How Real is Farmer Wants a Wife? The Cast Tells All on ‘Let’s Be Honest’

The reality TV dating show landscape is vast and chaotic—rose ceremonies, hot tubs, tequila shots—but Farmer Wants a Wife has always stood out as something different. It’s not about Instagram followers or brand deals. It’s about finding love…with a guy who owns a tractor.

Or at least, that’s the idea. But how “real” is Farmer Wants a Wife? Kristin Cavallari grilled two of the show’s 2025 stars—Matt Warren and John Sansone—on Let’s Be Honest, and the answers were just as juicy as a freshly picked peach. 

What is Farmer Wants a Wife about?

Originally based on the British series of the same name, Farmer Wants a Wife aired in the U.S. in 2008 and was rebooted by FOX in 2023. The show features four eligible farmers, each courting eight single women who leave the big city behind, hoping to find rustic romance.

This year’s season, which premiered on March 20, 2025, welcomed a new host—Kimberly Williams-Paisley, best known for her roles in Father of the Bride and According to Jim—and a new cast of farmers, including Matt and John, who spilled behind-the-scenes tea with Cavallari. According to John, both men were scouted via Instagram DMs: “I guess we had enough outdoors photos on our Instagram to sneak in there.”

The show has had a lot of relationship success

While most dating shows barely make it to the reunion before the couples split, Farmer Wants a Wife has a surprisingly solid track record: 11 marriages, a boatload of long-term relationships, and—wait for it—27 babies. That’s not just a win for reality TV; it’s practically a census.

But that doesn’t mean the process is easy. Matt and John explained that the filming process was intense, controlled, and less spontaneous than viewers might think. “It was just, like, a lot of hard work, like, filming all day,” John admitted. “I thought we were gonna be, like, hanging out with all these girls all the time. It was not.”

Most days, they barely interacted with the women outside of scheduled scenes. “They don’t let you hang out at all,” Matt said. “Almost none [of our time] was off camera.”

Do we already know the Farmer Wants a Wife winner?

In case you haven’t heard, Farmer Jarrad tapped out early, choosing Chloe just a few weeks into the season. “I feel that I am falling for you and I do hope that you’re about ready to catch me,” he told her in a heart-melting moment. Unfortunately, according to Who Australia, the spark fizzled fast: “They were together just a few days before Chloe and Jarrad both realized this was never going to be a long-term thing.”

As for Matt and John? They’re playing it cool. Kristin tried to get them to spill on their final picks, but both stayed tight-lipped. “We can’t say,” John teased. “You’re just gonna have to watch.”

What the cast really thought about filming

So, how authentic is Farmer Wants a Wife behind the scenes? According to Matt and John, it’s a mixed bag.

“You come away from it thinking it was real, but there’s a lot that’s curated,” Matt said. “We had some ideas for dates that were scrapped, like horseback riding on the beach or a helicopter wine tasting.”

The producers were also very involved in casting the women. “They asked everything—height, age, if they had kids, even race,” John revealed. “It was like Build-A-Wife.”

The vibe among the guys also depended on which production team you got. “We had four different crews for the four farmers,” John explained. “Mine let me bring the girls wine and hang out. Matt’s team? Not so much.”

That vibe spilled into the edit. Cavallari noted that Matt came off more closed-off on the show, to which he agreed: “I just wasn’t myself. It was so serious on my end, and I was trying to say the right thing all the time. Watching it back, I was like, ‘What a dork.’”

And the drama? Oh, there was drama.

The infamous Wet Willy by Chloe Mehring? “Ruined it,” Matt deadpanned.

Then there was fellow cast member Samantha Riehl, who denied John a kiss on a date, only to offer a redo when the cameras weren’t rolling. “They were all behind her, waving for me to kiss her,” John said. “I was like, alright. And then she shut me down.”

He was not amused. “I ripped my mic off and told the producers, ‘You tricked me.’”

So, is Farmer Wants a Wife real?

The answer is yes, but with an asterisk. The emotions are real. The awkwardness is real. The potential for love? Also real. But don’t forget, this is still reality TV. There are producers, plotlines, and the occasional staged pickup shot (yes, they make them walk in and out of restaurants multiple times). Still, Farmer Wants a Wife is more grounded than most dating shows—and for the cast, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. “It was a very fun experience for me,” John said. “I’m having a blast.”