It’s a messy job, yet someone’s got to do it. That’s probably just as true about dating as it is about dairy farming.
Monday was the night “The Bachelor” visited Knigge Farms, a farm in Omro, Wisconsin, that was the first dairy in the nation to have robotic milkers. This isn’t your grandfather’s kind of farm, so many in ag were hoping to see that technology showcased. Additionally, a big question on people’s minds was how would the more than a dozen remaining women vying for Nick Viall’s affections take to having to feed the cows hay, clean up after the animals, and do all the other chores that aren’t typical of chic contestants.
For the most part, the women were all smiles, taking the hard work with good nature and enthusiasm. Of course, we did say “most.” There was no shortage of complaining and sulking coming from Corinne. “I don’t know how to do chores, let alone a farm chore. What’s the f— is a farm chore?” she asked.
“Everywhere I turn is poop. You can’t escape the poop,” Corinne whined. “Thank God I didn’t wear designer today. This is probably the worst date I’ve ever been on.” To get you up to speed, this is coming from a 24-year-old who still has a nanny — for herself, not for a child.
A recurring theme this season has been Corinne’s immaturity, relying mostly on aggressive sexual advances to stay in the game, so to speak. Amid the cows, that sexualization was mercifully muted. The other women, on the other hand, showed considerably more character while at the dairy farm.
This part of the episode in Nick’s home state lasted only about half an hour, but there was much to take away. Among some observations about the women, including comments from them, for better or for worse:
- The date card catchphrase was “Say cheese!” Totally appropriate.
- Nick admits to being more of a city boy, but he wanted to see who would “embrace the day and have some fun with it.” He wanted to see who wouldn’t mind getting dirty — literally.
- Jasmine G. wore a shirt on the trip up to Wisconsin that simply said “Farmers Market.” Suppose that’s a “yay ag!” moment.
- Nick dove right into hand-milking a cow, and the women seemed genuinely interested in the process. Jaimi, though, did poke fun at Nick’s inability to properly handle teats, suggesting that that’s indicative of his shortcomings elsewhere.
- They shoveled poop — a lot of it — white pants and all.
- One woman noted about Corinne: “I don’t know if it’s the cow s— or the bull s—, but I smell s—. And I don’t think it’s from the feces we just scooped. (Corinne spent much of the time at the farm pouting on a rock. She even said she wanted her nanny at one point.)
While it was entertaining to watch the contestants fumble their way through farm chores, it was disappointing to see the episode take on only the most mundane aspects of farming. On display wasn’t the cutting edge robotics or the vehicles or the data management that it takes to run a farm. Yes, manure has to be dealt with, cows have to be fed, but “The Bachelor” producers failed to capture the many wondrous advances of modern agricultural technology. This is an industry that’s moving forward. Even highlighting some of that would have been welcome.
That said, much applause goes to Knigge Farms for opening themselves up to this, and we should be grateful that agriculture at the on-farm level even gets to be in front of millions upon millions of people. (The “Bachelor” cast ended up in Nick’s home state because, during filming, a hurricane threatened the show’s original plans of visiting Kiawah Island in South Carolina.)
At the very least, there’s no questioning the hard work and commitment necessary to be one of today’s farmers. Hopefully, more of the public began to realize that.
Don’t forget to read our interview with Knigge Farms and learning what a progressive dairy they’re operating.
