Let’s be honest, reality television isn’t the best place to find love. While Aussie TV is blessed with a bunch of brilliant, entertaining dating shows, the rate of successful relationships blossoming shows like Love Island or Married At First Sight (MAFS), don’t exactly inspire confidence. Despite this, there is one Australian reality TV show that statistically comes out more successful than the rest — Farmer Wants A Wife (FWAW).
With approximately 22 couples still together, and 27 children reportedly born from relationships formed on the show, FWAW‘s long-term relationship outcomes seem to outpace other dating formats like MAFS or Love Island Australia. Based on the number of lasting couples compared with matches on the show, FWAW is estimated to be around 2.5 times more successful than MAFS.
But what is it behind the show’s seemingly superior match-making formular? Is it the wholesome reputation the show has? Or a slower pace of romance behind-the-scenes?
Well, according to a relationship expert Christine Rafe, FWAW‘s Keeley Rankin and MAFS‘ Tahnee Cook, the surprising recipe for a dating show with successful relationship outcomes may have less to do with fairy-tale romance, and more to do with who gets cast, what production is looking for, and the environment the show creates.
The love story starts before filming even begins
Before the first on-camera date, the outcome might already be influenced by one very crucial decision: who gets chosen to go on the show in the first place.
According to Lovehoney sexologist and relationship expert Christine Rafe, the motivations of contestants applying for the show can play a significant role in whether those relationships have what it takes to last in the real world.
“I think the biggest difference is in the contestants’ genuine motivations,” Christine tells TV WEEK.
“I notice that those who are cast on Farmer Wants A Wife are often genuinely looking for a long-term partner, whereas other dating formats appear to be designed and cast with an entertainment lens first and relationships second.”
But if you ask Tahnee Cook, who appeared on season 10 of MAFS in 2023, FWAW’s ‘wholesome’ reputation feeds in to who applies for the show in the first place.
“Generally, people applying for FWAW seem to genuinely want to find a connection. You may get the one drama character type but overall it does feel there’s more wholesome intentions behind being involved in that show,” Tahnee explains, noting that the public perception of MAFS has influenced the type of people its attracts.
“We know the public perception and constant commentary of MAFS cast is that everyone wants to be ‘influencers’ or push their businesses. Which isn’t entirely true, but given the large platform it has compared to FWAW it does attract a different crowd.”
The big boxes are already ticked
For Keeley Rankin, who met her partner Corey on FWAW season 15 in 2025, one of the biggest reasons the show has been so successful is that from the beginning, the women applying on the show have already made one very big concession — they’re willing to pick up their lives and move to a farm.
“When you apply to meet a Farmer, you basically know that you’re signing up to move into someone else’s world,” Keeley explains. “Essentially, before you even meet your Farmer, you’ve already considered compromising, its then just a matter of whether you fall in love with that person enough to make it real.”
Tahnee argues that this is where the formats differ the most.
“The people applying to date the farmer are willing and wanting to fit in their lifestyle so it’s ticking some pretty big boxes off the bat,” she explains.
“Whereas on MAFS we can see people from two completely different walks of life and expect them to work when in reality it probably wouldn’t happen on the outside.”
With some big lifestyle and value points already ticked through the application process, Christine believes that FWAW strips back dating to the basics, allowing couples to focus more on the realities of every-day life and real routines.
“This allows them to explore whether they’re genuinely compatible beyond initial chemistry or how someone looks matches up ‘on paper’,” she explains.
“Lasting relationships are built on a foundation of honesty, shared values and dreams for the future, and a willingness to invest in and prioritise each other.
“Where shows like MAFS throw in challenges meant to cause conflict and drama early on (cue the photo ranking challenge), FWAW encourages more meaningful conversations early on, which may help explain why so many couples continue long after the cameras stop rolling.”
Do the challenges and tasks really inspire longevity?
Something that Tahnee struggled with on MAFS were the tasks given to the couples. While they were said to be designed to help bring them together, Tahnee felt that they were more for shock value or drama.
“Tasks like the photo ranking challenge are not productive or something you would do in real life,” she explained, noting that she felt intimacy week was too soon, “when couples are in early stages of still getting to know each other.”
Meanwhile, Keeley says that while only a smidge of time spent on the farm really made it to screen, she and the rest of the contestants spent hours getting to know Corey. In fact, she believes that the moments viewers never saw may have been the ones that mattered most: the unstructured time where contestants could build a connection without the pressure of a producer-encouraged storyline/
“All of the [girls on our season] spent so much time with Corey playing games, watching movies, listening to music, when there weren’t cameras around, and I strongly believe that’s where the true relationships actually develop,” Keeley explains.
Why does TV’s least chaotic dating show make the strongest couples?
If you’re a big reality television enthusiast, it’s easy to see that FWAW is less dramatic than other dating shows. It takes a slower pace, focuses on whether relationships will last in the real world and places more focus on blossoming romance than bubbling resentment.
While that might be a little bit less attention grabbing or entertaining, perhaps that is where the secret lies. Ultimately, there is no guaranteed formula for finding love. But the contrast between MAFS and FWAW suggests that lasting relationships may have the best chance when genuine connection, shared values and intention are given the space to grow.
And while a slower approach might not always make for the juiciest television, it may just make for the kind of love story viewers keep hoping to see.
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