It seemed like Farmer Bert had met his match in the very first episode of Farmer Wants A Wife 2024.
The fourth-generation pineapple, dragon fruit and pumpkin farmer from Queensland was momentarily lost for words when he was first introduced to 32-year-old customer service worker, Karli, during the speed dating round at The Convent.
A clip of Bert struggling to speak was played so frequently in the promos that fans began to suspect that Karli would be the woman he chooses in the finale episode.
The 33-year-old told Refinery29 Australia that his instant attraction to Karli was genuine.
“There were times there where I was definitely a bit lost for words but there was probably a bit of clever editing in there as well,” he told Refinery29 Australia over the phone.
In the weeks since, Bert’s connection with Karli has grown and he has also formed connections with the other women on the farm including Caitlin, who currently has the best odds to win Bert’s heart on Sportsbet.
However, since the beginning of the season there has been a consistent rumour that the 30-year-old leaves the show alone and doesn’t choose anyone in the finale episode. There’s also been a rumour that Bert leaves the show early.
Refinery29 Australia spoke with Bert over the phone about the rumours, and while he was tight-lipped about how the show would pan out during our conversation, he did give us some insight into why he might have decided to walk away from the show alone.
“Right time, right place, right person,” Farmer Bert told Refinery29 Australia. “I say that a few times in the show, and for me, I don’t see the point of being in a relationship if you’re not fully committed. You’re just wasting each other’s time and it’s not very respectful.”
“If the person is right, I’m 100 per cent in,” he adds.
The conversation comes after this week, Yahoo! Lifestyle reported that an ‘insider’ claims Bert leaves the show early after clashing with the producers. “Farmer Bert was really sweet and it was sad to see him being treated like a prop. These two male producers had come from filming FBoy Island and obviously wanted conflict,” the insider told the publication.
“He actually felt uncomfortable with his producers and their suggestions on how to handle the remaining women,” they continued. “He no longer felt like he could go on and pretend just for the show.”
Speaking with Refinery29, Bert hints that the last few days on the show were by far the toughest and he didn’t take his final decision lightly.
“I think that I’m no different to any of the other guys or girls who are involved in the show,” he explains. “Those last days are incredibly tough, and you know that at one point or another, you’re going to hurt at least one person.”
“So, it’s pretty tough,” he continues. “Like I said before, going into the whole experience, none of us are there to sort of hurt anyone. But at the end of the day, you can only pick one lady.”
Farmer Bert added that he knew this when he signed up for the show. “I guess that’s the nature of the beast and you can’t really get out of it without hurting someone,” he said.
In thinking about his final choice and final days on the show, Bert has said that he doesn’t take the decision “lightly”.
“That last choice is obviously something that plays on your mind,” he says. “There’s obviously something truly wonderful that can come from it. But the flip side of that coin is you do have to let somebody down. Nobody takes that final choice lightly and it is a tough few days at the end.”
Farmer Wants A Wife 2024 continues 7.30pm Monday and Tuesday on Channel 7 and 7plus.