The Farmer Wants A Wife

With the AFL Brownlow medal airing on Seven on Monday night Sept 24, Nine have opted for a movie in AFL markets that night, with regular programming in non-AFL markets. Big Brother fills out to 8.30pm 4 nights a week now (that’s alot of hours of BB!) while The Farmer Wants a Wife reaches the end of another season. Continue reading »

Big Brother Confidential moves to Thursday nights, instead of its late night Wednesday night timeslot – which means it will also remain family friendly, while Farmer Wants a Wife reduces to one night a week (goood move). Part 2 of Howzat airs Sunday August 26, while House Husbands premieres the following Sunday September 2 – Fathers’ Day. Continue reading »

Finally – all those shows annoying us in promos during The Olympics, commence airing on Nine in the first week “after the Olympics”. Big Brother, Underbelly Badness, Anger Management with Charlie Sheen, The Farmer Wants a Wife – now with 216 dates, and Howzat. Still not scheduled, and likely to start in subsequent weeks, is Dallas and House Husbands. UPDATED AGAIN: 60 Minutes is NOW NOT back until August 19. It was in, but now is out again. Continue reading »

PREMIERES WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 15, AT 8.00PM ON NINE WITH EPISODE 2 – THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, AT 8.00PM ON NINE

Australia’s most successful reality dating show THE FARMER WANTS A WIFE is back, with more competition and more chances for love on every level. Our loved up 8th season includes new group makeovers, family selected intruders and one farmer’s million dollar secret. Continue reading »

Will love triumph again when the new series of The Farmer Wants a Wife comes to the Nine Network in 2012?

After five weddings, four babies (and another on the way), not to mention lots of love affairs, the search is on for the next crop of single farmers to take part in Australia’s most captivating quest for rural romance.

The Farmer Wants a Wife is casting for young and mature male and female farmers either searching for their first love or trying their luck in the romance stakes again.

If you know a single farmer ready to lay it all on the line and take a giant leap into the abyss called love, you can sign them up today.

The producers are calling on all those mothers, fathers, grandparents, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, neighbours, colleagues, exes and mates out there who know a single farmer who is in the market to find THE ONE. Give them a nudge and do them a favour by registering their interest to participate in the next series of The Farmer Wants a Wife online today.

Finding love can be as easy as logging on to ninemsn.com.au/farmer. Applications close Wednesday, March 14.

Last night; reality television bowed its head for 2011 with a lovely finale for Beauty & The Geek Australia. In a blog post; I went through the key aspects that went into making the final week of reality for this year a success while also hinting at future prospects for this blog. In the final recapping blog I will be posting for this year, I will detail the year that has been; the highs and the lows. Pretend it is one of those lengthy recaps shows attach to the top of their finales. Then I will preview what is in store for the coming months and into 2012.

The year began on 30 January 2011 with the launch of The Biggest Loser Australia’s sixth season- the first in the ‘families’ format. The season began with four trainers; Shannon Ponton, Michelle Bridges, Steve Willis (formerly ‘The Commando’, now a fully fledged trainer) and new ninja warrior Tiffiny Hall, all heading to the homes of their respective families to eat what they eat, do what they do and most importantly, live how they live.

It was an eye opening experience, and the perfect way to introduce the four families- the Westren family containing Leigh Westren, fiancée Lara Whelan, mother Sharlene and father Craig. We also had the Moon family, containing sisters Sarah, Jodie, Rebecca and Kellie. The Duncan family contained Emma, Jarrod, Sarah-Jayne and Meg and the Challenor family contained Damien, Nathaniel, Joe and Greg.

One by one, these families competed for immunity and power. Joe became a villain after making his nephew Nathaniel enter an elimination when it should have been him and also giving away immunity to someone other than his brother, Damien.

Despite being eliminated, a twist in the show saw Lara, Nathaniel, Rebecca and Emma return to the show. Two of these four were supposed to be eliminated, but after gaining weight at a weigh in, previously safe contestant Joe joined the line up and was eliminated with Lara, meaning three people were allowed back into the competition.

After 13 long weeks, Kellie, Sarah, Leigh and returnee Emma returned for the finale and despite great odds, Emma Duncan was crowned Australia’s second female Biggest Loser, with Leigh coming in second and Kellie and Sarah coming in third and fourth respectively.

In the same era, My Kitchen Rules returned after a highly successful first season. Its second season seemed to tap into the success MasterChef saw in 2010, and won pretty much every night it was on.

Amongst all the teams, we had High Achievers Kelly and Ash Cooke, Newlyweds Anne-Marie Battista and Nick Sharp, urban hippies Mal Gill and Bec Saul and of course, sisters Sammy & Bella Jakubiak.

It was a toughly contested battle, and MKR became something of a phenomenon. In the end, it was sisters Sammy & Bella who took the crown and have been close to Seven’s heart ever since, even making a few appearances on Dancing with the Stars.

Speaking of which, Dancing With The Stars made its 2011 debut with a big cast. Well, it wasn’t so big, but those people in Seven’s controversy department were prepped and at the ready. A change to the judging panel saw Josh Horner take the place of Mark Wilson, someone who seemed all too keen to create a stir.

