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    ‘Farmer Wants a Wife’ Has Its Title Backward

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    This dating show isn’t about farmers looking for women. It’s about the agrarian fantasy that has women dreaming of farms. Almost 80 years ago, Universal Pictures released a film called “The Egg and I.” It starred Fred MacMurray as Bob MacDonald, a newly decommissioned soldier back in his civilian duds. He tells his new bride, Betty, played by Claudette Colbert, that he engaged in some self-reflection down in his foxhole. War made him think about what’s really important: “the basic things” like “love and food and babies and things growing out of the ground.” So he has decided to quit his job and buy a chicken farm.When “The Egg and I” came out, in 1947, a carton of eggs cost 55 cents, which is about $8 in today’s money. In the intervening decades, the agrarian dream has held steady, both as a premise for comedies and a very real thread in the American psyche. As of 2025, you can indulge that dream simply by opening your phone: Social media is packed with down-home fantasies featuring agricultural influencers, rural “tradwives” or the swineherds on TikTok. As you sit scrolling in a grimy D.M.V. waiting room, what could make you swoon like an expansive wheat field and miles of open sky?And on television, you need only tune into Fox’s “Farmer Wants a Wife,” which recently began its third season, to get a fantastically rosy picture of what Bob and Betty MacDonald’s life might look like today. The series follows the contours of a standard reality-TV dating show, but it clearly aims to offer some folksy respite from the California-scented mating rituals that normally populate the genre. It imagines a dreamy alternative to the headaches of urban dating: No apps, no open relationships, no semiprofessional D.J.s. Just a farmer and his spouse. The simple life.American agriculture is, by all accounts, really hard.And the premise is simple: Over the course of some three months, four eligible yeoman hunks select potential life partners from among a group of women. The women hail from across the United States, though the major metropolitan areas of Texas seem especially well represented. They are identified by their professions too: This season brings a bounty of nurses and nannies, but also a “chief of staff” (for whom? of what?) and one woman whose job is listed only as “pharmaceuticals.” These contestants move into the men’s homes, on or near one of four farms. There are dates, many of which bear an unusual-for-TV resemblance to normal American courtship. Instead of the helicopter rides and therapy circles of the “Bachelor” franchise, the farmers and their could-be wives picnic in pickup trucks, take in college football games and spend afternoons fishing. They drink beer!But there is a catch for these women: They have to prove themselves at chorin’. “Farmer Wants a Wife” delights in the spectacle of women with fresh blowouts being goaded into shoveling dung, trying and failing to compete with Eva Gabor’s elegant detachment in old episodes of “Green Acres.” Layered atop the near-constant pop-country music is a secondary soundtrack of squeals and screams as contestants touch a grub for the first time or struggle to mount a horse. According to recaps, when the show first ran, briefly, in the early 2000s, one woman learned of her elimination after a task that involved reaching inside a cow’s rectum.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Paige DeSorbo of ‘Summer House’ Adds Author to Her Resume With ‘How to Giggle’

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      When Paige DeSorbo graduated from college in 2015, she scored a full-time position at a TV station in her hometown, Albany, N.Y. She’d always wanted to be an on-air personality, so the job seemed perfect, at least on paper. As her mom put it at the time, Ms. DeSorbo could work her way up to anchor, get married, have kids, and live down the street.But she imagined something different for herself.“I remember just getting the biggest pit in my stomach of like — no, that’s not my life. No way,” Ms. DeSorbo, now 32, said in a recent interview.Instead, she persuaded her parents to foot six months of rent in New York City so that she could try to find something better. She took a job as an executive assistant at ABC before landing a role on “Summer House,” a Bravo reality show that follows young New Yorkers as they spend debaucherous summer weekends at a shared house in the Hamptons.“​​I called my dad crying when they offered it to me because I was like, ‘I think I’m actually too sensitive to do this,’” Ms. DeSorbo said. “And I remember him saying: ‘Do it for the first summer, and if you hate it, we’ll get you out of it. You never have to go back. And if you love it, you’ll never wonder, Oh, imagine if I didn’t do this.’ And honestly, after the second weekend, I was like, ‘I love it.’”So began Ms. DeSorbo’s unexpected career as a reality star.Paige DeSorbo worked at a television station in Albany, and was an executive assistant at ABC, before breaking into reality TV on the Bravo show “Summer House.”Eugene Gologursky/BravoTo date, she’s appeared on three Bravo shows — “Summer House,” “Winter House” and “Southern Charm” — despite the fact that, in many ways, she’s the antithesis of the modern-day reality personality. She has a New Yorker’s authenticity: direct, assertive and unafraid to voice her opinion even if it might make her look bad. She lacks pretense and showiness, which has earned her fans.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Amanda Batula of ‘Summer House’ on Emerging From Kyle Cooke’s Shadow

