The Viall Files

E1077 - Going Deeper: Farmer Wants A Wife

February 11, 2026

Key Takeaways Copied to clipboard!

  • The three new farmers for Season 4 of *Farmer Wants A Wife*—Brett (35, Savannah, TN), Brayden (26, Homer, IL), and Sean (22, Solvain, CA)—were all initially skeptical of the show after being contacted via Instagram DM, believing it might be a scam. 
  • A major theme for the farmers is seeking a traditional partner who is genuinely supportive of the demanding, non-glamorous farming lifestyle, viewing the farm as a lifestyle, not just a career. 
  • Season 4 of *Farmer Wants A Wife* features significant twists, including the farmers having to consider a woman chosen by their families after they have already selected their top five women, and an instance where one of the initial contestants left the show unexpectedly. 
  • The farmers discussed how their sisters provided vocal, unfiltered opinions during the 'Farmer Wants A Wife' process, with one farmer's sister even having a private conversation with the final two women. 
  • The farmers generally consider themselves romantic and noted that the show allowed them to design and execute their own romantic date ideas with producer help. 
  • The farmers expressed that the hardest part of the show was sending women home, especially on the first night with limited conversation time, leading to self-doubt about their decisions. 

Segments

Farmer Introductions and Show Premise
Copied to clipboard!
(00:01:43)
  • Key Takeaway: The premise of Farmer Wants A Wife involves hardworking farmers hosting single women who leave city life for country challenges in search of lasting love.
  • Summary: The episode introduces the concept of Farmer Wants A Wife, comparing it favorably to The Bachelor but with three farmers. The show follows farmers seeking love who host women leaving urban convenience for rural life. The host emphasizes that these farmers are worthy of love for feeding America.
Introducing Farmer Brett
Copied to clipboard!
(00:03:21)
  • Key Takeaway: Farmer Brett is a 35-year-old from Savannah, Tennessee, who previously built and sold a protein bar business and is now launching a cattle operation on his family’s 1,000-acre farm.
  • Summary: Brett is a southern boy who transitioned from riding bulls to business after injuries, selling a successful protein bar company. He is now returning to his family farm to start a cattle operation. He went into the experience with no expectations, finding it a fun and ultimately cool process.
Introducing Farmer Brayden
Copied to clipboard!
(00:04:33)
  • Key Takeaway: Farmer Brayden is a 26-year-old fifth-generation corn and soybean farmer from Homer, Illinois, who also performs guitar at local bars.
  • Summary: Brayden’s ideal match is kind-hearted, down-to-earth, driven, and balances fun with faith, aiming for marriage and family on the farm his grandfather built. He initially thought the casting DM was fake but was convinced to take a phone call that led to participation. He values having conversations that force immediate clarity on compatibility.
Introducing Farmer Sean
Copied to clipboard!
(00:05:29)
  • Key Takeaway: Farmer Sean is 22, from Solvain, California, and works on a 22-acre family farm supplying produce to their farm-to-table restaurant, The Gathering Table.
  • Summary: Sean is focused on expanding the farm’s business to supply more restaurants, seeking a serious, traditional relationship despite his young age. He, like Brayden, initially suspected the Instagram outreach was a scam but agreed to participate because he was young and saw the upside potential. He felt the show’s structure forced the necessary deep conversations early on.
Initial Show Familiarity and Reactions
Copied to clipboard!
(00:06:13)
  • Key Takeaway: All three farmers had minimal to no prior knowledge of Farmer Wants A Wife before being contacted, with Sean knowing only because a rodeo buddy was on Season 1.
  • Summary: Brayden and Sean both initially dismissed the casting DM as fake until follow-up calls and Zooms confirmed its legitimacy. Sean’s only prior knowledge came from seeing a friend from the first season on TV at a bar. They all agreed that participating was a great decision in hindsight, as they were young and looking for ’the one.'
Dating Challenges in Small Towns
Copied to clipboard!
(00:09:30)
  • Key Takeaway: The farmers cited dating app fatigue and the extremely limited dating pool in small towns as primary reasons for seeking love through the show.
