Ty Ferrell rides a horse during his roping competition in Episode 5 of Farmer Wants a Wife Season 2.
Ty Ferrell, a 42-year-old cowboy and insurance adjuster from Sikeston, Missouri, chose not to continue a relationship with either of his final two ladies, Melody Fernandez and Megan Lay.
Many viewers of the show — and, it seemed, Megan herself — were blindsided by Ty’s decision to end his relationship with Megan, saying he saw their connection as more of a friendship.
But, Ty said, it’s not quite as simple as the final edit made it seem. Ty and Megan’s breakup scene in the finale took up about five minutes of screen time, but in reality, Ty said it took about an hour and a half to film, and was filmed over multiple takes.
Leading up to filming the finale was tough for Ty, as he knew going into it he wouldn’t be picking either of the women.
“I was a wreck for like a day-and-a-half,” Ty said. “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.”
And while Ty and Megan ended on a bad note when filming wrapped in late November, they’ve since remained friends. Ty said they had a four-hour long phone call a few days after filming the finale, and talked throughout the airing of Season 2.
But viewers of the show don’t get the inside knowledge about filming, and many reacted accordingly online after the finale aired, upset with Ty for breaking Megan’s heart.
Ty, who’s kept up with Farmer Wants a Wife content online, read a lot of negative comments and messages about him the day after that final episode.
“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,” Ty said. “I never thought I would be somebody on TV that was basically polarizing.”
He said he felt like he often came across as cold and unfeeling on camera, but in reality, he’s quite the opposite.
“I’m a feeler, to be honest,” Ty said. “I’m not portrayed like that at all.”
Filming of the show took place over six weeks, and included long, 12-hour days of filming. That’s a lot of footage that doesn’t make the final cut.
But that’s not to say none of Ty’s more vulnerable moments didn’t get captured on screen.
When Ty and Amy Bryant decided to part ways in Episode 6, the emotions were felt all throughout the set.
“Our producer was crying. I think a couple of the camera guys were crying,” Ty said. “That was a very real, intimate moment.”
Ty had never seen Season 1 of Farmer Wants a Wife, but when a friend reached out to him and told him the show was casting for Season 2, he decided to go for it. Sikeston has a population of about 16,000 and is approximately two hours from the nearest airport, which Ty said has made dating difficult.
After watching Season 1 and seeing the show brought women directly to the farm, Ty thought it would be a great way to meet a potential partner looking for a rural lifestyle.
“It was a once in a lifetime experience and a chance to find somebody,” Ty said. “And that was the reason that made it all worth it.”
But the 42-year-old single father soon realized he might not be able to find what he’s searching for, as casting women closer to his age proved difficult. Ty said he would have liked to have women on his farm that were his age or even older. The women that ended up being cast for Ty’s farm were between the ages of 31 and 38, and most of them wanted children one day, which turned out to be a bit of a sticking point.
“I’ve never been like, ‘oh I want a younger woman,'” Ty said. “I want somebody that I can do my life with.”
While Ty didn’t leave the show with someone to do life with, he did leave with three new, close friends: the other farmers of Season 2, Mitchell Kolinsky, Brandon Rogers and Nathan Smothers.
When the show filmed group outings, producers tried to keep the four farmers apart, but Ty said they quickly rebelled because they just liked hanging out with each other.
Though the season wrapped filming in November and the reunion was filmed in December, the four farmers are still close, and talk regularly in group chats. Being the only four farmers who experienced filming a reality TV show seems to have brought them together.
“It’s a trauma bond,” Ty said. “Because only everybody that is living that life knows what it’s like.”
Though it was sometimes tough to watch, Ty enjoyed seeing the show play out through the viewers’ perspectives and would seek out Farmer Wants a Wife content online and on social media.
“It’s interesting to hear people’s perspective like that,” Ty said. “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.”
He kept up with Lancaster Farming’s Farmer Wants a Wife recaps, too, and even answered the season-long debate that our executive editor Steve Seeber started: what are these farmers drinking?
For Ty, his go-to adult beverages of choice are Yuengling beer, red wine and Bulleit rye whiskey on ice.