Hubby Not Helping Out At Home? Send Him To School

Are American husbands a washout at cleaning the house? Better at watching the game than watching the kids? Spark-free at igniting romance?

The sad but true answer to all the above questions is "yes": In a new survey, 60 percent of women said husbands could use some lessons at helping out around the house. Hearing their plight prompted a leading consumer brand to find a way to help.

Eight husbands were recently sent to Brawny Academy-a training camp for husbands who require domestic guidance-where their lessons in the ABC's of pitching in at home will be captured in a reality show produced exclusively for the Web.

"My husband gave me his credit card for my birthday and told me to go pick out my own gift," said Andrea Kiley, wife of Brawny Academy participant Michael Kiley. "He is a terrific guy in many ways, but he needs some basic training in taking care of the kids, the house-and me!"

The eight men's experiences will be captured in an entertaining series of "webisodes." In each segment, the husbands-chosen from across the country-learn tools and techniques they can use to be more helpful around the house. The intensive nuts-and-bolts training covers key chores, giving the guys a better clue about cooking, cleaning, caring for children and fixing things around the house.

The husbands' stay at the academy also includes some fine-tuning of their personal skills, showing them how to communicate better and spark romance with their wives.

"American wives are fed up with their spouses falling down on the job at home, so Brawny decided to help out by teaching a few of them how to be like the Brawny Man: strong and versatile," said Steven Sage, Georgia-Pacific Vice President of Marketing, Towel and Napkin Categories.