They’ve got the white picket fence, the 2.5 kids — and a swinging sex life.
A&E is turning the camera on married couples in an unnamed Ohio suburb living the swinger lifestyle in a new reality series, “Neighbors With Benefits,” premiering March 22 at 10 p.m.
Producers estimate that there are upwards of 15 million swingers in America, and the show’s nine, hour-long episodes follow several such couples in their 30s — most of them with kids — as they engage in extramarital relationships while going about their normal lives as professionals and soccer moms.
“They’re attractive [people]. This isn’t your pony-tailed, earring guy that you would picture being a part of swingers,” executive producer Aaron Rothman tells The Post. “They look and feel like they are your neighbors. Their kids are playing with your kids.”
They’re attractive [people]. This isn’t your pony-tailed, earring guy that you would picture being a part of swingers.
- Neighbors With Benefits executive producer Aaron Rothman
The premiere will introduce Tony and Diana, who are out and open as the leaders of the swinger movement in their community, often hosting events and recruiting new members.
Other neighborhood couples are at various stages of swinging — Brittany and Cody are struggling with playing by the rules of the lifestyle; longtime swingers Lori and Eric still fear the judgment of others; newbies Vince and Penny are debating becoming swingers; and Mark and Amy are friends with the group but strictly monogamous.
“It’s not like tea parties — it’s relationships,” Rothman says. “They all have different language, they’re all at different stages and willing to do different things, and it’s constantly changing. Some don’t kiss, some do kiss, they operate differently.”
Besides giving a glimpse at the sexier side of swinging (the parties, the dates), the series will also delve into the specific challenges of these special relationships — like what happens when one couple decides to try for a baby — as well as the potential devastation an open marriage risks.
“It’s looking at marriage and sex in marriage through the prism of this subculture,” Rothman says. “We’re in an interesting place with social mores in this country.
“This is a weird and intriguing look about how people can make decisions and how they lead their lives and how this subculture operates.”