TikTok Features ‘Wife Swap’ Star Discussing Childhood Trauma

• TikToker Heidi Mae shared a video on June 11, discussing her experience on the reality show “Wife Swap” as a child.
• Mae expressed that participating in the show was a major regret for her and her family.
• According to Mae’s TikTok video, every family member had to undergo a rigorous 700-question psychiatric evaluation as part of the show’s process.

Heidi Mae, known as @heidimaetrix on TikTok, spoke out about her experience on “Wife Swap” 13 years ago in a recent video on TikTok. She addressed questions from her followers about her traumatic time on the reality show.

In recent times, various people have come forward to highlight the exploitative nature of reality shows. Contestants from “Love Island” shared how producers deprived them of food and sleep, while participants on “America’s Next Top Model” described it as psychological warfare.

Mae appeared on Season 6, Episode 7, titled “Herrington/Trevino,” which originally aired on May 21, 2010. “Wife Swap” was a reality series where families from different social classes and lifestyles would swap wives or mothers for two weeks. The show aired on ABC from 2004 to 2010 and was renewed in 2019 on Paramount for a 20-episode season.

In her TikTok video, Mae revealed that the show’s producers exploited her troubled childhood, which was already affected by her parents’ involvement in a cult. The producers used a 700-question psych evaluation to identify her traumatic experiences and force her to relive them on camera. Mae expressed that the director’s intention was to trigger her trauma through a “fight or flight” response.

Mae also shared the immense pressure she felt to protect her family from the manipulative tactics of the production team. She quickly caught on to the game being played but noted that it only added to her stress and trauma.

Mae re-uploaded her initial video on the topic due to changes in the platform’s monetization policies. In the video, she emphasized that participating in the show was the worst mistake her family had ever made. The re-upload has garnered close to 5 million views as of June 16.

Mae explained that the show required all participants to undergo a 700-question psych evaluation and an hour-long interview with a psychologist to ensure their mental fitness. During her interview, she mentioned that feeling lonely made her sad, a vulnerability the show exploited.

Mae vividly described her first altercation with the other mother on the show, where hurtful remarks were made that targeted her loneliness. She believed the production team had already labeled her family as the “bad family” and would do anything to reinforce that narrative.

Neither Heidi Mae nor the American Broadcasting Company has responded to Insider’s request for comment.