Ok, Stephen Fowler Is A Prick, Now Leave Him Alone

In case you've been living in a cave, some liberal, elitist prick turned reality TV star in San Francisco (of course!) by the name of Stephen Fowler has gained a lot of fame for all the wrong reasons:

It's safe to say Stephen Fowler probably wishes he never appeared on "Wife Swap."

Fowler's stint on the ABC reality show last month, in which he called a rural Missouri woman spending two weeks in his San Francisco home stupid and simple, has made him famous in the worst way.

His performance has inspired a Web site, StephenFowlerSucks.com, a Facebook group, "I Can not Stand Stephen Fowler from `Wife Swap,'" and public condemnation by his own wife, who on her blog urged him to get professional help.

What has generated such wrath is Fowler's condescending treatment of Gayla Long, a mother of four from rural Missouri whose family likes fast food and paintball. In wince-producing remarks, Fowler, who is British, wrote off middle America with such pronouncements as "Your two languages seem to be bad English and redneck."

Three weeks later, Fowler's "Wife Swap" antics are still a YouTube sensation, with at least 10 postings from the show's Jan. 30 episode displayed on the Web site, most with headings such as "ridiculous elitist" and "elitists gone wild."

Last week, Yahoo posted a clip of the show on its site under the heading "Husbands Behaving Badly." Each new posting or story generates thousands of views and hundreds of galled comments.

Fowler, an environmental entrepreneur who develops biofuels, apologized in a statement posted on his wife's blog for behaving "like a complete jerk" and said he has resigned from the boards of two nonprofit corporations for reflecting badly on the organizations.

Some news outlets have reported that Fowler says he has received death threats. Neither Fowler nor his wife, Renee Stephens, could be reached to confirm the reports.

"Wife Swap" is a social experiment of sorts in which wives from two very different families exchange lives for two weeks.

Some highlights from the "Wife Swap" show are posted below. I'm not condoning any of Fowler's actions, but I believe him when he says he was told to "ham it up" by the show producers. After all, this is TV and for any TV show to be successful they need ratings. Plus, why no fan fair for Long's husband, who apparently on the same show made it clear that he thinks a women's place is in the kitchen and proudly has a confederate flag hanging up in his house? Either way Fowler's apologized, so people should move on already. I mean, death threats?!? Some people need to get a life already.