It’s time to round up some cattle and shear some sheep because another season of Farmer Wants A Wife has just kicked off. Can I get a yee-haw?

The 2025 season of Farmer Wants A Wife features four eligible bachelors selected from every corner of rural Australia.

The lineup includes fourth-generation 24-year-old farmer Corey from Biloela, Queensland; 35-year-old wheat farmer Thomas from South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula; and 31-year-old sheep farmer Tom from Borambola, NSW.

The new season also features one of the youngest farmers ever, 21-year-old sheep farmer and country singer, Jarrad, who found love early in the season with Chloe.

Farmer Wants A Wife remains Australia’s most successful dating program. But, in true reality TV form, before the new season even began, the drama was drama-ing.

Now that the show has finally begun, we’ve rounded up all the gossip you need to get across.

Farmer Tom is in hot water for his brutal dumping style.

Monday night’s episode of Farmer Wants A Wife delivered a bombshell that left viewers reeling: Farmer Tom, who had appeared to be building a genuine connection with fan favourite Emma, abruptly sent her home.

The decision stunned not just Emma but also the show’s fans, many of whom had pegged the charismatic contestant as an early frontrunner.

Fans were saddened by Emma’s departure. Image: Seven.

In the lead-up to her elimination, Emma (rather awkwardly) spoke about her feelings for Tom, telling him, “I think you’re amazing.”

But Tom’s response was ice-cold. Pulling Emma aside, he said, “I feel like it’s been great getting to know you, for sure. You have a lot of great qualities. But then on the other side of things, I also have other ladies I’ve been getting to know too,” he continued.

Then, with a blank stare, he said “I feel like I have stronger connections with some of the others.”

Emma, visibly stunned, simply replied, “Okay.” Tom added, “I have to make tough decision, it’s not great and you’re such a lovely lady.”

The exchange ended awkwardly, with Tom walking away without offering Emma a hug, or any semblance of comfort. Brutal, hey!

After the dumping aired, some fans posted on social media to criticise both Tom and the show’s producers for what they saw as a lack of empathy for Emma at that moment.

One viewer wrote on the show’s Instagram post: “That was the worst I’ve seen on this show. Absolutely terrible. Em, you’re incredible. You were so open and honest and deserved far more respect from him and the producers than what we just witnessed.”

Another commented, “He could have handled it with so much more dignity and respect… No hug or anything? So disappointing!”

Meet the 2025 Farmer Wants A Wife intruders.

Just as farmers Corey, Thomas and Tom have established strong connections with their current group of potential partners, host Natalie Gruzlewski is about to introduce an unexpected twist.

Intruder alert! Natalie has scoured the country to find four additional potential partners for each farmer.

The farmers will meet some late additions. Image: Seven.

On Monday night, each farmer spent time with the newcomers before selecting two to join the existing group at their respective farms.

For Farmer Thomas, the new arrivals were Jess, 32, a sports manager from NSW who’s optimistic and drawn to Thomas’ genuine nature; Laura, 30, a mine purchasing officer from Queensland seeking a passionate partner; Tayla, 32, a Victorian paramedic who thinks farm life is perfect for raising kids; and Kirrin, 35, an adventurous international flight attendant from NSW.

Farmer Thomas’ intruders. Image: Seven.

Farmer Corey will say ‘howdy’ to Chloe, 25, a sentimental registered nurse from Queensland; Annie, 28, a sales support officer with country roots; Amberlee, 23, a vet nurse and horse lover; and Kailey, 28, a caring medical receptionist from Victoria.

Farmer Corey’s intruders. Image: Seven.

For Farmer Tom, the intruders are Emily, 32, an empathetic social worker; Jenna, 26, a student who values kindness; Mady, 30, a determined police officer; and Tijan, 34, a driven dermal therapist.

Farmer Tom’s intruders. Image: Seven.

It’s about to get a tad crowded, hey!

The new arrivals promise to create drama and test existing relationships. Fun!

The Farmer Wants A Wife salaries are leaked.

Well, well, well… turns out finding love on a farm isn’t just emotionally taxing but financially devastating too. According to former Farmer Wants a Wife contestant Ellen Dunger — who appeared on Farmer Todd Melbourne’s farm in 2024 — the reality show paid her a “ridiculous” amount of money during filming, much of which she didn’t receive until after the show aired.

“Eureka Productions only pay participants $80 per day of filming, and 40 per cent of that is withheld until after the show airs. So essentially, you’re waiting for six months for 40 per cent of $80 a day,” she said.

Image: Channel Seven.

“And even while you’re filming and you’re trying to get the little money that they give you out of them, it’s actually a really difficult task. I think we had to send heaps of emails, like the girls on my farm, to actually get paid. It was ridiculous.”

Perhaps this explains the “mass exodus” this season. Turns out romance can’t blossom when you’re wondering if you can afford petrol for the drive home. Who knew that going on reality TV came at such a huge cost?

Why are so many women quitting Farmer Wants a Wife?

Farmer Wants A Wife fans were left confused during Monday night’s episode when two of Farmer Tom’s potential matches unexpectedly left his farm, less than a day after arriving.

The episode showed Bridget and Emmie-Rose leaving in a Maxi Taxi early in the morning without offering any apparent explanation to Tom. But what actually happened, and why are so many women leaving the show so early in the season?

While the abrupt exit has confused viewers, both women have since shared their respective sides of the story on social media, claiming that “so much” of what actually happened wasn’t included in the broadcast.

Bridget posted an explanation on her dog’s Instagram account on Tuesday morning, claiming that Tom’s behaviour prompted the women’s decision to leave.

