The Marriage Ref

Tim and Carolene Davis remember the night she suggested they get married. They were just two kids out having a good time. But it was clear to both of them that the suggestion wasn't just a whim. Tim immediately broke up with his then-girlfriend and took Carolene to the altar soon thereafter. Twenty-four years later, they couldn't be happier. They live a great life in a beautiful home in Santa Barbara, California.

They have their minor spats, as most married couples do. But the reason they've sought out the Marriage Ref is because of Tim's unusual obsession with his socks. He's exceptionally particular about them, insisting that each be designated as left or right, and then numbered with an indelible marker so that pairs will always be worn together. Tom will only wear a pair with matching numbers. He explains that the socks conform to his feet. "They fit just like a glove," he insists. The inflexible sorting system and insistence that the socks be matched perfectly is starting to drive Carolene a little batty.

"A sock is a sock," she tells the camera. "Just put it on and put on your darn shoes, okay?" Her husband's persnickety-ness has left her desperate: she's taken to bleaching his socks in an attempt to remove his markings.

"It's ridiculous that I've got to do this," she tells him as she sorts. "What I really want to do is..." Carolene throws the entire pile of unmatched socks onto her husband.

In the studio, the panel is split. Howie thinks numbering socks is a great idea. "It's terrific. But then, I only wear socks once or twice. You're talking to a guy who washes his money," he says, citing his own Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

Bette agrees it's a smart idea, but wonders why Carolene has to do the sorting and matching. "It's his system, let him do it."

Craig's confused. "It's like he's playing bingo with his socks," he says, adding that in his own apartment, clothes and socks are strewn everywhere.

Tom thinks the whole idea is ridiculous. But he defers the decision to panelist Bette Midler, as is his custom with the last case of the night.

Bette addresses the Davises via satellite. "It's a genius system," she tells Tim, "but she has to do all the sorting. Young man, you should sort your socks yourself." Carolene's the winner.

The Davises received a second honeymoon at the Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino. For more information, visit www.arubamarriott.com and www.aruba.com.

Travel journals coming soon!