Here are 7 takeaways from the 'Farmer Wants a Wife' Season 2 reunion featuring Wisconsin's own Grace Girard
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Warning: Spoilers ahead from Fox's "Farmer Wants a Wife" Season 2
This season of Fox's "Farmer Wants a Wife" had as many ups and downs as an old country road.
We left the Season 2 finale feeling all warm and fuzzy after Wisconsin sweetheart Grace Girard was chosen by Farmer Brandon Rogers.
But, after Thursday night's reunion? Yeah, not as much.
"The last time we saw our four farmers, they just decided who they'd like to pursue a future with," host and country star Jennifer Nettles said on the show. "Since then, their relationships have faced their toughest challenge yet — real life. And now, we get to find out what happened next."
With Nettles at the helm, the three couples that came out of this season took a stroll down memory lane and shared what they've been up to since filming.
And, of course, Nettles asked them the question on everyone's mind: Are they still together?
The show also brought back Farmer Ty Ferrell and his two final daters, neither of whom he picked during the finale. Plus, a couple of past daters, like fiery Reba Wood from Rogers' farm.
Rogers' first solo date went to her. But, their relationship began to shift as Wood's disdain for fellow dater Joy Mayfield grew. Feeling shafted over the attention the farmer was paying Mayfield, Wood would dramatically leave the show.
Here are seven takeaways from the reunion:
Farmer Brandon Rogers and Grace Girard reveal when they first felt something between the two of them
"Honestly, first felt something on our first speed date," Girard said. "And, throughout the process, I feel like he did allow me to really open up and be vulnerable with somebody. I think he really pushed the boundaries on that for me and allowed me that space to do that. So, I feel like we had a really nice, steady build of our connection."
A snippet of their speed date was shown, where Girard was telling Rogers that she had just learned how to drive a tractor.
"Then you're hired, maybe," he joked with her as she laughed.
The farmers went on speed dates with eight women on premiere night and chose five of them to invite back to their farms.
"Our speed date did go really well, but for me, she was also a sense of grounding through this whole process as well," Rogers said at the reunion.
During a lot of chaotic times, Rogers said, Girard could tell he was stressed and was a sense of calmness for him.
What Farmer Brandon Rogers and Grace Girard did after filming
"First, Grace stayed in Colorado," Rogers said.
They toured San Luis Valley together, went to the sand dunes, checked out a couple local dive bars — "what Grace loves" — met up with his friends and just spent time together, Rogers shared.
"It was really nice," he said.
Clips were shown of Rogers helping Girard shoot pool, Girard doing her best "Baywatch" run through the dunes, Girard with Rogers' family and the couple cheersing with plastic soda cups.
"This looks like it was a lot of fun and that you've been doing a lot of wonderful things," Nettles said. "But, I think the question that everybody wants to know is: Are you two still together?"
Are Farmer Brandon Rogers and Grace Girard still together?
Nope.
"We are not actually together," Rogers said as Girard let out a sigh.
After spending time on the show together and after, Rogers said, he felt strongly for Girard and that she was an amazing woman, but their connection became a strong friendship that didn't grow into the romantic one he was looking for.
Girard, holding back tears, wiped a couple from her eyes as he spoke.
"It was really hard for me to kind of just hear that, you know, his logic with all of it," Girard said. "Definitely, I think my feelings were more apparent or stronger for Brandon than maybe his were for me. I was always hopeful that it was going to end in this beautiful happy ending where it works out. But, at the same time, I think we gave it our all and that's all you can ask for."
Are Farmer Brandon Rogers and Grace Girard still hopeful about finding love in the future?
"Absolutely, yeah," Girard said. "This experience has really opened me into a different type of person."
Rogers said he is "definitely" open to finding it in the future.
"You just never know," he said.
How Grace Girard felt about dating someone who was also dating other women
Early on, Girard adopted the mentality that she was going to pretend that each dater was dating someone different, she said with a laugh. That really helped her.
"So, my boyfriend's different than your boyfriend and your boyfriend and your boyfriend," she explained.
Solo dates were one of the only opportunities the farmers had to have one-on-one time with a particular dater without all of the others around, Rogers said.
Even when it wasn't her turn for a date, Girard said, Rogers offered her reassurance, which she was "super-appreciative" of.
But, the one-on-ones did alter the dynamic of the house, Girard said, and made daters overthink, which was already easy to do, given the circumstances.
"Generally, I'm not a very jealous person, so it was like definitely a test for that," she said. "And, just battling those thoughts of jealousy and finding the inner peace to get through that."
Farmer Brandon Rogers says Reba Wood might've been right about Joy Mayfield's intentions
"Brandon, there was a bit of tension on your farm among the ladies," Nettles said.
The reunion cut to a tense scene on his farm, where Mayfield was confronting Wood about calling her fake and not liking how much she smiles.
"I'm joyful," Mayfield said. Her name is Joy after all.
Wood interrupted Mayfield to double down on calling her fake and said she "just can't stand inauthenticity."
Right after the clip was shown, Wood apologized to Rogers.
"There's nothing wrong with being strong-willed and having strong feelings towards something," Rogers assured her.
Wood said she grew less attracted to Rogers the more time he spent with Mayfield since they're "completely opposite."
Rogers and Mayfield had a rough first solo date, but a breakthrough that came weeks later propelled their relationship forward. Their second one-on-one felt like a major comeback.
Around that time, Nettles essentially told the farmers in a letter that they had to narrow down their daters to two by the end of the day with hometown visits on the way.
At dinner that night, Mayfield asked to speak with Rogers privately.
Mayfield told Rogers that she had only ever taken one person home to meet her family and that was someone she was in love with. She wasn't sure if she was ready to take that step with Rogers and didn't think they would ever get there.
Blindsided and heartbroken, Rogers — in a confessional — second-guessed how much he put into rekindling things with Joy.
Rogers would call this "the biggest letdown and the hardest goodbye."
"Now looking at it, do you think Reba might have been right about Joy's intentions?" Nettles asked Rogers at the reunion.
"Absolutely," Rogers said as Wood clapped. "Obviously, Reba had good insight and I probably should've listened to her. But, in that moment, it was upsetting and it was hard because I felt like I was doing my best and trying to figure out who's real, who's not."
"I don't feel like I was trying to force my opinions on you," Wood said to Rogers. "I wanted you to figure it out. I just didn't think it would take you so long. That's where I was at."
Now, if only Mayfield was there to say her piece ...
What couples stayed together from 'Farmer Wants a Wife' Season 2?
Farmer Nathan Smothers and Taylor BeDell
Farmer Mitchell Kolinsky and Sydney Errera
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Farmer Wants a Wife Season 2 reunion recap featuring Grace, Brandon