  • Summary: Brett, at 35, sought the show because he was looking for ’the right one’ and appreciated the forced intimacy without social media distractions. Brayden found dating apps to be a ‘dead end road’ in his small town where everyone knows each other. Sean, having lived in both city and farm areas, found it hard to find a traditional woman in California cities and noted the slim options in rural settings.
Lifestyle Compatibility and Dealbreakers
Copied to clipboard!
(00:19:37)
  • Key Takeaway: The farmers confirmed that a partner’s willingness to embrace the demanding, non-glamorous reality of farm life—not just the romanticized version—is a critical dealbreaker.
  • Summary: Brett noted that while he likes a mix of feminine and adventurous women, a partner must be willing to learn and participate in the work, as farming is a lifestyle, not just a job. Brayden emphasized that the farm is his life, and a partner who cannot accept that reality is incompatible, noting that farming requires skills in mechanics, business, and agronomy. Sean seeks a partner supportive of his farm-to-table business focus, though he noted his contestants were enthusiastic about farm work.
Twists and Heartbreak Discussion
Copied to clipboard!
(00:30:09)
  • Key Takeaway: The season includes a major twist where the farmers must consider a woman chosen by their family, and one contestant unexpectedly ‘jumped ship’ from the process.
  • Summary: The farmers confirmed the twist where their families select one woman for them to meet midway through the process, which was a surprise when it occurred. They also confirmed that one woman left the show unexpectedly, which shocked the farmers as much as the viewers. All three farmers admitted to having experienced significant heartbreak prior to joining the show.
Dating Types and Pet Peeves
Copied to clipboard!
(00:33:44)
  • Key Takeaway: The farmers generally dislike modern dating ‘games’ like delayed texting responses and value humility and respect over specific physical attributes like hair color.
  • Summary: Sean dislikes the modern dating game of delayed responses and seeks a traditional commitment, while Brayden values humility and basic respect for others highly. Brett stated he is open to blondes or brunettes, prioritizing personality and compatibility over looks. A shared silly pet peeve among the hosts and farmers was leaving cabinet doors or Tupperware lids open.
Concerns About Authenticity and Family Input
Copied to clipboard!
(00:52:27)
  • Key Takeaway: The farmers’ biggest concern entering the show was whether the women would maintain their authentic selves once the cameras were off, and they highly value their families’ opinions on potential partners.
  • Summary: Sean worried that women would present an idealized version of themselves on camera that wouldn’t hold up in real life, emphasizing he prefers seeing the ‘sweats and no makeup’ version. All three farmers rely heavily on their families’ perspectives, especially body language observations, when assessing potential partners. Sean’s younger sister played an active role, having private conversations with the final contestants.
Sister’s Input on Women
Copied to clipboard!
(00:54:18)
  • Key Takeaway: A farmer valued his younger sister’s unfiltered opinion after she privately met both remaining women.
  • Summary: One farmer has a 15-year-old sister who was eager to be on the show and met both finalists privately. The farmer values her opinion because she is outspoken and lacks a filter. The sister refused to reveal details of their conversation, telling him he would see it on the show.
Romanticism and Love Languages
Copied to clipboard!
(00:55:29)
  • Key Takeaway: The farmers consider themselves romantic, and one highlighted designing a date on the show as his most romantic act.
  • Summary: The farmers confirmed they consider themselves romantic men. They noted that they had the opportunity to work with producers to design their own dates, which one farmer considered his most romantic gesture. The conversation then shifted to identifying love languages, with ‘Quality Time’ being a top choice for one farmer, and ‘Acts of Service’ being highly valued by another.
Kissing and Filming Intimacy
Copied to clipboard!
(00:59:06)
  • Key Takeaway: Filming intimate moments on ‘Farmer Wants A Wife’ felt uncomfortable due to the constant presence of cameras.