The dancing line up consisted of newsreader Samantha Armytage, Home & Away’s Dan Ewing, bungled model Lara Bingle and most infamously, socialite Brynne Edelsten.

Brynne was at the centre of two very public controversies that helped lift ratings for the show. The first saw new judge Josh Horner describe her as a ‘bedazzled sack of potatoes’, causing her to cry after only her first dance. The second saw co-host Sonia Kruger comment on her and her husband, Geoffrey Edelsten’s age gap, referring to the latter as the former’s dad.

Despite all this, the country was ‘bedazzled’ by Brynne’s story, and also that of Samantha Armytage who was also given a beating by the judges. Both stayed in the contest for quite a while longer than many would have thought, with Samantha only just missing out on a place in the final.

Another contestant, Haley Bracken, who’s husband Nathan competed on the show only to be eliminated first, delighted the judges and scored herself a few ten’s, regularly winning challenges.

She made it all the way to the finale with singer Damien Leith and chef Manu Feildel.

While her dancing skills were enough to ward off Damien into third place, she was not able to beat Manu, who won the public vote and therefore the very controversial contest for 2011.

Back to TEN, and their reality ratings juggernaut, MasterChef Australia, returned for its third season. Branded as the biggest yet, a massive mystery box in Sydney Harbour was enough to herald in that promise to viewers watching at home.

The new season had a Cerebral Palsy sufferer, a surfer pin up dude, a few at home mother cooks and a fighter pilot.

Ratings for the season opened fairly high and fairly consistent, but the series was never going to reach the success of 2010. By the end of the season, it was also clear that its days of creating a 3 million plus viewership finale were over.

But there was plenty to celebrate in between. To make up for a lack of inspiration found in most of the dishes presented this year, the contestants headed to the likes of Margaret River, Busselton Jetty, a mine, Malaysia, New York and Melbourne for challenges and episodes.

The production team were in overdrive, and the production of the series was insanely great.

Storytelling also played a big part as many events grabbed news headlines. Firstly was that little fling between Ellie and Hayden which resulted in nothing. The second, and probably the biggest controversy to ever hit the MasterChef kitchen came from contestant Mat Beyer, or more frankly, his smart phone.

During one challenge, it was suspected by the judges that Mat had brought in a smart phone that could have been used to find information on recipes. Their suspicions were somewhat confirmed and he was kicked out of the competition.

Other stories also attracted attention. The shock elimination of CP sufferer John Hughes in the top 50 round, the deletion of fighter pilot Paul Lombardi before the top 24 round even started and the shock walking of contestant Adam Bowen all left viewers with something to watch.

Moving into finals week, and Ellie, Dani, Alana, Michael and Kate were left to fight for the title, although Ellie was eliminated just before all this.

It all came down to Michael and Kate in the finale where mother Kate beat out SA Michael, 87 points to 84. It wasn’t a very memorable finale, and Kate hasn’t been heard of since, but it was still another successful slate for TEN.

Reality television was Seven’s forte in 2011 with Australia’s Got Talent also on the rise. All three judges; Kyle Sandilands, Dannii Minogue and Brian McFadden returned and found the likes of The Old Fella, Ben Price, Jack Vidgen and Cosentino and launched them into the spotlight.

Also launched into the spotlight was comedian Jordan Harris where, after a successful first round of auditions which was based on jokes ‘borrowed’ from other joke makers, he managed to alienate his audience in the semi finals with a less than impressive and rather cringeworthy performance of his own.

They also ‘re-found’ Timomatic who, after modest success on the second season of So You Think You Can Dance Australia in 2009, returned to this competition to place third.

In the end, performer Cosentino placed second to singing schoolboy Jack Vidgen, who was famous in his own right for those veneers.

Seven also launched The Amazing Race Australia, which brought out probably the most diverse range of characters seen on reality television this year. We had Muslims Mo & Mos, Big W employees Anne Marie and Tracy; reunited sisters Alana and Mel and dopey farmers Tom & Matt.

The first season saw these guys race to places like Indonesia, South Africa, Czech Republic, Poland, Singapore and Hong Kong, and face challenges ranging from playing a famous Chinese casino game, to stacking crates of beer to skydiving!

In the end, it was surfer duo Nathan & Tyler, the former of which dated Erin McNaught, won the show over Perth models Renae & Sam. Surprisingly, it all came down to a race around Perth.

But I’m sure you’re all sick of hearing about Seven and TEN for now; so lets visit some of Nine’s reality offerings.

Well, most famously, we had The Block. Now in it’s forth season, the producers mixed things up a bit and introduced a new stripped 7PM format. The show also moved out of apartment renovating with this year’s contestants asked to renovate four houses on a block!

Lastly, there were eight teams, not four. Four of those teams however were eliminated in the first week, but they all made appearances in challenges throughout the series.

The four main couples were Josh & Jenna, a bickering boyfriend/girlfriend duo who were in charge of the only double fronted house on the street; Polly & Waz, a very quirky, young and savvy couple who had nil background in renovating; Katrina & Amie, two sisters with emotions made of concrete and a very stylish yet obscure design technique, and seasoned renovators Tania & Rod.

