The premiere episode of Farmer Wants a Wife took a dramatic turn on Monday when a contestant suddenly collapsed after being rejected by Farmer Jason. The incident occurred during the Channel Seven reality show, leaving cast and crew in a panic.
Dramatic Collapse on Set
Bene, 31, a customer service worker from Queensland, was one of the women vying for the affections of Farmer Jason, 37. However, she failed to win his heart and became one of the first eliminated from the series. After Jason thanked her and fellow contestant Britt for participating, Bene seemed to accept the rejection gracefully, telling him he had "made a good decision" and giving him a hug. Moments later, she stumbled backward and collapsed to the floor.
As panic ensued, Jason rushed to catch her, and Britt tried to hold her up. Presenter Nat Gruzlewski called out, "We need a medic!" prompting medical staff to rush to Bene's aid. Fortunately, she recovered after a few moments, but described the incident as the "most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to me." Jason expressed concern, saying, "To see Bene fall down, it was a hard thing to watch. I hope she's ok."
Behind the Scenes Pressure
Speaking after the show aired, Bene explained that her collapse was due to the intense pressures of filming. She told Woman's Day: "It was referred to as a medical emergency, but there was nothing serious to worry about. Everyone was amazing – they grabbed water, sugar, everything straight away. It was just the embarrassment, really."
She added: "You see five, 10 minutes on the show, but what you don't see is the literal months that went into even just getting on the plane to go to filming. As soon as I clocked that Jason had picked his five and I wasn't one of them, my brain was disappointed, but my body got that relief that we can stop running on adrenaline – and down I went."
Despite her dramatic exit, Bene said participating in the show was a "once in a lifetime experience." Farmer Wants a Wife airs Monday and Tuesday evenings on Channel Seven and is available on 7plus.