“There’s so much the show didn’t reveal. They left out the moment when the farmer was openly rude to [me] in front of everyone, just hours after [I] arrived on the farm,” Bridget alleged. “Other contestants and the House AP immediately checked in with [me].”

Bridget went on to say that this alleged interaction with Farmer Tom is what prompted her to retreat to her room to read as the other contestants helped to prepare dinner, rather than an unwillingness to participate or contribute.

Addressing the criticism that the women left without saying goodbye, Bridget said: “Most importantly, despite everything, both Emmie and [I] graciously thanked Farmer Tom off-camera and wished him well before the film crew even arrived.”

Emmie backed up Bridget’s account in an Instagram story.

“I left the farm because I wasn’t going to settle for disrespect. What was happening behind the scenes didn’t align with who I am or what I stand for.

“There was immaturity, selfishness, and toxic behaviour that I wasn’t willing to tolerate especially from someone I was supposed to be building a connection with. Walking away was the healthiest & BEST choice I could make for myself.”

Another contestant seemingly disappeared from Farmer Thomas’ home on Monday night’s episode. When Clarette, Nathania and Rachael drove to Kimba, South Australia, to meet Claire and Farmer Thomas, viewers quickly noticed that his fifth contestant, Ellen, was conspicuously absent.

This unexplained disappearance prompted people online to question where the contestant had gone. “Where’s Ellen off Farmer Thomas’ farm?” asked one viewer.

While Ellen was missing from Monday night’s episode, she returned during Tuesday night’s broadcast at the season’s first social gathering at Goulburn’s annual rodeo, the Goulburn Bullarama.

Ellen’s absence won’t be addressed within the show itself, but Yahoo Lifestyle has reported that she was ill during the period between filming the speed dates and relocating to Farmer Thomas’ property.

This follows Claire and Rosie both choosing to leave Farmer Wants A Wife earlier in the season, leaving their respective farmers, Tom and Corey, behind. The ladies are dropping like flies!

A potential partner swap.

The off-camera drama is already heating up, and it involves an unexpected connection between one FWAW contestant and… wait for it… a farmer who she was not originally matched with.

Ella Wagner, a Queensland registered nurse, initially set her sights on Farmer Jarrad during Monday night’s episode. Unfortunately for Ella, Jarrad wasn’t feeling the chemistry and sent her home after the speed dating round.

Image: Instagram/ellalouisewagner_

While Ella’s journey on the show was cut short, it appears she may have found a deeper connection with another farmer after all — one who did not actually make it to filming. In the leaked photos obtained by Yahoo Lifestyle, Ella appears to be spending time with Farmer Jack Reid (known as “Reidy”) over the Easter long weekend.

Interestingly, Farmer Reidy — a banana and avocado farmer from Mareeba in Far North Queensland — was originally advertised as part of this season’s lineup but never made it to filming. While the 2025 season features only four farmers (Corey, Tom, Thomas and Jarrad), Reidy was among the initial potential farmers before the group was reduced.

Farmer Reidy was intiially on the billing for the 2025 season. Image: Farmer Wants A Wife.

The pair appear to have substantial common ground — both share a passion for fishing and country living, and they grew up less than an hour apart in Queensland. This geographical and lifestyle compatibility might explain their apparent chemistry in the leaked photos. Are they a new item or just friends? I guess time will only tell.

Two contestants spoil their ending.

In a classic case of social media spoilers, two contestants from Farmer Wants A Wife 2025 have already spoilt their endings by revealing their relationship status before the show premiered.

One of these rogue contestants is Emmie-Rose Shore, who was vying for Farmer Tom’s heart on the wholesome reality dating show.

The 29-year-old fitness coach posted a loved-up photo on Instagram with a mystery man who is decidedly not her assigned farmer, captioning it with a simple “My Love”. Talk about spilling the beans before the season even kicks off!

The second contestant, Ellie Heazlewood, also appears to have dropped major hints about her fate on the show through social media posts, effectively ruining any suspense about whether she found lasting love with her farmer. Spoiler: she did not.

Image: Instagram/ellieheazlewood

In March, the 26-year-old childhood educator made her relationship with new boyfriend Byron official on Instagram, confirming she didn’t ultimately find love with Farmer Corey on the show.

Byron even showed his playful side on Ellie’s Farmer Wants A Wife announcement post, commenting: “I wonder if she will have any luck [on the show].”

While the show’s producers were likely hoping to keep viewers guessing until the finale, these contestants clearly had other plans.

Farmer Wants A Wife has a new-ish host.

Along with some fresh-faced farmers, viewers with be greeted with a brand new host following the departure of Samantha Armytage who left Channel Seven earlier this year.

And by ‘new host’, I mean ‘old host’ because the one and only Natalie Gruzlewski will return to front the series for its 15th season, as announced at the Seven Upfronts.

Fans will know Natalie as the original host of the reality show. She was at the helm when FWAW first aired on Channel Nine from 2007 to 2012 before she returned on the Channel Seven reboot in 2020. And now, she’s back again!

Image: Channel Seven.

Nat is a fan favourite on the show, with viewers thrilled to see her returning to her old stomping ground.

Meanwhile, Armytage has a brand new gig over at Channel Nine, with the network announcing at their own Upfronts that she will host The Golden Bachelor in 2025. The series is an adaption of the popular US spin-off series, which was led by 72-year-old Gerry Turner.

Everything we can expect from the 2025 season.

At the Upfronts, Seven Chief Content Officer Brook Hall teased that the new season will be “really pure” and “authentic”.

“We’re actually filming this week, the final decisions and a couple of farmers are very, very happy where they are. So I think we’re going to have more of those success stories again,” he said.

Bring on the wholesome content! And meet the farmers here.

Feature image: Channel Seven.