Farmer Jarrad is dividing opinion among Farmer Wants A Wife fans for his unpredictable antics and ‘player-like’ treatment of the ladies at his farm.
The 41-year-old almond farmer from Taylorville, South Australia, came into the reality show looking for someone to slot into his country life — and ideally, his family.
A single dad with two boys, Jarrad initially seemed like one of the season’s more coveted choices among the farmers, especially when he picked Carly for his 24-hour date and appeared to be building a cute connection.
But things started to get awkward when that spark began to stall. During a fishing date with Carly and Cara, Jarrad told Carly that their connection had “flatlined a little bit.” Carly later admitted the word “flatlined” was “pretty brutal” — and honestly, she wasn’t wrong.
The waters got muddier on Monday’s episode, as Jarrad’s friend Rachel brought in 36-year-old writer Christina as an intruder match. Their date went well enough for Jarrad to bring her back to the farm, adding fresh tension to an already messy situation.
Things got even more awkies when Christina told the other women that she had shared a kiss with Jarrad (at least she didn’t reveal it was during a steamy spa session). This revelation made Brodie, Yvonne and Carly question Jarrad’s morals.
“It leaves me in a position where I need to observe his character,” former frontrunner Carly said, as Brodie admitted, “it has changed how I think of him.”
Matters were made worse by how bizarre Jarrad acted during this whole exchange, as he kept laughing to break the awkward tension. “She [Christina] sat there and acknowledged it was awkward and a shi**y situation, he sat there fu**king laughing,” a furious Yvonne vented to Carly and Brodie afterwards.
Now, fans are calling Jarrad out for giving his ladies mixed messages, with some branding his behaviour a “red flag” and questioning whether he actually knows what he wants in a potential partner.
Farmer Wants A Wife fans slam Farmer Jarrad on the show
FWAW fans are increasingly turning off Farmer Jarrad, especially after Monday night’s intruder episode.
“I really like all of Jarrad’s original ladies, but I don’t particularly like him,” read one comment on the show’s Instagram.
“As far as the editing goes, he has given Brodie absolutely no time at all… he tells Carly he feels their relationship has flatlined but sends the other lady home,” added a second comment. “They are all too good for him.”
Others have questioned what Jarrad’s intentions are on FWAW. “I have this weird feeling with Jarred in my gut. I don’t trust him!” wrote one.
“Farmer Jarrad is a player,” said another. “He’s attracted to new ladies each time.”
In a FWAW Facebook group, viewers are equally concerned with the bachelor. “Run girls run, this dude is the biggest player on Farmer. He thinks it’s the Playboy Mansion,” wrote another.
Farmer Jarrad’s controversial moments on Farmer Wants A Wife
Farmer Jarrad immediately raised eyebrows among FWAW fans when he only selected women who were several years younger than him to date. Jarrad is 41, and while his original line-up of women in the premiere includes a woman aged up to 40, all the women he picked to go to his farm were aged between 30 and 33.
This didn’t go unnoticed by Cara. “I’ve noticed that you have picked such young girls,” she asked him. “Is that because you wanna have more kids?”
Jarrad replied that it was, indeed, the case – as if women in their mid-to-late 30s can’t have kids!
He also spoke about wanting a ‘nurturing’ partner after years of dating “strong, self-assured women” in the past. He was put off by Cara’s directness, career focus and ‘strong personality’, making some fans wonder if Farmer Jarrad wanted a passive 1950s housewife.
Farmer Jarrad’s decisions don’t always align with what he’s said. After spending time with Cara, he said he felt assured that she wasn’t the ‘city girl’ he had expected her to be then. And then he, umm, sent her home?!
Cara has admitted that Jarrad gave her a whole lot of “mixed messages” on FWAW. “He did actually say to me, I think it was the day before [my elimination], he said to me, ‘You deserve your own date’,” Cara told New Idea after her elimination.
“So I was a little bit confused when I did get dumped. I knew it was 50-50, but there were parts of me that were like, ‘Oh, am I staying around? What does that mean?… a very confusing man, that one.”
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