They were all a bunch of laughs with only a few moments of sadness. There was a time when Tania & Rod were called off the block to attend a family funeral, and there was also a time when Katrina’s Crohn’s disease overtook her emotions a bit. But in the end, these couples, with the help of host Scott Cam, new host Shelley Craft, sometimes embattled onsite manager Keith and a whole set of reward winning challenges, were able to manage four great houses for auction.

The only disappointing thing about this season, was most probably the only thing that the producers didn’t want to end in disappointment- the finale.

After last year’s ‘shock’ announcement that Chez & Brenton’s apartment was to be passed in, it was a surprise to everyone watching when three of the four houses were passed in. It was even more of a shock that the winning house, selling for $15,000 profit, belonged to novice’s Polly & Waz. And it was an EVEN BIGGER shock to Jenna, whose night was turned upside down by a proposal by Josh. She said yes!

Nine also had Top Design, a brand new show by Jamie Durie, once Nine’s love child and host of The Block. The series failed to fire and was at one point shown first run on GEM ahead of a Nine screening.

Robert Davidov won the show, beating out Lisa and Steve at the finale, which was quite a high key affair for such a low key performer. I guess for me personally, the thing I will remember about this show was minutes after blogging the finale of the show on a Friday, news that Big Brother Australia was to return on Nine surfaced.

Nine also had two seasons of The Farmer Wants A Wife, however I only watched the second, which was the series’ seventh overall.

In this season, containing farmers Wil, Trent, Frank, John, Kev and Tim, a seventh mystery girl was added to the picked girls the farmers chose as potential wives. This seventh girl was chosen by the families. The farmers had to decide whether or not to take her back to the farm with him and two others.

Some jumped at the opportunity, some did not.

The show saw numerous exits; most notably, Farmer John’s favourite Belinda. The finale also saw a shocking outcome for Kev, who after two eliminations, his chosen girl got cold feet and left, leaving him with no one to pursue. Potential season eight candidate, anyone?

The season end showcasing the wedding of former contestants Nathan and Amanda.

To end the year, Nine debuted the oftentimes controversial Celebrity Apprentice to a stripped 7PM format. The series contained celebrities including Jesinta Campbell, Deni Hines, Jason Coleman, Julia Morris, Pauline Hanson and Shane Crawford.

Deni became an instant villain; constantly attacking Polly for her lack of celebrity, and generally acting like a spoilt brat and damaged diva. She was soon eliminated.

Pauline Hanson would most likely be considered as the most unlikely hero of the series after showing real integrity and a real maturity towards challenges. She was constantly saved from elimination due to her work ethic and public support backing her, especially after washing some guy’s car in underwear, was shiny.

Another surprise characterisation came from Jason Coleman, who while showed great leadership and well-spokenedness, constantly lost challenges and began to be deemed a villain in the eyes of the contestants who saw his constant need to be in control and his somewhat demeaning mannerisms to be quite rude and somewhat crippling to the receiving contestant’s place in the competition

In the final week, eliminated contestants Polly, Didier, Deni and Max returned to help out finalists Jason, Julia, Shane and Jesinta in what was an explosive and controversial week. Mad Max Markson, who was known for his immaturity, outspokenness and time wasting abilities, somewhat ironically eliminated after competing in a challenge sober of these qualities, returned to give Julia and Jason one more test of patience and control.

But it was Deni Hines who stole the show, seemingly playing up for the cameras and using the villain persona she received in her first stint on the show, and arguing with people, mostly Jesinta, at any opportunity she got.

She later admitted that she did it for fun, and even commended enemy Jesinta on her smarts. It wasn’t enough to let Jesinta and Shane win, and in the end, it all came down to Julia and Jason. Julia Morris won the show, but decided to split the money with Jason Coleman and his charity; a rare show of such true honour and dignity. Julia will be one contestant who’s ‘brand’ isn’t damaged by this show.

TEN also experimented with The Renovators; but it turned into an overall flop, despite showing signs of life throughout its run, and even giving TEN a second place position on finale night. The renovation show saw host Brendan Moar and judges Peter Ho, Barry Du Bois and Robyn Holt guide 20 renovators through challenges, which included a 24-hour makeover of a house on wheels, carted into the show’s massive warehouse studio, and a week trip up to Brisbane to help flood victims, and eliminations which I personally noted for their initial lack of imagination.

Despite the low rating performance of the show, it was generally well received by the public, with many of you suggesting contestants for the Top 20 Reality Contestants of 2011 competition. While it was able to shake comparisons to The Block; its similarity to MasterChef remained and became the show’s only lowlight. Despite all this, I would say that where the Renovators was different was in its increased personal approach to its contestants and its laid back approach to the whole structure of the show.

There were plenty of team changes, but ultimately, Natalie from the sixties suburban (formerly, the shop), August from the shop, Peter from the half done house, Michael from the fibro cottage, Mel from the weatherboard and Luke from the terrace became the show’s finalists for auction night.

While not many houses sold for profit, they did all sell, and it was SA’s Michael Lynch’s fibro cottage that sold for the most and gave the tradie from Laura a win!

