After the finale of Farmer Wants a Wife, media outlets have mostly focused its attention to Missouri farmer Matt Neustadt and Dallas native Brooke Ward, who won the reality dating series.  Now, we focus our attention to Christa Ackerman, the runner-up who went home with a broken heart.

"I had an absolute blast with you ... and I feel terrible.  I feel a stronger bond with Brooke.  I'll never forget you," Matt Neustadt told Christa Ackerman at the time.

A Delhi Township native, Ackerman was one of the 10 contestants seeking the heart of 29-year-old Matt Neustadt.  Since the April 30 premiere of Farmer Wants a Wife, the 22-year-old Seton High School graduate was considered a central character, often bad-mouthing 23-year-old Brooke Ward and another devout Christian, whom she called "Bible beaters."

In a recent interview with Cincinnati.com, Christa Ackerman said she was surprised that she fell for the farmer during the taping last summer.

"I had no idea exactly how deeply feelings and relationships would go.  I went into it with an open heart, and took each situation and kind of went with it.  I didn't think I'd experience the deep feelings I had for Matt," Ackerman said.

Neustadt didn't take Ackerman as her wife but that doesn't mean that she's dwelling on her brokenhearted state.  At present, she's busy managing the Empire Hotel rooftop bar near Lincoln Center, while taking dance, voice and acting lessons.  She also hopes to perform Broadway musicals, though she's not sure that her reality TV exposure on Farmer Wants a Wife will help her fulfill that dream.

"This definitely has opened some doors for me.  People know who I am.  But my goal is doing musical theater, and I don't see this furthering that aspect of my career," the Farmer Wants a Wife runner-up said.


-Kris De Leon, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: cincinnati.com
(Image courtesy of ABC)