‘Family, faith, football’: Alabama farmer seeks wife who appreciates all 3 on reality TV

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Farming, hunting, fishing and other outdoor activities are second nature to Alabama’s Jay Woods. But the Florence native isn’t quite as skillful at romance.

Woods, 25, has turned to reality TV in his quest to find the perfect woman, appearing on Season 3 of the FOX series “Farmer Wants a Wife.”

Starting on March 20, he’ll be featured as one of four “rural romantics looking to sow love on the farm.” That’s how a FOX press release describes the show, a “Bachelor”-style dating competition hosted by Kimberly Williams-Paisley.

“Family, faith and football — that’s Farmer Jay, the hometown hero who lost his football career to injury and put everything he had into rebuilding the legacy of his grandfather’s farm in Alabama,” the release says.

Woods owns a 515-acre hay and cattle farm in Lauderdale County, which means a significant part of the new season was filmed in Alabama.

Woods graduated from Florence High School in 2017, attended the University of Michigan and played three seasons with the Wolverines. Woods graduated from Michigan in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology. He moved on to Duke University, graduating in 2021 with a master’s in management studies, according to the Duke Athletics website. He’s the son of John and LaTonya Woods, the site says. On the football rosters at Duke and Michigan, he’s listed as J’Marick Woods.

Posts on Woods’ Facebook page often focus on football (including the Crimson Tide and Iron Bowl), and he shares his love for Florence, as well. Here’s more info on Woods, via his official bio for “Farmer Wants a Wife”:

“Jay grew up in rural Alabama surrounded by family on his grandfather’s horse farm. Like most country born folks, Jay grew up farming, hunting, kayaking, fishing and just about any other activity he could find that kept him outside. He once dreamed of heading to the NFL but while playing football for Duke, an injury caused him to re-evaluate his future. He came home and couldn’t be happier returning to his farming roots. Although (he’s) just 25, Jay’s mother is ready for grandkids. Jay is hoping to find ‘a kind-hearted, refined, confident woman who isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty on the farm.‘”

Along with Woods, the series will focus on:

  • Matt Warren, 30, an avocado and exotic fruit farmer from Morro Bay, California.
  • John Sansone, 25, a soy, corn and wheat farmer from St. Louis, Missouri.
  • Colton Hendricks, 28, a cattle rancher and horse trainer in Mena, Arkansas.
Farmer Wants a Wife Season 3

Alabama's Jay Woods, second from left, is one of four bachelors looking for love on Season 3 of "Farmer Wants a Wife." He lives on a 515-acre hay and cattle farm in Florence. The others are Colton Hendricks of Arkansas, left; Matt Warren of California, second from right; and John Sansone of Missouri, right.(FOX photo)

On “Farmer Wants a Wife,” each farmer typically interacts with five to eight women, selected from an online pool and transported to his property for dates, chores and getting-to-know-you sessions. The field of contestants narrows through 12-14 episodes, with the goal of finding the perfect mates for the four farmers.

Although the men are the official stars of the show, women competing on “Farmer Wants a Wife” have been known to steal the spotlight, vying for the farmer’s attention, showing off their farm skills (or lack thereof) and ratcheting up the drama.

Female cast members for Season 3 haven’t been announced. However, at least one Alabama woman has made her mark on the show: Cassidy Jo Jacks, a former Miss Alabama contestant, was a standout on “Farmer Wants a Wife” in 2023.

Jacks, a University of Alabama graduate who grew up in Springville, raised a ruckus on the series during its first U.S. season. Outgoing and vivacious, she did not hide her emotions as the cameras rolled and actually gave her farmer the boot, quitting the show more than halfway through the season.

READ: Former Miss AL contestant gives bachelor the boot on ‘Farmer Wants a Wife’: ‘I know what I need’

“Farmer Wants a Wife,” sometimes described as “Yellowstone” meets “The Bachelor,” is based on a British reality series with the same name. The show aired in 2001 and prompted a plethora of spin-offs, including a U.S. version that aired in 2008 on The CW. FOX revived the concept for 2023, hiring country singer Jennifer Nettles (of Sugarland fame) to serve as host. Nettles left the after two seasons and was replaced by Kimberly Williams-Paisley.

If you watch: The season debut of “Farmer Wants a Wife” airs on Thursday, March 20, at 8 p.m. CT on FOX.

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