Junior MasterChef Australia was generally a miss for TEN, after initially debuting a brand new Top 50 format. Matt Preston took leave for the series, but Matt Moran took his place and Anna Gare returned as a solely Junior MasterChef judge.

The show continued the celebrated production of the main show, and the trips to Disneyland and the inspiring dish after inspiring dish of tasty food was a massive bonus; possibly making it a better season than the first, but the viewers didn’t come, and this is one show that will most probably be forgotten.

For those of you who don’t forget it, Greta Yaxley won the show, with 92 points over Jack’s 84 (if I recall).

Back to Seven and it was another year for The X Factor and it was going to be big. Natalie Imbruglia and Kyle Sandilands didn’t return, but they were replaced by the gorgeous and talented Natalie Bassingthwaighte and singing superstar Mel B. The rest returned.

This year, it was the likes of Emmanuel Kelly; a talented Iraqi orphan and Luke O’Dell, an untalented Adam Lambert wannabe who stole the show; but none of which made it to the finals.

Out of the twelve who did, Mel B’s lot soon disappeared. Tyla Bertolli and Jacqui Newland were both eliminated early on and despite a promising first half for Christina Parie, she wasn’t able to make it into the top 5.

Conversely, Guy Sebastian kept all of his three acts until the final five, with Declan Sykes leaving in fifth place. His other two acts, Johnny Ruffo and Reece Mastin, both became finalists along with Natalie Bassingthwaighte’s Andrew Wishart.

After winning last year with Altiyan Childs, Ronan Keating did not renew his success this year, with his final act Three Wishez only making it to the final four.

In the end, SA’s Reece Mastin beat out Andrew Wishart and Johnny Ruffo (runner up and third place respectively) to become the winner of the show’s third season.

Seven also had The One; a show that briefly saw the light of day in 2008 and pits psychics against each other to find out who is the most gifted.
Judges were Richard Saunders, a sceptic, and Stacey Demarco, a psychic, whose bickering became a somewhat entertainment staple for the show.

Challenges these contestants faced included anything from in studio readings, finding of objects as small as gold to as big as helicopters using only their abilities; and ended in a now controversial challenge which saw them try to locate the body of missing, presumed dead woman, Kerry Whelan.

Greg Riley, empath Heidi Hanley and detective Debbie Malone were awarded finalist positions, and you at home got to determine the winner. Like the psychics themselves, you all chose Greg to be The One- Australia’s Most Gifted Psychic.

The last show of course, was Beauty & The Geek Australia which returned with Bernard Curry as host for its third season. The twist this year was a simple one; a male beauty paired with a female geek in the form of Troy and Helen.

Other than this, the show didn’t deviate away from its usual format of humorous storytelling, classy cutaway quotes, wonderful production and just plain stupidity. There was a time when the human twists, Helen & Troy, were eliminated quite early, but they were able to return via a twist. One episode later and they were eliminated again.

The season saw geek Lachlan and beauty Jordan, who both went on to be apart of the final two teams with their respective partners, hook up, break up and make up throughout the course of the season. The main problem came when Lachlan got his partner Sarah’s name tattooed on his arse. Pardon my French.

During makeovers, which were a dazzling array of spectacles, Dolly announced her decision to quit on medical grounds, leaving previously eliminated contestant Jacelle to fill her void with Gilbert.

In the finale, Mackenzie and Jimmy were eliminated after an exam challenge; Gilbert and Jacelle were eliminated after a formal challenge and Julian and Jordan were eliminated after a quiz, leaving Lachlan and Sarah as this year’s winners.

Lovebirds Mackenzie and Troy also announced their engagement throughout the final.

 

And that my friends, was the year in reality. Quite a hefty one wasn’t it. But enough about 2011; that was so last year (well, technically it was this year, but you get my drift)- let’s talk 2012.

The only show from the above list confirmed not to be returning is Top Design, but grave fears are being held for The Renovators, which despite being announced by TEN as a returning show, has since fallen victim to second thoughts. The only other show that will probably not return is Junior MasterChef Australia- but it would be for the best. Oh, and The One.

The Biggest Loser Australia will return and revert back to a ‘singles’ format. Dancing with the Stars will return with a new host after Sonia Kruger’s defection to Nine; possibly Nat Bass. My Kitchen Rules returns with a Kiwi pair. MasterChef returns with Matt Preston.

The Farmer Wants A Wife, Celebrity Apprentice Australia, The Block, The Amazing Race Australia, Australia’s Got Talent, The X Factor and Beauty & The Geek Australia will all return, or are all set to return based on viewer satisfaction and ratings.

To join them are a sleuth of new Nine shows. We have The Voice, which features blind auditions and battle rounds. Judges will be Joel Madden, Delta Goodrem, Seal and Keith Urban.

Big Brother returns to our screens on Nine with new host Sonia Kruger and a new ‘Secrets’ format where every housemate has a secret. Location, spin off shows and narrator are yet to be confirmed.

Excess Baggage will be a new celebrity weight loss show where eight overweight celebs pair up with ordinary contestants to lose the flab. Celebrities include Darryn Lyons who has previously competed on Celebrity Big Brother UK, causing a stir after revealing his ‘six pack on top of a beer gut’ formed stomach which evolved due to ‘contouring’. Having watched this season myself, I will warn you now; just in case he takes his top off, don’t eat dinner through this program! Kate Cebrano hosts.

