AFTER THE SPECIAL TWO-HOUR SEASON PREMIERE OF "EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION" DON'T MISS A SNEAK PREVIEW OF THE MOST TALKED ABOUT NEW SHOW OF THE SEASON, "WIFE SWAP," SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 ON ABC

A Disorganized, Animal Loving Mother with 25 Pets Trades Places and Families With an Obsessively Tidy Mother Who Loves To-Do Lists and Detests Animals

With so many real homes, real lives and so much real drama in store, we just couldn't wait until the season premiere. So don't miss a special sneak preview of "Wife Swap"-the critically acclaimed show from the creators of the original U.K. smash hit-on a special day and time, SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. This unscripted reality show takes us into the intimate heart of the American family home to reveal the extraordinarily different ways families live their lives. The series premieres on its regular day and time WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET).

Each week, from across the country, two families with very different values are chosen to take part. In a two week-long challenge, the wives from these two families exchange husbands, children and lives (but not bedrooms) to discover what it's like to walk a mile in another mother's pumps. It's a mind-blowing experiment that oftentimes ends up changing their lives forever.

In the sneak-preview episode, we meet Bambi and Kenny Pitts, a laid back couple from a diverse, working-class community in Connecticut, who live in a zoo... literally. With over 25 pets, two rowdy teenage boys and a two-year-old daughter, this liberal family survives paycheck to paycheck. There are no rules or order to this buoyant and noisy household, where kids stay up playing music until early morning and animals make a smelly mess of the living spaces. Bambi is disorganized, typically running behind schedule, and makes little effort to cook or clean. She and Kenny have chosen to befriend their children instead of disciplining them. They remain passionate after 16 years of marriage and enjoy their carefree, low-maintenance lifestyle.

But the relaxed Bambi is more than surprised when she travels to nearby Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to exchange places with Caprice Policchio, a strict mother whose household is defined by her obsessive compulsive behavior. Caprice is a perfectionist to the extreme - numerous to-do lists, cleanliness, and an inflexible rule over her husband, Don, and sons Ian (16) and Adam (10). In addition, no noise or pets allowed. She cooks all meals herself for fear of external germs, and serves a well-balanced dinner which the family eats together each night. The kids are not allowed to make noise, have a non-negotiable bedtime, and are only permitted to see their girlfriends on weekends. Husband Don is assigned tasks each weekend, and they attribute friendship to the success of their 24 years of marriage. The family is never out of Caprice's control and live a very quiet existence in their neat and immaculate suburban home.

The first week of the swap becomes a lesson in compromise when Bambi gets a taste of a structured lifestyle by cleaning five hours a day and coping with Don's anal retentive demands, while Caprice must stand back and let the Pitts clan behave as they please. But the second week turns into a roller coaster for all, when Bambi shakes things up by bringing fun and a pet cat into the house, while Caprice pushes the Pitts to the edge when she cleans the house for the first time in years and temporarily dismisses the animals.

"Wife Swap" is a show about families and what really matters-to all of us. It shows, in a highly entertaining way, that what one family thinks is normal, another family will find strange and often down-right weird! When it first premiered in the UK in 2003, the series became an instant sensation and the country's most talked-about television show. The smash hit has won numerous awards, most recently the prestigious BAFTA Award for best reality show, and the Golden Rose-Europe's top entertainment television award-presented at the International Rose D'Or Festival. Now in its third season, the show currently airs everywhere from France to Australia, Denmark to New Zealand. It has been sold as an acquisition or a format in more than twenty internationa territories.

"Wife Swap" is an RDF Media production. It was created by Stephen Lambert and is executive-produced by Lambert and Jenny Crowther of RDF Media ("Faking It" and "Junkyard Wars") and Michael Davies of Diplomatic ("Who Wants to be a Millionaire"). Wendy Roth is the co-executive producer.

This program carries a TV-PG,L parental guideline.