Christine and David were exactly what I imagined when I first envisioned newbie couples descending on a group of wizened swingers: two people who had been together seemingly forever, whose sex life had perhaps fallen by the wayside as responsibilities, kids, careers, and life had taken precedence. And yet they turned out to be entirely different than what I’d expected. I figured, by the seventh time around, I had figured out what was what so I felt safe assuming that he was sort of pushing her into it and that the entire episode would end badly. But, as they say, “assuming” makes an “ass” out of “u” and “mi” – er, me. Christine, as it turned out, was far more open-minded than I would have ever expected her to be. By making the most of the experience, she not only learned a lot about herself but also taught the rest of us a few things. Was I the only one taking mental notes?

I felt immediately protective of Sabrina when I met her: not because she was young, though she was, and not because she talked about how it took her a long time to get comfortable, always implying – if not stating -- that Anthony was better than her at dealing with other people. She was just so vulnerable and open while, ironically enough, remaining concerned that she wasn’t vulnerable and open. Yet I thought she and Anthony had one of the strongest relationships of all the couples that came through the house. While many of the other ones were clearly hot for each other or in situations that worked, Sabrina and Anthony were, it was always clear, in it for the long haul. A figurative Mack truck could come and descend on their relationship – which, as it turns out, sort of happened while they were in the Swing house – and they’d do whatever they had to in order to clear away the wreckage and move on. It’s merely frosting on the cake, in my opinion, that they’d know each other’s body parts anywhere (you’re just going to have to watch the episode to find out what that means!)