 

And that is just a taste of what 2012 holds in terms of reality television! It’s the substance which makes up these shows in between which will really determine the flavour. And we won’t know what any of this ‘substance’ is until these seasons debut.

 

Over the next few months, Throng will still be delivering important reality news. Of course we have the Top 20 Reality Television Contestants of 2011 competition which will run from the 16^th of December right through until New Years Eve.

I will then be taking a break for the first half of January before returning with some opinion pieces to get you in the spirit of the 2012 reality ratings season. This will also be my last post before December 16 less any important announcements. I’m sure the other lovely writers here on Throng will be keeping you up to date anyway. There’s always an excuse to log onto Throng.

 

Then, in 2012 I can officially announce, Throng will be returning its episode-by-episode detailed recaps of EVERY episode of EVERY season of reality in 2012 (minus any last minute disruptions or planned events), so keep an eye out!

 

That’s all from me; a few last minute thank you’s before I sign off- firstly to AndrewB and Regan for letting me post my thoughts on reality onto this site in the first place. You have given me so much support and I have loved every minute of it.

 

Johnson, as many of you would know, has helped in nearly every single episode of MasterChef, Junior MasterChef and The X Factor; and has even helped out in other random episodes. I truly thank you for that, Johnson, as you have enriched my knowledge and therefore my love of this genre and this job.

 

And Ryno; who offered his complete support and helping hand throughout September, and while it didn’t all go to plan, I think your offer to help was the most exciting thing about this year.

 

And to the rest of the readers, who have commented kindly or constructively, or have just read my work, I am motivated by your continued support and I am proud to be able to do this for such a loving and intellectual community.

 

I’ll see you all soon; for now, it’s time to take a break.

 

Courtney xx

World’s Toughest Fixes, ONE, 7.30pm.
Overpass Overhaul. Big machines, big problems. Engineering enthusiast Sean Riley tackles the most oversized repair jobs on the planet.

Striptease Unveiled, SBS ONE, 10.00pm
An investigation into the art of striptease, from the 19th century onwards, and how cultural attitudes towards the nude female have shifted over the years.

Delhi-6, SBS TWO, 9.30pm
Having lived in America for most of his life, Roshan is taking his ailing grandmother back to India, his country of birth. Little does he know that this quick trip will turn into the longest journey of his life; a journey within. The story is told against the backdrop of the oldest and most chaotic part of the city of Delhi, Delhi-6.

River Monsters, ABC2, 7.30pm
Alaskan Horror. Extreme angler Jeremy Wade searches for the lethal lake monster of native legend that’s been dragging people down to an icy grave for centuries.

Friday night encores and replays.
The Slap, ABC2, 9.24pm
Crownies, ABC2, 10.18pm
The Farmer Wants a Wife, GEM, 7.00pm
The Mentalist, GEM, 8.30pm (airs in HD) This is a replay of Monday nights’ new episode.
(sadly – no longer an HD replay of Underbelly Razor on GEM)
Terra Nova, Ten, 9.30pm
Dateline, SBS TWO 7.30pm

Tim, Will, Trent, John, Kev and Frank have all fought for love over the past seven weeks, but tonight, they must make that all important decision- who will they choose to have a life of love with? At this very early time; it’s sure to be an affair for all the family (and don’t worry, not that type of affair).

We begin the episode with a nice sunrise as Natalie runs through the premise of the show; lonely farmers on isolated farms looking for love. We then relive the ‘journey’ that has been. We then get a preview on what tonight will hold, and trust me, it’s gonna be a good night.

We begin with Natalie standing in the front yard from someone’s house. It looks very interesting the way they captured that. She tells us that tonight, we will be going up the isle with Nathan and Amanda; two past contestants on the show.

We then begin the actual show as the farmers reflect on the big decision ahead. It’s gonna be a tough one.

Back in Sydney, the girls are too awaiting the final decision, knowing that for half of them, the phone will not win.

It seems Kev has already chosen Fiona and seems that the prospect of spending time on the farm with someone is surreal.

The farmers ring the girls and tell them that it is time to head for the Hunter. With that, the farmers head for the airport and make their journey to where it all began. There’s a lot of Virgin Australia product placement in here!

We then head to that magnificent mansion in the Hunter where the farmers arrive looking spiffy. They walk up to the mansion to reveal their decisions.

Inside, a round of beers are waiting them, and they all catch up with each other. Despite the fact we’ve caught up with all of them every Monday since the start, these farmers haven’t seen each other for that long (except neighbours Tim and Trent).

Natalie walks in and welcomes them to the finale; telling them that tonight is the night they find out what is going on in all of their loved lives. She interviews John about refinding a partner and he seems to find it easier since last time he tried.

Will loved how he is spoilt for choice, saying his eliminated girl was also beautiful. Kev has already found a very special girl and Natalie can’t wait for his story.

To tell their own story in full, Natalie calls Trent in first for the interview. They both move into the interview room where Natalie begins the roast.

