{"id":791138,"date":"2026-07-10T10:13:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T10:13:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/791138\/"},"modified":"2026-07-10T10:13:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T10:13:14","slug":"farmer-wants-a-wife-stars-call-for-shake-up-its-not-what-it-was","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/791138\/","title":{"rendered":"Farmer Wants A Wife stars call for shake-up: ‘It’s not what it was’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Farmer Wants A Wife<\/a> could be set for its biggest overhaul yet, with Channel Seven reportedly reviewing everything from casting to the host\u2019s chair after a season that\u2019s left even former stars uneasy.<\/p>\n

According to industry sources who spoke to Sky News<\/a>, the network is questioning why so few of this year\u2019s farmers appear to have found lasting love \u2013 and whether the show\u2019s heavy focus on drama<\/a> is to blame.<\/p>\n

Now, former contestant Keeley Rankin, who found love with Farmer Corey Manwaring<\/a> last year, and Farmer Will Simpson and Jess Cova<\/a> from the 2022 season, have opened up to Woman\u2019s Day about the show\u2019s new direction.<\/p>\n

\"\"(Credit: Seven)<\/p>\n

\u201cGo back to basics\u201d<\/p>\n

Keeley <\/a>says the show needs to return to casting for compatibility rather than conflict.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think Farmer needs to go back to casting people based on their compatibility rather than their ability to be produced and create drama,\u201d she tells us.<\/p>\n

She says the drama <\/a>seen this season \u2013 particularly involving controversial contestant Miranda Chopping<\/a> \u2013 has been disappointing, and that the show\u2019s current format leaves audiences without a real connection to the farmers or their lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere is the farm work? Where are the ladies\u2019 storylines? I feel like we know so little about the farmers, their farms and their ladies,\u201d she says, adding that the constant \u201ccatty\u201d framing makes it hard for viewers to root for anyone.<\/p>\n

Keeley believes the answer is simple: more authenticity and less manufactured drama.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith more authentic tweaks the show can continue its legacy of producing lasting relationships,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

She also questions whether contestants are being given a genuine chance to connect at all, pointing to rumours that this year\u2019s cast had limited phone access and little unsupervised time with the farmers.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think missing out on really getting to know someone without the awkwardness of a whole production crew watching you would contribute to this outcome,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\"\"(Credit: Seven)<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s taken a really weird turn\u201d<\/p>\n

Couple Will and Jess<\/a>, who also found each other on the show, say they\u2019ve barely watched recent seasons \u2013 and admit what they have seen doesn\u2019t sit right.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s taken a really weird turn, it\u2019s just not what it was like when we went through it,\u201d Jess says, adding that because their own relationship is so tied to the show, watching it head in a different direction feels uncomfortable and as though it\u2019s been \u201ctainted\u201d.<\/p>\n

Will says he understands the pressure networks are under to chase ratings and even felt it himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s their job to sell and to get views, so we understand that, but it\u2019s probably not up our alley at the moment the way it\u2019s all going,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Jess says fans have flooded her inbox with the same worry.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had so many messages from people who\u2019ve followed us since the early days literally saying how sad it is that the show has turned this way and they\u2019re not going to watch it,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

She admits some scenes \u2013 including the blindfolded physical chemistry test task \u2013 made her uncomfortable to watch, questioning how parents would explain them to their children if they were watching, and says she doesn\u2019t blame the contestants \u2013 just the production choices around them.<\/p>\n

Despite it all, both say they\u2019d tune back in if the show found its way back to its roots.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it went more wholesome again, it is a show that\u2019s seen couples actually coming out on top,\u201d Jess says, adding she still loves watching the farming side of it all. \u201cI guess too if it went more wholesome again\u2026 I feel like there would be a lot of viewers out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Profile\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSenior Content Producer
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tCharlotte Knoke\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tSenior Content Producer\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Charlotte Knoke is a Senior Content Producer at Are Media, where she covers entertainment, lifestyle, and pop culture for Woman’s Day. With three years in the industry, Charlotte has written across titles including Now To Love, TV WEEK, and WHO Magazine, building expertise across celebrity news, royal family coverage, reality TV, and women’s sport. She has interviewed some of Australia’s biggest names, including on the Logies red carpet, and holds a Bachelor of Communication from the University of Technology Sydney. When she’s not writing, Charlotte can be found on the netball court, working her way through her ever-growing reading list, or planning her next overseas adventure.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Farmer Wants A Wife could be set for its biggest overhaul yet, with Channel Seven reportedly reviewing everything…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":791139,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[64,63,134,427],"class_list":["post-791138","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-entertainment","tag-tv"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/791138","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=791138"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/791138\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/791139"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=791138"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=791138"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=791138"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}