry for her lack of “me time”??? Sorry if I can’t feel a lot of sympathy for ya there, Kate.
Did you watch Kate Gosselin on Celebrity Wife Swap? What did you think?
Kendra came across as infinitely more likeable – and much kinder, too – than Kate. She was genuinely shocked at how hard the Gosselin kids have to work at their chores, and tried to inject a little fun and spontaneity into their lives. I was disturbed and saddened at the children’s faces – they either looked sad, or they didn’t show any emotion at all, as though they had completely shut down their feelings. This was especially noticeable with the boys.
Hank Sr. was initially very gracious towards Kate, taking her out to dinner, teaching her how to golf – but later in the week, he looked as though he could strangle her. Her complete lack of social skills was in full evidence; it is obvious that Hank adores Kendra, yet Kate openly criticized her to him! And then when they all met at the end, she lit into Kendra in front of Hank, telling Kendra she doesn’t care about her family! No tact whatsoever – Kate is completely oblivious as to how she comes across to others.
They do really look alike, but they live completely different lives. I work full time at DISH, but I don’t have any kids or a husband, so I have no idea what I would do if I was in Kendra’s position, lol. In the end though, I think it was a very good learning experience for both of the mothers and I would have missed everything if it was not for my DVR.
I missed the original broadcast but saw it on the network site, and I completely agree that Kendra, whatever she may lack in parenting skills, comes across far better than the “Mrs. Boss” (was that Hank’s moniker for Kate?). My theory is that most of us tuned in NOT to see Kate, or Kendra, but to see how those adorable Gosselin kids look now and how they’re doing. Did they look happy? Nooooo…. So much for their strictly regimented lives, when even taking a peek at the (locked) tree house is a real highlight. It was kind of sad, all around.