Trent feels more relaxed than on first night; and he tells Natalie he was serious going into this competition. Not being on a date before, he loved the opportunity to experience love. He talks about the relationship he has with his sisters, which is strong binding as he says, being apart of triplets.

He then talks about the girls, saying eliminating Lucy was tough and he had second thoughts.

Trent found it hard to play with people’s emotions as much as the show requires. He didn’t have his heart set on anyone with the city visits not making his mind up. He is in a dilemma and this decision could change his life. He doesn’t think his friends and family would understand what he is going through.

We then find out that Trent has invited someone special with him and they wait in suspense as she comes out. Ad break time!
We then find out that it is Steph. She is surprised by this, and is happy that he did! It seems she is the chosen one, so does that mean she has ‘won’ Trent’s portion of this show, or is there more to come?

She says that Trent is a nice guy and treats her properly. Trent says he is pretty happy at the moment. With that, Trent introduces Steph to the rest of the farmers and they all seem very happy with his decision.

Next up is Tim and Natalie thinks he is a different man. He says he has had a ball and loves how everything has turned out. They discuss him turning 30 and he likes to think he is young at heart. They then talk about the first day blues were the girls got lost before he runs through his journey with Natalie once again.

Tim says it was a tough decision in the end, but as he discusses the girls, it seems he likes Isabella more. So who did he choose to bring to the Hunter? Isabella and Natalie knew it.

She talks about her feelings for Tim; saying he makes her nervous and that he makes her blush. They then talk about their time on Tim’s farm.

They will be trying long distance dating.

With that, it is time to introduce Isabella to the rest of the farmers.

Next for an interview is Kev who previously chose Fiona; I am led to believe. Natalie asks what has been happening, but it’s pretty obvious isn’t it?

Kev said it was because he’s been putting up a barrier which is why he hasn’t dated yet. We look at his journey and his connections; plus, Meg’s elimination.

And stupid me, I completely forgot Megan left, leaving him with only Fiona! I remember being hell confused about this now! Goes to show it was a bit of an anti climax.

So has he stuck with Fiona? He’s talking her up quite a bit; describing her as a girl who doesn’t come along every day. They then wait for her to come out, but she never shows with Kev stating she won’t be coming. Why is that? We’ll find out after the break, I guess.

He reveals that after a couple of weeks apart from Fiona, Fiona thinks it would be too hard doing the long distance; therefore breaking up with Kev. How horrible for him! He is glad she’s honest with him, but he is obviously choking up at this.

He says that this has all left him back where he started; a bachelor. But he will be getting back on his horse for a second try. Natalie gives him a hug and he arrives to tell the other farmers about the problem. Maybe he will be back next year?

John is next up for his chat with Natalie and they talk about his journey among other things. He says he is a little closer to finding a second love. He says that now is the right time to find someone else because his boys are out doing their own thing, and he needs someone back in his life.

They talk about Belinda leaving and how it got him to learn more about his other two ladies. He feels he was out of his depth in some situations getting to know the ladies. He says that for one girl, his feelings grew more for. We then find out his special lady.

We find out after the break that Tracy is the lucky lady in question and when she walks down, she calls John a very special man. John says it is Tracy’s level head and warmth that made him fall for her. Tracy seems to like life on the farm.

Tracy describes their relationship as a friendship, and it seems that is where they will start from.

Back at the bar, it isn’t John’s girl that gets the convo going, it is his hat!

Next up is farmer Will and again, he and Natalie discuss Will’s progress. He knew what he was after in this game; knowing having a beautiful girl would top off his life.

Picking one girl from the other was tough, but he found it tough living with two girls!

They seem to talk about Eliza quite a bit; maybe she’s his girl!

After the break, we find out he has brought… Sam with him! I believe she was the seventh woman. His family was right!

Natalie tells Will to lift his jaw off the ground before interviewing Sam. She said she was surprised Will chose her, but is very happy to be here. She says it was hard to ‘share’ Will with another girl.

Will calls the whole experience amazing. Sam says he ticks a lot of her boxes.

Natalie calls Will the luckiest guy in the country before complimenting her own match making skills.

With that, Will introduces Sam with the rest of the farmers. Kev hopes Will’s mother will choose a girl for him!

Last up for the chat is Frank and Natalie introduces him as the season’s most remote farmer. He loved the company of the women. Frank doesn’t know if he is the reddest hottest farmer, but was serious about the entire competition.

We then see his journey.

Natalie calls him a practical, logical guy, saying Peta sounds like the perfect fit for him. What about Tenille? Frank thinks she would take longer to settle in. I think he chose Tenille, personally.

He says he goes with his heart, but knows it has got him in strife over the years. He has brought someone with him though.

So we find out he has brought with him… Tenille! I was right! Man, I’m good at this game!
They sit down to have a chat with Natalie and Tenille said it is great to be back with Frank. She says he is a real gentleman; calling him genuine and kind. Frank mainly loves the way Tenille puts a smile on his face.

Natalie is in shock by the whole arrangement but the two can see themselves living together for a long time. They’ve been talking about Tenille living on the land and she says it is on the cards.

