During the eight episode run of the CW’s Farmer Wants a Wife, many viewers were skeptical about the legitimacy of the show. Was Farmer Matt Neustadt really a nice, down to earth country boy, or would there be a big twist at the end revealing him to be a rich billionaire? Did he actually have any intention of settling down with one of the contestants, or was it all reality TV manipulation? In this day and age when shows like The Hills pass as “reality,” it’s natural to be skeptical.
After sitting down to interview Matt and Farmer Wants a Wife winner Brooke, I can confidently say that there’s nothing to be skeptical about. The couple is just as nice, genuine and completely smitten with one another as they appeared to be on television. Read on to find out if Matt and Brooke stayed together after the show ended, and what their plans are for the future.
Hi, this is Don with BuddyTV, and today I’m talking to Matt and Brooke from Farmer Wants a Wife. Before we talk about the show Matt, I was wondering how you were doing after the floods, and maybe what people can do to help out over there?
Matt: Actually, we’re in the midst of the floods right now. It’s actually worse than it was last week. The water’s still coming up, so it’s not really “after” yet, but we’re hoping it’ll be after real soon. I think the most that people can do is just contact the local Red Cross I would say, and find out where the concentrations of people are and really how they’re being utilized. Whether it be sandbagging, filling bags, or just running food or water, anything like that. If nothing else, if they want to make a monetary donation I’m sure they could do that too.
Moving on to the show, the one thing everyone wants to know on our website is if you guys are still together and if there’s a wedding actually planned.
Matt: B, you want to take this one?
Brooke: Well, there’s no wedding planned yet. We are definitely seeing where it goes, I guess. I don’t know. [laughs]
Matt: I would say we’re very optimistic about seeing what we can do from here on out. We haven’t had the chance to spend as much time together as we’d like, due to the fact that we couldn’t be seen together for so long. But I have some pretty strong feelings for her, I think she has the same for me, and I’d like to see where it goes. I’m actually very excited about seeing where it goes, but I don’t think we’re naïve enough to say that we’re getting married tomorrow or anything.
Brooke: Yeah. He hit it right on the spot.
Brooke, are you still living in California right now?
Brooke: Yes, but I am actually moving in a couple weeks.
Moving to Missouri, or somewhere else?
Brooke: Ah, good question! Yeah, I’m actually going to move to Missouri. Just to be close to him, because we haven’t been able to hang out since all of this has happened. It’s just been really hard, so now that we actually have a chance to be a normal couple and really get to know each other and spend time together, I would love nothing more than to be near him and move. So yeah.
Matt, what made you decide to get involved with the show?
Matt: I actually never heard about the show before, and I was contacted by a casting director. I did a lot of praying about it, and that’s basically it. I prayed and prayed about it, and to a lot of people maybe that sounds weird, but whatever. I like to think that I’m following my heart and what God leads me to do, and the more that I looked into it and the more that I prayed about it, it seemed like the more He wanted me to do it. Trust me, it sounded crazy to me too. I had no idea what He had in store for me, but I knew that I had to be man enough to follow my heart and do what I thought was right. Regardless of whether it’s a reality TV show or not, it seemed like the experience of a lifetime. I’m not the type of guy that wants to regret not doing something out of fear in my life, and I think it had a pretty good outcome. Maybe God led me to someone special.
Same question for you, Brooke. What made you decide to do the show?
Brooke: Well, I was actually in L.A. at the time when I found out about the show, and I was really sick of living here and I just wanted a change. Obviously I moved out here for acting, so it was very appealing to me just to even be on TV. I actually never expected that I would have feelings for someone, or even remotely think about leaving my life here and moving to be with someone. It definitely did not. . .it was amazing actually, to just go and do something so crazy and then actually have feelings for someone. It’s such a wild ride, and it is weird because everyone is really confused. A lot of confusion about where I’m from, what my intentions were. I did it because I wanted to do acting, but now things change. I think God has a way of working everything out.
Matt, were the people in your town always open to being on the show, or did that take some convincing?
Matt: Some of them were, and some of them were a little bit hesitant, naturally. In any type of television at all, I think sometimes when country folk, and farmers definitely, but country folk in general are portrayed, they’re not always portrayed as the brightest bunch and stuff like that. People have a stereotype of what they think farmers and country folk are all about, and I always welcome it because it really couldn’t be further from the truth. Every chance I get I break that stereotype. I think a few of them were skeptical, but the support I’ve gotten, especially the last few weeks while the show’s airing, couldn’t have been more supportive. At times though I was skeptical myself. I really didn’t know what was going on, and like I said before I just wanted to follow my heart. But they were definitely open enough to help out and everything, like you saw on TV. The response has been positive, and I couldn’t thank them for being so supportive any more than I have already.
Brooke, now that you’ve seen the show was it awkward to go back and watch Matt go out on dates with all the other women?
Brooke: Oh yeah. [laughs] It is hard just watching. I guess what’s worse for me is just seeing him kind of look at other girls in a certain way. It’s just like oh, don’t do that, look at me that way! But I understand. It’s just such a weird situation and stuff, so I don’t hold any grudges or anything. I just told him that he cannot look at other girls that way any more ever again, and he can only look at me that way. [laughs] But yeah, it’s definitely hard to watch, but it’s okay because it’s over and yay, we can finally just get on with our lives now.
