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When searching for the exact opposite of a powerlifting mom who calls herself "The Beast," " Wife Swap " researchers came across the Web site, www.classicteaparties.com, of prim and proper Riverton resident Donna Deekens . In powerlifting terms, Deekens eventually got the whites (refers to the signal judges use to indicate a successful attempt in competitive lifts) to do the show.

Tune in to ABC at 8 p.m. this Friday, Oct. 10 , to see what it was like for this Chesterfield mother of two boys to switch places with Sandi McCaslin , the upstate New York mother of two powerlifting girls and wife to a powerlifting husband.

Deekens provides customized tea parties for children up to age 12 and for adults, whereas McCaslin runs a weightlifting gym with her husband.

Virginia Mastroianni with ABC Media Relations describes how the show works: "Each week two very different families take part in a two-week-long challenge: The wives exchange husbands, children and lives (but not bedrooms) to discover what it's like in another woman's shoes."

The first week of the exchange, Deekens moved in with her new family and adopted their very different lifestyle. In the second week, according to the program's format, everything changes, and the family follows her household traditions and rules.

"They were a nice family, but I was thrust into a very different environment, and I tried to adapt. I was a theatre major in school, so I relied on my role-playing skills and did what I could to make the show work," Deekens said.

Without giving away the plot, Deekens takes on McCaslin's business and vice versa. Deekens found herself in awe of this New York mom who can bench press 341 pounds. The most strenuous workout for Deekens is taking walks with her husband along the James River in Robious Landing Park .

"I was amazed by the girls also," she said. "I was expecting muscular girls, but they were very petite and yet could bench press 145 pounds. They were also very competitive. If they were boys, it wouldn't surprise me as much."

The McCaslin family live by the motto, "whatever it takes." Sandi, 43, husband Zane, 37, and daughters Sarah, 16, and Kerri, 12, all hold bench-pressing and powerlifting records. They live in an old converted school and spend most of their time together training in the gym - pushing each other onto their next big lift.

Meanwhile, the Deekens live a quiet suburban life of calm gentility. Donna, 57, is on a one-woman mission to bring femininity, etiquette and the ladylike art of tea parties to the girls of Virginia. She presents her tea parties in a range of personas, dressing as a princess, a Victorian lady and a fairy queen, and prepares thoroughly for each tea - counting out tiaras, and testing flashing wands. Husband Bill, 55, and son Greg, 18, find her business a bit silly.

In the Deekens' house, family members lead separate lives, coming together for quiet meals and their sedate daily walk.

Greg is a senior at James River High School, so he makes his debut on the show as well. Older brother Brent was off at Shenandoah University and missed the taping.

"Brent thought it was a hoot that we were doing this, but he was away at school, and anyway, he's a serious theatre major, and didn't want to participate," Deekens said.

Also featured on the show are several area children who take part in the tea parties.

"The show is quite the buzz around here and especially in my neighborhood," Deekens said. "It will be interesting to see because we are very different families, but we tried to accommodate the challenges and appreciate each others' passions." 

Check out more stories in this edition of the Chesterfield Observer , now a weekly publication.