A SHOPPING-mad Hampshire family wished they weren't there when they traded the Big Apple for a very different kind of city - the Mormon spiritual home of Salt Lake.

The Churcher clan from Sarisbury Green spent five days visiting religious retreats with Londoners the Bells in a Christmas special of ITV1's Holiday Showdown.

Mandy persuaded her partner of ten years, Brad James, and her sons Craig, 19, and Alex, 17, to take up the reality television show challenge but had no idea what sort of family they would be sharing their holidays with.

The 40-year-old mum, of Holly Close, said: "I thought I'd give it a go because I enter every type of competition going but Salt Lake City just isn't my sort of place. It was really boring. Everyone was over-friendly and robotic. It was like being in The Stepford Wives."

Mandy, who works as a legal secretary, explained she was happy to keep in touch with the Bells but turned down their offer to watch the show together.

She added: "Brad didn't really get on with them and half the things we said about them they don't know about."

The programme contrasts liberal parents Mandy and Brad, who have allowed their children to listen to rap music and drink alcohol, with more strict parents Hermia and Julian, who forbid their daughters from even drinking caffeine.

But the holiday was not a complete disaster because the Churchers got to take the Bells to their dream destination, New York.

Holiday Showdown is on ITV1 at 9pm today and both families will be discussing their experiences on GMTV tomorrow.