Farmer Wants A Wife fans didn’t hold back during the season finale, taking to social media to savagely critique Samantha Armytage’s performance as host.
The former Sunrise star’s stint at the helm has left viewers longing for the return of ex-host Natalie Gruzlewski.
One exasperated fan expressed their frustration: ‘I really wish Nat was doing the interviews, Sam just doesn’t come across as authentic and next to all the farmers it’s really jarring.’
Another chimed in, ‘Natalie should be the host. Sam is a pain in the a*se.’
The criticism didn’t stop there. ‘Is it just me or does Sam seem to be talking really loud?’ one viewer questioned, highlighting a common complaint among fans.
Farmer Wants A Wife fans didn’t hold back during the season finale, taking to social media to savagely critique Samantha Armytage’s performance as host
The former Sunrise star’s stint at the helm has left viewers longing for the return of ex-host Natalie Gruzlewski
Natalie, 47, helmed the popular Channel Seven dating show the first eight seasons from 2007 until 2012, and returned in 2020, becoming a firm fan favourite.
However, she was replaced by former Sunrise star Samantha as the main host last year as Natalie appeared in a more ‘scaled-back’ role on the programme.
It comes after Daily Mail Australia revealed that Samantha has signed a massive two-year deal with Farmer Wants A Wife with Channel Seven continuing to make Natalie her understudy
One exasperated fan expressed their frustration: ‘I really wish Nat was doing the interviews, Sam just doesn’t come across as authentic and next to all the farmers it’s really jarring’
Natalie had become a firm fan favourite helming the first eight seasons of the reality TV show from 2007 until 2012, before returning in 2020.
Amid the hosting shake-up, it has been claimed that Samantha, 47, has signed a new contract with Channel Seven, bagging herself another two years on the show.
It has been alleged that Natalie will instead continue in an ‘understudy’ role alongside Samantha, after she only briefly featured on the show’s 2024 series.
It comes after Daily Mail Australia revealed that Samantha has signed a massive two-year deal with Farmer Wants A Wife with Channel Seven continuing to make Natalie her understudy
Natalie had become a firm fan favourite helming the first eight seasons of the reality TV show from 2007 until 2012, before returning in 2020
A source told Daily Mail Australia: ‘This new contract with Channel Seven marks a new era for her with the network.’
‘They had been using her on Farmer to burn her old Sunrise contract but with Sam and the network being happy with the role in Farmer Wants a Wife this is a renegotiation some said would never come.’
‘With the show flying high it was a great time to renegotiate and Samantha is looking forward to getting back out into regional Australia and making new love stories,’ they added.
The source insisted there won’t be any hosting changes to Farmer Wants A Wife next year, despite many disgruntled fans calling for Natalie’s return to the centre stage.
They added that the format will stay the same for the 2025 series, after fans also complained it was becoming like Married At First Sight with its high-drama season.
Amid the hosting shake-up, it has been claimed that Samantha, 47, has signed a new contract with Channel Seven, bagging herself another two years on the show
‘There is no way the network will make any changes to the format next year. The numbers are up and if anything audiences can expect next year to be even more dramatic,’ the source claimed.
‘It is clear that wider audiences love the drama and the network will always chase the ratings.’
‘Channel Seven is already doubling down on Farmer Wants a Wife drama with the upcoming Honeymoon Island.
‘The new reality show makes the drama on Farmer look wholesome. So if those fans are upset now then they should hold onto their hats.’
The 2024 series of Farmer Wants A Wife was arguably the most dramatic, and saw fan favourite Farmer Bert walking away solo after deciding he wasn’t ready for a relationship.
Samantha first joined the dating show as a ‘guest host’, but her minor role has now been expanded while Natalie is ‘scaling back’ her duties
However, it was later claimed that he left the series because of all the ‘drama he had been pushed into creating on the show’.
‘He was done being a puppet for the producers on his farm who continued to push him and the ladies into creating drama,’ an insider told Yahoo Lifestyle.
‘Farmer Bert was really sweet and it was sad to see him being treated like a prop.’
Despite the changes, industry insiders are tipping that Farmer Wants A Wife will most likely eclipse the other programming scheduled in the back end of 2024.
Farmer Wants A Wife reportedly increased by 16 per cent when Samantha joined the team in 2023 and it has become Channel Seven’s highest-rated reality TV series.
