What episode is King Curtis Wife Swap?

Apr 22, 2022

For those who aren’t familiar with the show – you’ve been missing out as it was rather entertaining (particularly the US version although it originated in the UK).

The American version of the show first broadcast in 2004 on ABC network and follows two families, usually from different social classes and lifestyles, swap wives/mothers – and occasionally husbands – for two weeks.

Curtis Holland was just a little tinker when he shot to internet fame after clashing with his replacement mum, Joy Brown.

He wasn’t her biggest fan.

Joy was a fitness instructor and wanted Curtis to ditch some of his unhealthy habits most notably his love for chicken nuggets and bacon.

‘King Curtis’ wouldn’t have any of it and hit us with some amazing one liners including: “chicken nuggets is like my family” and “bacon is good for me”.

He even wanted chicken nuggets for breakfast.

Viewers couldn’t help but love him – particularly when he announced: “I don’t wanna be skinny, I wanna be fat and happy” in response to Joy’s relentless attempts to swap out his beloved nugs for fruit and veg.

Curtis was hit across the globe and informed many a GIF and meme.

Now 18-years old, Curtis says he has no desires to pursue being a famous star.

He favours a somewhat modest life and is currently pursuing a job in welding.

Curtis said: “A lot of people say well why don’t you just get up with a bacon company and do commercials or something… I mean I wouldn’t mind doing that if they came and asked me”.

But he claims there wasn’t much money to be made as a result of his viral stardom.

Apart from the $150 he banked as a result of his 2017 ‘King Curtis Bacon is Good for Me Update’ YouTube video that he posted to inform fans of where his life was then as a result of Wife Swap.

It seems Curtis is the only person not to be reaping the rewards of his viral fame as he revealed: “All the other stuff like the ‘Bacon is good for me’ songs, they’ve [the creators] made $75,000 and that’s a lot of money putting away”.

“I mean it doesn’t annoy me because it ain’t my fault; it’s nobody’s fault in the situation. They found a way around the system”, said Curtis when asked if it annoyed him.

He added that he is still recognised even a decade on and enjoys meeting his fans: “If I can go up to somebody and make their day and make them smile, I feel like I’ve done a great thing”.

We salute him on his humble nature and wonder whether he’ll make any further television appearances and steal the limelight once more or will he just remain happy in the shadows?

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Remember ? The nugget-loving six-year-old from a 2009 episode of Wife Swap whose passion for junk food cemented his place in the . Remind yourself of Curtis in action below:

Well, King Curtis is no longer a sassy kid hellbent on upping his cholesterol, he’s grown into a professional welder with a penchant for killing animals.

Curtis, whose catchphrase ‘bacon is good for me!’ will no doubt be carved into gravestones across the globe, documents his life on Instagram, and he’s certainly all grown up.

His bio confirms that he’s employed as a welder while his grid suggests he spends most of his spare time riding around in pickup trucks and shooting wildlife. 

But underneath all the facial fuzz and red-blooded-Americaness, Curtis’ sassy little grin is still there.

If all of the above means absolutely nothing to you, please immediately watch this snippet of the Wife Swap episode that made Curtis famous, in which he passionately talks about his undying love for chicken nuggets, telling the camera with a smile: “Chicken nuggets is like my family.”

Viewers fell in love with Curtis when new mum Joy - who happened to be a fitness instructor - entered his family’s home as part of the show’s premise.

Joy immediately got to work binning all the unhealthy food in Curtis’ family fridge, leaving the young boy dismayed to learn that bacon would now be off the menu.

Storming over to the fridge, Curtis told Joy: “I don't like this crap. No, I want my bacon, I gotta tell you something. Bacon is good for me.”

After realising that Joy didn’t care much about his opinion, Curtis stormed to his bedroom and packed a bag, telling the camera: “She thinks out of the blue that she’s a smart little girl [and] she can do whatever she wants. No, that’s not how she can do it in our family. She acts like she’s the queen, and we’re the sorry people.”

Leaving the house with a suitcase, Curtis added: “Joy, I have been nice to you, but now, I’m coming to the edge. 

“I am leaving, and you can’t stop me. I’m packing my bags. She’s gonna try and stop me, but she can’t run in those little high heels.”

Curtis eventually returned home a while later, with the narrator explaining: “After spending a few hours at his grandma’s house eating chicken nuggets, he’s decided to return home.”

Dragging his suitcase back inside, Curtis snapped in his thick Southern accent: “I’m back to show her who’s boss: King Curtis.”

Featured Image Credit: Paramount/Instagram/@king_curtis10

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