Nothing says anti-American “elitism” like condescension with a British accent, and Stephen Fowler mastered it in his appearance on “Wife Swap.” His performance earns him the dishonor of “Elitist of the Year” for 2009.

By way of reminder, here are a few nuggets of bigoted wisdom from Fowler:

• “I think the worst thing that James [Fowler's son] could do would [be to] tell me that he wanted to move to Missouri. What is wrong with the United States in the middle of the country is that people, frankly, are just like you [Gayla Long]. … Uneducated, simple and without a clue about what’s going on in the world. You are undereducated, over-opinionated, and you’re overweight.”
• Speaking to his children: “From tomorrow, we have the pleasure of pretending we live in some podunk town in the middle of Missouri. … If you live in a podunk town, your worldview is going to be very restricted. I don’t see how someone could be offended by the term podunk town.”
• Speaking to Gayla after she jumbled the word “agenda”: “Oh, agenda. OK, that’s a big word for you — given that your two languages appear to be bad English and redneck.”
• Speaking to Gayla: “Look, you dumb redneck. I’ve already told you once.”
  Speaking to Alan Long: “You know, I just spent the worst week of my life with your wife. So if you expect me to bring enlightened joy into this meeting, you’re off your trolley path.”

Fowler and his wife — who definitely do not live in the same America as this year’s enlightened redneck winners, the tea party activists — put their California home on the market in September.