The farmers have left the farms this week on Farmer Wants a Wife.
Episode 11 aired Thursday on Fox and is now streaming on Hulu.
The show has averaged 1.8 million viewers per episode.
This week, the four farmers each met up with the family of one of their final two ladies. Next week will feature the meetings of the other families.
Each week, members of our Lancaster Farming news team watch the show to provide our insights and commentary, which you can enjoy below.
Cringiest Moment
Candice Wierzbowski, digital content manager: I didn’t like Mitchell’s non-answers to Sydney’s father’s questions. His inability to discuss why his previous relationships hadn’t worked out made me wonder what exactly happened there. Later, he also sidestepped a question by inviting Sydney’s father to come visit and hunt. It was, as the kids say, sus. Then again, so was the editing, so who knows.
Karen Lefever, paginator: I wouldn’t say cringey but more awkward, and that was Nathan and Allye’s whole family meeting. First off, they did not meet at her house; they just met at a restaurant. I get that for privacy of the family, but it made it seem less personal. Second, when her dad said, “I don’t want her to have a broken heart, but someone has to have a broken heart. How do you feel about that?” He said this all while looking at Nathan like he was going to break his legs. Poor Nathan didn’t know what to say. He responded, “I don’t aim to hurt anybody,” which I believe is true. Nathan is such a genuinely nice and caring guy. And finally, their goodbye had no chemistry and not even a kiss. Sorry, Allye, I think Taylor is going to be his pick.
Stephanie Speicher, social media editor: Is anger cringe a thing? Because Grace's mom asking Brandon if he was single for five years "on purpose" made me mad on Brandon's — and other long-term single people's — behalf. It really felt like an insensitive question.
Rebecca Schweitzer-Benner, special section editor: I have a lot of questions about Melody’s family, specifically her mom. If I had to guess, Ty’s age puts him between the two, and I only noticed that because she was commenting on his picture from when she signed Melody up for the show. Which calls up the other question: Why did her mom sign her up? Of all the dating shows, why Farmer Wants a Wife? Especially when she is shocked by the fact that Melody would be living on a farm.
Kelly Thomas, food and families section editor: Yonkers and New Jersey for the win. Melody’s mom — who should be cast in the next Real Housewives of New York — seemed way too eager to grab a hug from Ty and created a whole lot of cringe when she pulled him aside and peppered him with questions. Moving to New Jersey, Mitchell’s conversation with Sydney’s father made me want to crawl into a hole and I wasn’t even there. I’m sure he got Mitchell’s name wrong on purpose during introductions. I get it. Sydney is daddy’s little girl, but that doesn’t give Chuck the right to treat Mitchell poorly. Glad he stuck to his guns and even snuck a kiss on pop’s property.
Steve Seeber, executive editor: The use of “farmer” as a title sounds weird. This has been criticized in past episodes, but it resurfaced this week. It’s an especially bizarre way to introduce the man you might marry. After Grace greeted Brandon at the front door with a very formal “Hi, Farmer Brandon,” she proceeded to acquaint him with her suburban Milwaukee family with “Here’s Farmer Brandon.” That’s how Ed McMahon introduces Johnny Carson. Fortunately for Brandon, Milwaukee has plenty of beer.
Funniest Moment
Candice: I laughed when Melody tried to ask her family not to be loud and talk over each other and her brother shot back that, due to their Spanish culture, that would be impossible. I’m half Puerto Rican and I can confirm that is extremely accurate.
Karen: The funniest moment had to be when Melody said, “You know what they don’t have at the farm? Ubers!” Her siblings seemed shocked and her sister said, “If you’re stranded, what do you do, call a horse?” Good one.
Stephanie: I actually did let out a laugh when they again wrapped wine bottles in scarves at Sydney's house to obscure the labels. It just looks so ridiculous. I also enjoyed Sydney's dad's little power move by jokingly calling Mitchell "Michael" instead. That really felt like something my dad would do too.
Rebecca: Are James and Rhonda real people in Brandon’s town? If so, who are they? Do they know about their little shoutout?
