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Cars 108’s George McIntyre appears on ABC TV’s Wife Swap!
Cars 108: What possessed you and your wife Denise to do this?
George: When we read online that Wife Swap was looking for a couple that uses coupons and refunds to an extreme, I figured there was no one better than Denise to demonstrate how it’s done. She does such an awesome job stretching every dollar we make, and I thought it would be cool to show her off.
Cars 108: Did you get paid to do the show?
George: Each family is given an honorarium. It compensates for any lost wages, or expenses incurred during the taping. Admittedly, when we were chosen, and asked to take part, the honorarium did factor into our decision. We can put up with a little embarrassment, and inconvenience in order to stash away a little more toward our boys’ education.
Cars 108: How did your kids fare during all of this?
George: Nick and David are resilient and strong. They love to get laughs, and a lot of their silly behavior makes it on the show. They are actually well-behaved, and contrary to what is said in the show, they are not permitted to do whatever they want! We believe that kids need time to be kids, and we don’t believe in pressuring our children. We spend a lot of time with them, because we believe quality time can’t be scheduled. Our boys have the freedom to express themselves, and we aren’t afraid to involve them in adult topics of conversation, at least to some degree.
Cars 108: Did anything get left out of the show?
George: Yes. Taping took place during the first two weeks of September, and all of that gets boiled down to a one-hour show. For instance, when I mentioned that I bought three bottles of cough medicine during my lunch hour, I wasn’t able to finish, and say that I actually made $7 profit by doing so. (Purchase price was $.99 after coupons, and the cash register spit out a $10 reward) Denise and I also donate a ton of our surplus food, personal care items, and household goods (often purchased for pennies, or sometimes at a profit) to many charities in Genesee county.
Cars 108: Do you keep in touch with the “Swap” family?
George: We do. I’m guessing that a lot of families don’t share our belief, but we feel that we were paired with a great family, and we’re glad to call the Keysers our friends. Their way of life is drastically different from ours, but they’re great people. We learned from Andrea that Mark’s father passed away one week before our episode aired. Our thoughts and prayers are with their entire family. When we heard about this, I contacted the show and asked if it would be possible to dedicate the show to the memory of the late Mr. Keyser.
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