'Seven-Year Switch': Tamaroa native, husband trade spouses briefly for reality TV

TAMAROA - Is the grass really greener on the other side? A Tamaroa woman went on reality TV earlier this year to find out.

Tamaroa native Jaclyn Kuberski, 27, and her husband, Dustin Neace, from Indianapolis, were among four couples to participate in “switch therapy,” for a reality TV series called the “Seven-Year Switch,” now airing on the FYI cable channel.

The show spotlights four couples, all at a crossroads in their relationships after seven years. The couples switch spouses for two weeks and live with strangers, while two relationship experts help them with the transition and into a place of self-discovery. Their journey is told over eight weeks – episodes air at 8 p.m. Tuesdays on the FYI Network and debut this week.

As the show’s promo asks: “Will their temporary partners be able to fill the void they’ve been yearning for, or will they discover that the grass isn’t always greener?”

Kuberski and Neace, 30, have been together nearly seven years, although married for only the last three.

“Dustin and I were in a tough spot,” said Kuberski in a phone interview from the couple’s home in Pensacola, Florida. “We did this to see if the grass is really greener with someone else. They put you together with someone they think might be your perfect experimental spouse.”

“I think I got thrown under the bus a little bit,” Neace said, laughing. “But, that’s TV.” Neace, a mixed martial artist, also participated in a 2011 reality series, “The Ultimate Fighter.”

Spoiler alert: Not everybody has come out of “Seven-Year Switch” with their relationship intact, but Kuberski and Neace did. They returned to Illinois and renewed their vows during a ceremony at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds on April 23, which was filmed for the series.

Kuberski grew up in the Tamaroa and Dubois area. She attended a Catholic grade school, then Pinckneyville District 204 junior high and was graduated from Pinckneyville Community High School. She is the daughter of Ron and Sondra Kuberski, of Tamaroa.

The couple now lives in Pensacola, Florida, where Kuberski manages a Hooter’s restaurant and Neace manages a USC gym where he teaches kickboxing and has a small firearms business. They were married three years ago in a civil ceremony, unbeknownst at the time to Jaclyn’s parents.

The couple had all of their expenses paid to participate in “Seven-Year Switch,” plus a daily stipend to participate.

In this week’s opener, the show tells the story of how they met, how they have lived their lives and why they participated in the spouse swapping experiment - in hopes of strengthening their marriage and restoring the spark.

At the end of the experiment, they say they have grown closer. As well, the temperature in gorgeous Pensacola on Wednesday was 63 degrees.

Ahh, life is good!