Frank then gets up and before we think he is proposing, he gives Tenille a gold key to his farm, and it is her decision to move in or not. She then says ‘yes’ to leaving it all behind, and moving in with Frank.

Outside, they wonder if Frank has chosen another blonde, and they are all surprised to see Tenille, and even moreso, the fact Frank has given her the key to his house.

Steph says Tenille and Frank are the most likely to get married together.

Natalie then emerges to debrief on the night that has been; reminding Kev that Missus Right is right around the corner.

With that, it is time for a bit of a dance; and hey, at least with Kev single, Natalie has a partner. And who doesn’t love a good Michael Buble number? Me! I can’t wait to stop hearing that bloody song!

After the break, we catch up with a few of last season’s farmers, especially Nathan. The most remote farmer ever, Nathan is also one of the luckiest. After choosing Amanda first, and spending a lot of time with her, they are getting married.

We then have a look at the lovely ceremony, taking place on Perth’s Swan River. Absolutely beautiful setting. What a beautiful reception and ceremony; and a testament to this show’s success. Very well done in my books, they both should be proud of each other! Nine should also give themselves a pat on their back!

We also get to catch up on the progress of the rest of the farmers.

So that is that; the end of the season (but not the series; as the show returns for an eighth season next year). All I can say is what an interesting ending. Perfectly produced, full of surprises and therefore, emotion. It was scripted at times, but it was no way cheesy. The wedding at the end of the episode was brilliant; and a very nice move by the show to revisit past contestants and their progress on such an eventful episode.

To the negatives, and the season as a whole (because many of the negatives in the final episode relate to the entire season). Let’s face it; it wasn’t event television. I’m sure most people love seeing girl after girl getting chosen by the farmers to be their partner; but for how long it was drawn out for, it was pretty boring. There was a lot of stuff in the show that just seemed to take longer than it should. A bit of a trim here and there would have done wonders for the show.

But the season as a whole has been delightful. For my first outing, I have been truly impressed. I have loved the quality, and the storyline pace of it all was very inviting. It’s sad to see these farmers leave our screen, but I’m sure we’ll see some of them soon as I’m sure there will be a few weddings in that bunch somewhere. And surely this isn’t the last we’ve seen of Kev!

 

Courtney’s Verdict: 8.5/10

 

Courtney’s The Farmer Wants A Wife Season Seven Overall Verdict: 8.0/10

Ok, ok, I’ll spare you from the generic ‘the farmer wants a million dollars’, ‘the farmer wants a hot seat’ cliché terms while writing this blog post, but in all seriousness, before these farmers find a love tonight, let’s see them try their hand at 15 somewhat simple questions. Let’s just hope this bunch do better than the folk from The Block!

Eddie comes on stage as always, revs up the audience and then reveals the six farmers that will compete for the $1,000,000. Then comes the plug for The Farmer Wants A Wife. With that, like Scott did a few months ago, Natalie comes out and gives out some facts about the show.

With that, it is time to reveal the farmers! Natalie stays with Eddie as Farmer Kev comes out first, followed by Frank, Will, Trent, Tim and John.

After that, Natalie leaves and it is time to get into it with Kev up first. Kev is playing for Beyond Blue tonight. To the first question:

 

Question One: Which of these is not manufactured by the Japanese company Canon?

A: Cameras

B: Printers

C: Photocopiers

D: Cannons

 

Not a hard one; and Kev locks in D. Eddie makes sure he is sure before revealing it is in fact correct.

 

Audio question for Question Two: What are the next four words in this TV theme song?

After the audio is played, he is given the options:

A: The Outrageous Mr. Ed

B: The Famous Mr. Ed

C: The courageous Mr. Ed

D: The gracious Mr. Ed

Neither I nor he knows the answer, and he passes. Next up; Frank. He is playing for the Royal Flying Doctors Service.

He guesses B, which is correct for $200. Onto $300 now.

 

Question Three: What ‘bean’ is often deep red in colour?

A: Navy

B: Corona

C: Kidney

D: Mexican Jumping

 

Without hesitation, he guesses C which is correct! $500 will be played for right after this break!

 

Question Four: Which Australian V8 Supercar driver is nicknamed ‘Frosty’?

A: Jamie Whincup

B: Mark Winterbottom

C: Alex Davison

D: Garth Tander

 

Geez, Frank is just flying through these, guessing B straight away! Is it correct? Of course it is!

 

To $1,000 now and Question Five: Animals that are ‘arboreal’ primarily live…?

A: In trees

B: Under the ground

C: In the ocean

D: Perched on cliffs

 

He doesn’t know; so he passes. It is now Will’s turn in the hot seat! Who’s he playing for? Breast Cancer Network. Now, back to the question. The word ‘ARBOR’ in arboreal should give it away and thank god he locks in A; in trees.

 

Now Will is playing for $1,500 in Question Six: Which action movie star is nicknamed ‘The Muscles from Brussels’?

A: Arnold Schwarzenegger

B: Jackie Chan

C: Jean-Claude Van Damme

D: Steven Seagal

 

He passes but gives Trent a hint that he thinks it is Arnie. Well, if it is, that would be wrong because Arnie is from Austria (Vienna), not Belgium. I think it is Jean to be honest!