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      Amanda Batula spent most of eight seasons supporting her husband. Now she’s joining the reality show’s alpha women.There are lots of different reasons people tune in to reality shows — there’s messiness, fights, drama and romance.Over nine seasons, Amanda Batula has contributed each of those elements to “Summer House,” the Bravo reality show set in the Hamptons, while the show’s other women took on dominant story lines. But this season, Batula, 33, has become a fan favorite for breaking out of the norms that “girlfriend” reality stars often get stuck in: starting a family, quitting a job and moving to the suburbs with their attention-hogging male leads.Batula had been very much ready to follow that plan. (She first appeared on the show as a late-night hookup for Kyle Cooke, now her husband.) But this season and the last saw her priorities shift. She started her own business ventures, and prioritized her friendships and mental health.“When I was younger, I thought I’d be married at 24” and “have kids by 30,” Batula said. “I don’t have to follow this timeline that I set.”Last month, Batula discussed in an interview what it’s been like to break out on the show and how she figured out what actually makes her happy.Batula made her reality television debut in 2017 during the first season of “Summer House,” not as a cast member but as a late-night invitee of Cooke, who had recently broken up with her and was filming for the show.

      @bravotv Amanda is doing what works for her ❤️ #SummerHouse ♬ Amandas Journey from Southern Charm – Bravo We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Meghan Sussex? Even Meghan Markle’s Last Name Inspires Debates.

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      The Duchess of Sussex caused a stir on “With Love, Meghan” when she said Sussex was her last name. But does that break from royal tradition?In “Romeo and Juliet,” the star-crossed heroine asks: “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet.”People far less infatuated have wrestled with this concept for hundreds of years: How much should a name signify, and does it actually affect what or who a person is?Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, would like a word.In her new Netflix series, “With Love, Meghan,” the duchess, who is married to Prince Harry, told the actress Mindy Kaling that her last name was Sussex, correcting Ms. Kaling, who had referred to her by a more familiar name: Meghan Markle.“It’s so funny, too, that you keep saying Meghan Markle,” Meghan said in the second episode of the series, which premiered last week. “You know I’m Sussex now.”Meghan cited the importance of sharing a last name with her children.“I didn’t know how meaningful it would be to me but it just means so much to go, ‘This is our family name, our little family name,’” she said.Ms. Kaling, who initially seemed surprised, replied, “Well, now I know and I love it.”It’s understandable that Meghan, whose representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment, insists on usage of what she feels is the correct form of her name. But as with most Meghan-related news, the clip quickly made waves online as people took to social media to criticize her. Some commenters thought she was being pretentious, and others called her out for seemingly having confused her royal house with the family’s surname.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Karen Huger, ‘Real Housewives’ Star, Gets 2-Year Sentence for D.U.I.

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      Ms. Huger, a fixture on the Potomac franchise for nine years, will most likely serve one year of the prison sentence.Karen Huger, an original cast member of “The Real Housewives of Potomac,” was sentenced to two years in prison on Wednesday for driving under the influence of alcohol and other driving violations, capping a twisting tale that put her sobriety and recovery at the center of the reality television show.One year of the sentence was suspended, meaning Ms. Huger will most likely serve one year in prison. She was also fined $2,900.Under the terms of her sentencing, Ms. Huger will not be allowed to drive for a year after her release and will receive five years of supervised probation with interlock — a miniature breathalyzer device that prevents a vehicle’s engine from starting unless the person behind the wheel is sober enough to drive.Ms. Huger was found guilty by a jury in December of driving under the influence of alcohol, driving while impaired by alcohol, negligent driving, failure to control speed to avoid a collision, and failure to notify the authorities of an address change. She was acquitted of reckless driving.She was arrested in March 2024 in Potomac, Md., an affluent community more than 10 miles northwest of Washington, after driving onto the center median, striking a pedestrian sign and then crashing into a grassy area on the side of the road.Body camera footage of the arrest showed Ms. Huger refusing to produce her driver’s license and repeatedly asking a police officer, “Do you know who I am?” Ms. Huger, whose speech was slurred, also said she had consumed a couple of beers and was run off the road by another driver.The reality star’s arrest and subsequent court appearances became a central story line in the most recent season of “The Real Housewives of Potomac.” Cameras followed Ms. Huger as she met with lawyers and made her first court appearance, but she did not discuss the details of the case on camera.Alcohol is regularly consumed at social events and small gatherings on the show, but Ms. Huger, who is known informally as the Grande Dame of Potomac, was not filmed drinking this season. However, she entered a treatment facility in January for “taking antidepressants and drinking,” according to a short video message that was played for her castmates.Ms. Huger had three previous alcohol-related offenses. Most recently, she was convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol in Maryland in 2011.Ryan Tresdale, Ms. Huger’s manager, said in a statement in January that his client had made the “important decision to enter a private recovery program,” causing her to miss the Season 9 reunion.“She was fully supported in this choice,” he said. “We stand behind Karen as she embarks on this meaningful journey and are proud of her for taking such a significant step forward in her personal growth.” More