Kelly: Melody’s sister asking where Missouri was, then asking Ty if he has to “call a horse” since there aren’t any Ubers where he lives. Missouri is in the Midwest and horses don’t answer phones. Now go out and conquer the world.
Steve: Grace’s father’s first words to Farmer Brandon: “That’s one hell of a belt buckle.” If I were one of the show’s writers, the response would have been, “My eyes are up here, Gary (I don’t know her father’s actual name).”
Any Shockers?
Candice: I was surprised that Sydney is so young and inexperienced. It’s not shocking that a 22-year-old might not have had a boyfriend yet. But it is shocking she would want to come on a reality dating show without having ever been in a relationship.
Karen: The shocker for me is whenever Melody is being asked about having children, she keeps saying, right now I don’t need kids. To me that means at this time in her life she doesn’t. But it sounds like in the future she might. This is very worrisome to me and would be a red flag.
Stephanie: It sounded to me like Melody's mom may have signed her up for the show, which I definitely did not expect. I wonder how Melody felt about that?
Rebecca: Yet again, I am shocked by the number of women who get to this point of the show and suddenly are worried about moving. I would have thought through every angle and implication and then thought about them again and again before even applying. I would have worn a hole in the floor pacing while thinking about leaving my family, my career, my friends. I would have considered the reality of committing to a man I’d only known for a few months or the long distance we would face if I wasn’t ready for the move. But these women don’t seem to realize that until they’re almost asked to do it.
I watched this week’s episode with Steve, and we talked about this during commercial breaks. He said he would do it because it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I feel like that conversation highlights two very different types of people and exemplifies the ones who would go on this show. I have to wonder how that personality type pairs with farmers, people who need to plan breeding, planting, succession, months to years in advance. Maybe the people coming onto the show aren’t even the best fit from the start.
Kelly: Who knew Melody could skate like that? I wonder if there are ice rinks in Missouri. Maybe I’ll ask Melody’s sister as soon as she can find it on a map.
Steve: There wasn’t anything shocking in this episode, but I was impressed with Melody’s ice skating.
Favorite Family Meeting
Candice: I may be personally biased, but I loved seeing Melody’s family. Watching them yell back and forth over a heaping plate of empanadillas reminded me of going to my grandma’s house. Ty, I hope you expressed adequate appreciation for the food by eating as much as you could.
Karen: My favorite family meeting was Mitchell and Sydney. He just seemed to fit in well with the family, and they both were smiling for the entire visit. Her family said they really like him and that he is respectful and that she is different around him. Their goodbye while sitting with her sheep was a cute and tender moment between the two of them. Mitchell said, “You have been the constant. The steadfast person I could go to and I’m going to miss you.” And then he said he was going to pull the hat thing in case her dad was watching from the window. They just genuinely already look like a couple and seem to fit the best. And also, if he ends up with Kait, I think it is only because his mom told him that she liked her the best. If Mitchell and Sydney don’t end up together, I may not watch the show again!
Stephanie: Melody's family seems so fun (especially her brother, Romeo) and Ty really held his own with them. They asked him the tough questions but still had a good time getting to know him. Plus Ty also held his own at the ice rink. As someone who cannot ice skate at all, I was impressed.
Rebecca: Grace’s family. I don’t like when the families get all defensive and protective. You will never see a person’s true character and how they treat your child/sibling/friend when you do that. I felt like both Allye's and Sydney’s dads tried to pull that stunt. But both came around in the end.
Kelly: I felt Nathan’s meeting with Allye’s family went well. Nathan initiated some of the conversation and didn’t just sit there and wait to be hammered with questions. He was put in the hot seat by Dad when he asked if he was going to break Allye’s heart. I don’t believe those two have even kissed, so if he doesn’t choose her, I don’t think he should be blamed for hurting her.
Steve: I enjoyed the culture shock element of Ty meeting Melody’s family. I found the condescending tone of questions like “Where’s Missouri?” and “What do you do, call a horse (in the absence of Ubers in rural America)?” to be uncomfortably entertaining.
Most Anticipated Family Meeting
Candice: I’m looking forward to seeing Megan’s family. As much as I enjoyed Melody’s family, I still think Megan is the better match.
