After months of delays, the season premiere of this year’s Farmer Wants A Wife finally hit our screens, and it did not disappoint. From tasting chocolate while blindfolded to a spider crawling in Farmer Alex’s hair, Monday night’s episode had its fair share of unexpected moments.
However, there was one moment that made fans seriously question how and why it made it to air.
After farmers Jason, Alex, and Dylan had their speed dates – narrowing down the ladies to their Top 5 – one contestant, who quickly captured the hearts of audiences, had a shock fainting incident that had fans concerned for both the lady and the direction of the show.
While Farmer Wants A Wife has historically been known for its wholesome success rates for couples, in recent years it’s been compared to drama-filled shows like Married at First Sight, causing backlash from fans.
Now, after one of Jason’s potential ladies, Bene, was aired fainting from heat stroke in the season premiere, many fans are questioning why this moment needed to be shown, and whether it’s hinting at another conflict-driven season ahead.
Bene spoke to WHO about how “crazy” it was to watch the moment back and how she felt about the moment being aired.
Farmer Wants A Wife fans were unhappy the faint was aired
Bene, one of Farmer Jason’s ladies, was immediately a fan favourite as her bubbly personality won over audiences, however, she sadly wasn’t chosen by Jason.
“I loved this chick, she was awesome,” one fan wrote. “Such a positive soul.”
However, what really grabbed fans was Bene’s health scare as the contestant suddenly fainted on the show after it was revealed she hadn’t made Jason’s Top 5, with many questioning why this moment needed to be aired at all — let alone edited into a social clip.
“They were all feeling the heat so much,” one fan wrote beneath a social clip of the fall. “This footage shouldn’t have been aired.”
“Poor girls would’ve been so incredibly nervous the whole day and leading up to it,” one fan wrote about the incident. “All that adrenaline would’ve caused anyone to feel lightheaded.”
“Too much stress,” another viewer agreed. “Did we really need to air this part??”
“It definitely didn’t need to be aired!” one fan agreed.
“This is a weird grab to put on socials,” another viewer noted, while another said it was “disappointing” that producers chose to keep it in the episode.
While Bene’s short (but sweet) time on Farmer Wants A Wife left fans disappointed, it also left her very much beloved.
However, it cast a question mark over the direction of the show, with some fans flagging that they’re unhappy the once wholesome show is leaning into more drama, with Bene herself admitting the moment appeared “dramatic” on screen.
This shift in the show has been a long time coming, with several moments throughout the years since it first aired in 2007, reinforcing this sentiment among viewers.
The show had a straightforward approach and was firmly centred on genuine Australian love stories; however, controversial storylines have come into play.
One scandal worthy of Married At First Sight occurred in 2021, when Hayley (who was one of Farmer Matt’s girls) began a relationship with another farmer on the same season (Farmer Will Dwyer).
The cross-farm entanglement was completely new for the show, and prompted a major response from fans.
In 2023, there was also heavy criticism around the ‘texting scandal’ involving Farmer Thomas, Clarette and Claire.
Clarette yelled at Thomas, and he dramatically drove away from his own farm, derailing the wholesome tone of the show.
Bene said it was ‘crazy’ watching herself faint on the show
Despite fans questioning why Bene’s fainting moment was aired, she told WHO that it wasn’t as invasive as it seemed.
“I think anyone who’s ever fainted knows that you get like tunnel vision, you basically black out,” Bene told WHO. “So, seeing it happen, I thought that I just grabbed Brittany’s hand and then kind of delicately popped myself on the floor. I didn’t realise that came across quite so dramatic.”
Rather than feeling “weird about the moment being aired, as fans suggested, Bene explained she felt “it was part of the moment.”
“It’s difficult,” she said. “I don’t think people really realise cameras are on the entire time, and it’s not just one camera, there’s multiple cameras set up, there’s a whole production team, so regardless of whether they had shown that specific part, or not, you know, it was still part of a conversation. It was part of the experience.
“It wasn’t a medical emergency. It’s not a chronic illness. I was busy and overwhelmed in the moment. It was just part of my story.”
Bene also gushed about the “lifelong friendships” she made on the show with the other girls, how much of a “genuine, authentic, and wonderful man” Jason was, and what a “fantastic experience” it was to be on Farmer Wants A Wife.
She confirmed she’ll certainly continue watching for the rest of the season, and if any cute farmers want to hit up Bene’s DMs — she said she’s keen!
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