  • Summary: The farmers acknowledged that kissing on camera felt different, especially when looking over a partner’s shoulder to see a camera operator. One farmer noted that the show pushed a more ‘bachelor type’ atmosphere than he expected from the original premise. He mentioned feeling uncomfortable with the frequency of shirt removal requests.
Handling Jealousy and Competition
Copied to clipboard!
(01:00:43)
  • Key Takeaway: One farmer experienced minimal jealousy among contestants because the women on his farm were unusually friendly and supportive of each other.
  • Summary: A key attractive quality in a partner is security and how they handle insecurity or jealousy. For one farmer, the women on his farm were all friends and got along, which meant he did not experience the typical fighting or jealousy dynamics. The women expressed trust in his process, wanting him to pick the right person.
Difficulty of Sending Women Home
Copied to clipboard!
(01:01:58)
  • Key Takeaway: Sending women home, particularly on night one using a line-up format, was described as the hardest and most horrible part of the experience.
  • Summary: The farmers found sending women home difficult because they did not want to hurt anyone who was putting themselves out there. One farmer described the night one layout, where women are lined up and not chosen, as crushing to witness. He admitted to second-guessing his decisions constantly, stating he has no idea how to date five women at once.
This or That Game Insights
Copied to clipboard!
(01:04:16)
  • Key Takeaway: The farmers prefer partners who avoid social media entirely and value paying for dates, citing traditional advice.
  • Summary: The farmers unanimously preferred a partner who does not use social media at all over one who shares everything online. Their ideal hometown date involves cooking at home, porch beers, and watching a movie, or boating followed by a fire. They all confirmed they are handy men capable of physical repairs, though not necessarily visual design.
Dating Preferences and Parental Advice
Copied to clipboard!
(01:06:52)
  • Key Takeaway: The farmers prefer to wait for a kiss until the moment feels right and mutually meaningful, rather than kissing on the first date.
  • Summary: The consensus was to wait for the right moment to kiss, as kissing too early might leave a wrong impression. They strongly prefer paying for the first date, citing a grandfather’s saying: ‘A woman can pay for herself, but a man won’t let her.’ Long-term relationship advice from parents centered on keeping God at the center and prioritizing continuous dating.
Regional Accents and Lingo
Copied to clipboard!
(01:10:31)
  • Key Takeaway: The farmers discussed how their Southern or Midwestern accents led to being teased for mispronouncing common words like ‘acorn’ and ‘water’.
  • Summary: The farmers shared that they received flack on the show for regional pronunciations, such as saying ‘acorn’ instead of ‘acorn’ or ‘washer’ instead of ‘washer.’ One farmer from Wisconsin was teased for saying ‘rough’ instead of ‘roof.’ The conversation also touched on picking up the California habit of overusing the word ’like’.
Rom-Coms and Viewing Habits
Copied to clipboard!
(01:13:33)
  • Key Takeaway: The farmers favor classic rom-coms like ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ and ‘10 Things I Hate About You,’ and prefer the theater experience for popcorn.
  • Summary: Favorite rom-coms included ‘10 Things I Hate About You’ and ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ or ‘How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.’ One farmer mentioned the movie ‘About Time’ as a favorite. They expressed a preference for going to the movie theater for the experience, especially the popcorn, even if they sometimes DoorDash the popcorn home later.
Confidence in Finding ‘The One’
Copied to clipboard!
(01:15:33)
  • Key Takeaway: All three farmers felt very confident and optimistic that the process worked out and they had found ’the one’ by the time of the interview.
  • Summary: The farmers expressed feeling very confident and optimistic about their relationships post-filming, something they wouldn’t have predicted at the start. They noted that ‘Farmer Wants A Wife’ is one of the most successful dating shows globally, having resulted in over 500 babies across all franchises. The season is set to premiere on Fox in the spring.