Matt, when would you say Brooke pulled ahead of the competition? Was it on your date together or was it before that?
Matt: I would say it was on the hay ride, around the third day. Yeah, is that quick enough? I think Miss B had a leg up on the competition from then on. She definitely knew I wanted her in the top two, and I had to work for the next three weeks to not show any affection, or attention, or anything like that that would lead the other girls to believe that somebody was already out in front.
Brooke, when I was watching the episode last night I thought for sure that Matt was going to pick Christa, and you seemed to think that too.
Brooke: Yeah.
What was your reaction when you were up on stage and you found out you won?
Brooke: Oh man. Honestly, I was about to cry. We were standing on stage and I was so just in panic mode. I did not even know what was going on in my head, I just knew that I was about to cry either way. Then I saw that it was my name and I had really no words. I was just totally speechless and so happy, and it was especially just mind-blowing. I was so overwhelmed and happy, but yet sad too because Christa’s right there. It’s so much at once that you can’t even describe it. It was definitely the happiest moment, yet bittersweet because Christa was there too. It was definitely hard to have such a great moment right there when she’s got to turn around and be sent back to the city. It was just really weird.
Matt: I don’t think that anybody can actually perceive or understand the emotional roller coaster that this was. Regardless of if you want to call this just another reality TV show or what, when you throw so many people from different backgrounds all into one big situation, the amount of stress and the emotions that fly are more than I can convey. It doesn’t matter who was there for what reason, it doesn’t mean that real emotions, connections and bonds weren’t formed, and hearts weren’t broken and stuff like that. That’s just the truth.
Matt, aside from meeting Brooke, how would you say your life has changed since the show aired?
Matt: I would say I’ve been trying to keep it as normal as possible, other than the fact that I talk to people like you on a daily basis now. The interviews and stuff like that, I’ve done some traveling, definitely haven’t had the opportunity to do that before. But like I said, I try to keep it as normal as possible. I do get recognized here and there, and sometimes it’s kind of fun and sometimes not so much. I don’t know. I think more than anything I have a newfound respect for television in general, and especially reality TV. I know a little bit more than the average bear, I would say now. Other than that, I guess that’s pretty much it. I’m sorry if I’m off track here and there, but people are throwing sandbags all around me, looking at me all ridiculous and calling me “Hollywood.” [laughs]
Brooke, it seemed like you and Christa had a rivalry going ever since the toilet papering incident.
Brooke: Oh, that was so lame.
Do you feel like you two ever bonded? Did you ever get past that?
Brooke: You know, it’s weird, because we immediately were best friends when it came on, or when we met, we were hanging out all the time. Obviously you don’t see as much of that. You don’t see much of anything. But we were hanging out, we were having so much fun, and she really is a great girl. I think we both knew that we were the only. . .I mean, I’m sure everyone had feelings at some point, but it was like me and her really, really cared for him early on, and it was easy to see that. I think that’s what did it: we both knew that it wasn’t just a game anymore. That’s kind of what pushed her away from me, and we go about things totally different. If she sees any kind of competition she’s going to try to bring it down. I’m more standoffish, everybody do their own thing, if it’s not me then it’s not supposed to be, or if it is you then it’s supposed to be. I just kind of think that things will work themselves out. We just really didn’t get along after that. But then even in the end it kind of makes us look like we were totally catty, but actually we just hung out and we knew the situation wasn’t the best. I tried to make the best of it, and I think she did too at the end. You know, you just do what you can when you’re in such a weird situation.
Matt, I’m wondering if you ever ended up giving Josie her parting gift?
Matt: Um, I will say that Josie did get a parting gift. The gift that I would have liked to have given Josie would have been my size 13 boot, but I tried to be a little bit more of a gentleman than that. I think the television show did very well the way they portrayed Josie. I know a different Josie. [laughs]
Brooke: [laughs] Don’t we all?
Matt: She got a gift, but it may not have been from me. She got something though, we’ll put it that way. I’m sorry I have to be vague about that, but there’s more to Josie than you’ll ever see, trust me. There’s a lot more to her.
So now that the show is over what’s in the future for both of you?
Matt: For me I think it’s getting to know Miss B a lot better, and anything that God lies in store for us. I’m open to anything, and I just want to take it one day at a time. As far as any publicity or am I looking for anything special out of it? No, absolutely not. I just want to continue to farm, and if God brings something new and special my way I want to pray about it, and if it’s the right thing to do and I feel right then I want to be man enough to do it. But I’d just like to be able to spend time with Miss B and get to know her. That’s in my future plans.
And how about you, Brooke?
Brooke: Yeah, same thing. Well not to get to know me, to get to know him, obviously. I’m definitely gonna move there. The plans aren’t necessarily. . .I don’t know honestly what’s going on, all I know is that I want to be there, so I’m gonna move, ’cause I’m a smitten kitten. I’m just kind of praying about it and seeing exactly where God’s going to lead me. I do have a degree, I can get a job, so I’m not worried about that. But as far as having everything else figured out yet, no, I don’t have everything figured out. I just know I’m gonna move and get to know him, and that’s first on the list.
– Interview conducted by Don Williams
(Image courtesy of the CW)
Staff Writer, BuddyTV
