Ty Ferrell, who was one of four farmers looking for love on the second season of Fox’s Farmer Wants a Wife, has opened up about his experiences on the show and why he made that shocking finale decision.
During the final episode of the dating reality show on May 9, Ferrell blindsided Melody Fernandez and Megan Lay, his final two ladies, by choosing to end his relationship with them both. It was especially shocking for Lay, whom Ferrell had said was more than just a friend.
While the decision took up five minutes of screen time and came as a surprise to viewers, Ferrell said the breakup scene with Lay actually lasted about an hour and a half and was filmed over multiple takes. He also said he was a “wreck” in the days leading up to the finale.
“I was a wreck for like a day-and-a-half,” Ferrell told LancasterFarming.com. “It was a very emotional time for me because I knew that I was basically going to have to tell Megan that she wasn’t my person. And it did blindside her.”
However, even though things ended on a sour note during filming, Ferrell explained that he and Lay have remained friends, having had a four-hour-long phone call a few days after filming the finale.
Ty and Megan in the “The Final Decisions” episode of FARMER WANTS A WIFE; Jeff Neira/FOX.
Those watching at home didn’t know this, though, so the reaction online to Ferrell’s heartbreaking decision caused quite a stir. The 42-year-old cowboy and insurance adjuster from Sikeston, Missouri, said he received a lot of negative comments from fans after the finale aired.
“It was tough the day after (the finale) reading all the things because I was portrayed in a way that I don’t feel like is me,” he shared. “I never thought I would be somebody on TV that was basically polarizing.”
Ty and Melody in the “The Final Decisions” episode of FARMER WANTS A WIFE; Jeff Neira/FOX.
“It’s interesting to hear people’s perspective like that,” he added, revealing he kept up with fan reaction throughout the series. “Not very many people get to be on this side of it and live your life and then all of a sudden it’s broadcast on TV six months later and you can see what everybody’s thinking.”
Ferrell also said he was surprised by how “cold” and “uncaring” he came across on TV, adding, “I’m a feeler, to be honest. [But] I’m not portrayed like that at all.”
The Missouri native revealed he hadn’t seen Season 1 of Farmer Wants a Wife but applied for the show after a friend reached out and told him the show was casting for a second season. He then watched the first season and thought the show was a great opportunity to find a potential life partner.
However, Ferrell told LancasterFarming that he wished the women on the show would have been closer to his age or older. The women were between the ages of 31 and 38, and many of them wanted to have children someday.
(L-R) Ty Ferrell, Brandon Rogers, Mitchell Kolinsky, and Nathan Smothers in Farmer Wants a Wife Season 2
“I’ve never been like, ‘Oh I want a younger woman,’” the single father said. “I want somebody that I can do my life with.”
Even though Ferrell didn’t find a woman to spend the rest of his life with, he did make some new lifelong friends with his fellow love-seeking farmers, Mitchell Kolinsky, Brandon Rogers, and Nathan Smothers.
Ferrell revealed that the producers initially tried to keep the four farmers apart during group outings but eventually gave in because the four liked each other’s company so much.
“It’s a trauma bond,” Ferrell said of his relationship with his fellow Season 2 farmers, noting how they still talk regularly in group chats. “Because only everybody that is living that life knows what it’s like.”