Karen: I can’t wait to see how Ty does meeting Megan’s family. I have been rooting for this couple from the beginning and feel like they have a good shot of ending up together. So I look forward to seeing how Ty does with her family.
Stephanie: I'm excited to see how Nathan's meeting with Taylor's family goes. It seems like they really developed a strong connection on the farm, so meeting the family could possibly seal the deal.
Rebecca: For Nathan and Ty, I think their most likely pick is coming next week, so I’m most interested in those. With the preview, it looks like Megan’s family is concerned about the age gap. And with Taylor, after her little one-on-one with Nathan before going home, I think she may be missing Texas. Maybe this isn’t what she wants.
Kelly: I have a feeling Emerson may also have a fiery family, so it will be interesting to see if sparks fly at that house. Also, I feel Mitchell missed the mark when he let Kiana go instead of Kait. I wonder if her family is also as chilly as Kait has been this season.
Steve: I'm indifferent.
Favorite Farmer
Candice: It’s Ty. I loved going ice skating when I was a kid, and I was impressed that he could (sort of) keep up with Melody.
Karen: I think all four of the farmers did well on their visits. I like that Mitchell, Brandon and Nathan took off their hats in respect of their ladies' families. But Nathan, I have to say I wasn’t digging your hair this week. Sorry. I like the au naturel look. And although Ty did not take his hat off for the visit, his cowboy in the city street look was very cute.
Stephanie: While Ty definitely impressed me this episode, I still have to stick with my darling Nathan. I love how affectionate he is with his ladies, always giving them big hugs and little kisses on the head. However, and maybe I'm just forgetting, but I don't think Nathan and Allye ever kissed. I was expecting a little kiss under the Tucson sun, but nothing. That kind of seems like a bad sign for Allye.
Rebecca: Props to Ty for going out of his element with NYC and Melody’s family. You could tell it wasn’t an “energy” he was used to, but he seemed to adjust and fit in. And he did great on the ice skates. But Nathan is still, and will be, my favorite.
Kelly: I am going with Mitchell this week. He brought flowers (box checked), took off his hat when entering the home (box checked) and stood up to dad while still being respectful (box checked).
Steve: Nathan. All the farmers seem nice and respectful, but he stands out. When I put myself in the shoes of these parents, imagining these farmers courting my daughters, Nathan makes the dad in me feel at ease.
Final Thoughts
Candice: I enjoyed hearing Allye’s parents stressing the importance of building a relationship out of a friendship. My husband and I were friends before we started dating, and I believe it’s an important foundation in any relationship. It makes me appreciate the fact that Nathan’s vibe with his ladies is friendly.
Karen: I look forward to the last of the ladies' hometown visits to see how they go, and I honestly feel that each farmer is going to have a hard time letting one of them down because I feel that they honestly do not want to hurt anyone. Two moments that I want to mention from this episode were from Brandon’s visit. When the girls left the farm, it showed him and his dog walking away. The dog left out a little grunt as if to say, “Finally just you and me without all of the drama.” And I thought it was fitting when Brandon and Grace were saying their goodbyes the song in the background was saying “If she gives you her heart, don't you break it." How fitting.
Stephanie: I was honestly a bit annoyed at Jennifer Nettles' script saying that the farmers are going to "the bright lights of the big city." With the exception of a few, most of these women live in the suburbs. It makes me wonder, if I went on the show and brought a guy home to meet my parents, would the producers say I live "just outside of Philly" when in reality I live two hours away?
Rebecca: Two things: One, I love Sydney’s sheep. They’re like dogs. I half expected them to curl up under the table at dinner. Two, it’ll be interesting to see which lasts longer — Mitchell and Sydney’s relationship or the orchid he brought Sydney’s mom.
Kelly: After seeing next week’s previews, I was thrilled to see Nathan and Taylor kissing. I think they have a great chance of finding love together. Sorry, Allye, but you’re not the glove that fits.
Steve: For years, I thought cowboy hats were designed to protect ranchers from sun and rain. Apparently, the modern application is privacy for kissing. Thank you, Mitchell, for the enlightenment.