Trent is playing for Canteen which is revealed before he answers the question.

He locks in C against the wishes of Will, which is good because he’s correct with C.

Onto $2,500, but not until after the break!

Question Seven: When written as whole words in English, which of these numbers has all its letters in alphabetical order?

A: 30

B: 40

C: 50

D: 60

 

He is a bit stumped so he passes it on to Tim. I swear they are doing this so all farmers get a go, but these questions are a bit hard. Tim meanwhile is supporting the charity World Vision tonight due to a round the world trip he did recently.

He goes for B; 40 which is correct. Onto the next question worth $4,000.

Question Eight: ‘The Advertiser’ is the main newspaper of which city?

A: Adelaide

B: Hobart

C: Brisbane

D: Sydney

 

Aww, I love it when they ask a question in which the answer is related to SA- SA PRIDE!! Of course it is Adelaide, and as Tim points out, Trent has made a few appearances in the newspaper. Therefore, it should surprise no one that he locks in the correct answer of A!

Now down to business as we get up to $6,000 and seven questions away from $1,000,000! After the break, it is question Nine!

 

Question Nine: Since 1975, the final stage of the Tour de France has concluded on which street in Paris?

A: Rue de la Pompe

B: Champs Elysees

C: Rue de Rivoli

D: Avenue Foch

 

Tim watched a bit of the race this year and he thinks it is B, so that’s what he locks in. Well, at least this guy speaks more than Frank! He gets it right and moves on to $10,000.

 

Question Ten: ‘Pratt’, ‘Windsor’ and ‘Four-In-Hand’ are all kinds of what?

A: Cricket Bats

B: Strawberries

C: Tie knots

D: Sandwiches

 

These questions are bloody easy as Tim locks in C. Maybe the producers wanted to make them easier so the charity actually got something this time round; thank you Block contestants! $20,000 now playing for.

 

Question Eleven: (again, another blokey question) the first Ford Falcon series sold in Australia was the…?

A: XK

B: KX

C: XL

D: LX

 

Can he answer it? He doesn’t know much about cars, and in true Hot Seat reality crossover fashion, passes the question on to John despite the fact he probably won’t get a chance to come back. This is a complete sham really!

So how does John go? He locks in C which is the one option I wouldn’t have gone for (XL being a bloody clothing size). The correct answer is A; John’s alternative answer.

John is therefore eliminated, and it’s back to Kev playing for $250,000.

 

Question Twelve: What nationality was the ‘Batavia’, a ship famously wrecked off Australia’s west coast in 1629?

A: French

B: Dutch

C: Spanish

D: English

 

He has no idea and is torn between Dutch and Spanish. He ends up locking in B which the other farmers agree with. It is in fact correct, and we move on to the $50,000 question.

Question Thirteen (ooh, unlucky!): In which year was rock legend Jimi Hendrix born?

A: 1932

B: 1942

C: 1952

D: 1962

 

He again has no idea but after unsuccessfully asking Eddie for his current age, he locks in B. Is it correct? Hells to the yeah! And we move on to $100,000.

Question Fourteen: Wackford Squeers is the cruel schoolmaster in which classic Dickens novel?

A: Nicholas Nickleby

B: Oliver Twist

C: Great Expectations

D: Martin Chuzzlewith

 

After a lot of banter, and a handful of hints from Eddie, Kev locks in B, but it is A which is correct. Sorry Kev, so close yet so far!

Frank is back playing for $100,000! This is it; he has won $1,000 for the RFDS already! Time for the final question. He doesn’t sound too enthusiastic, but maybe because we now have to find out what is going on around the world!

 

Question Fifteen: What are the first names of Hollywood filmmakers the Coen brothers?

A: Benji and Joel

B: Joel and Ethan

C: George and Jeb

D: Ben and Casey

 

He has no idea but in the final ten seconds, he goes for D. Is it correct? No; it is Joel and Ethan! So again, after all that, only $10,000 (yes, they multiplied it again) for the charity!

 

The Farmer Wants A Wife Finale airs from 7pm tonight on Nine.

The Mentalist, 8.30pm, Nine
In prison for killing his nemesis, Patrick Jane must prove that the man he shot really was the elusive serial killer, Red John. Meanwhile, Lisbon urges Van Pelt to seek counseling in the aftermath of the death of her fiance, Detective Craig O’Laughlin.

Smallville, 9.30pm, ELEVEN
Lois takes a Daily Planet field reporter position in Egypt, so Clark sends Carter Hall to look after her and is assigned a new partner, Cat Grant, who hates all superheroes.

CSI: Miami, 9.30pm, Nine
With Horatio bleeding from a gunshot wound and Natalia battling to free herself from the boot of a submerged car, the other CSIs try to capture an escaped murderer before he kills again.

The Farmer Wants a Wife, 7pm, Nine
In this series final, see who six lonely farmers will choose. Prepare for tears, joy and jealousy, all in a heart-warming journey to find a wife.

Top Chef, 8.30pm, Arena
It all comes down to this. Mike Isabella and Richard Blais battle it out to come up with and implement their vision for the ultimate dining experience. Only one will earn the title that eluded them the first time around.