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      6 Takeaways From Alec and Hilaria Baldwin’s TLC Reality Show

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      The series begins just before he was scheduled to stand trial in the fatal shooting on the set of “Rust.” The reviews have been somewhat uneasy.Reality television producers had been circling Alec and Hilaria Baldwin for years. His Hollywood fame and history of public combustibility, her social media following and their many children and pets were all classic ingredients for a slice-of-life series.Last year, the couple decided to let the cameras in.They did so at perhaps the most precarious time of Alec Baldwin’s life: the month before he was scheduled to stand trial in New Mexico on an involuntary manslaughter charge, in connection with the fatal shooting of a cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, on the set of the movie “Rust” in 2021. The result is a fly-on-the-wall series called “The Baldwins,” which premieres Sunday on TLC, a network whose marquee titles include “90 Day Fiancé” and “Sister Wives.”The first episode of the show has landed a bit uneasily with critics, who view the show as something of a crisis communications project. Here are six takeaways from the episode.The premiere begins just ahead of Alec Baldwin’s manslaughter trial.Alec and Hilaria Baldwin in court during in the “Rust” accidental shooting case. Alec Baldwin faced a charge of involuntary manslaughter.Pool photo by Ross D Franklin/EPA, via ShutterstockThe filming started in June last year, just before Baldwin was scheduled to stand trial in New Mexico. In the first episode, the couple drives their seven children (and six of their eight dogs and cats) from their home in New York City to their home in the Hamptons, where they often spend the summer.The decision to start filming was a risk. In the event that he had been convicted, Baldwin, who was handling a revolver on set when it discharged a live bullet, would have faced a potential maximum prison sentence of 18 months.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Teddi Mellencamp of ‘Real Housewives’ Says She Has Brain Tumors

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      Mellencamp, the daughter of the rock musician John Mellencamp, said on Instagram that she was receiving treatment after experiencing “severe and debilitating” headaches.Teddi Mellencamp, a podcast host and television personality from the “Real Housewives” franchise, announced on Wednesday that she had multiple brain tumors that would be treated with surgery and radiation.Mellencamp, 43, said on her social media account that she had experienced “severe and debilitating” headaches in recent weeks that had become so painful that she required hospitalization. After a CT scan and an M.R.I., doctors found “multiple tumors on my brain, which they believe have been growing for at least six months,” she wrote in a post.Two of the tumors were being surgically removed, and smaller ones would be treated with radiation at a later date, she wrote.Mellencamp was on “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” for 72 episodes, from 2017 to January 2024, according to her IMDB page. She has previously spoken publicly on social media and on podcasts about her personal life, including filing for divorce from Edwin Arroyave, as well as her medical history, which has included melanoma and IVF treatment. She and Arroyave have three children, and Mellencamp has a stepdaughter, Isabella Arroyave.Mellencamp, the daughter of the rock musician John Mellencamp, also hosts the iHeartRadio podcast “Two Ts in a Pod” with Tamra Judge of “The Real Housewives of Orange County.” More

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      Labor Board Classifies ‘Love Is Blind’ Contestants as Employees

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      The National Labor Relations Board’s case against the Netflix hit could have ripple effects across the reality TV industry.The National Labor Relations Board issued a complaint against the hit reality show “Love Is Blind” on Wednesday in which it classified the show’s contestants as employees, opening a case that could have ripple effects across the reality television industry.The complaint by the labor board’s regional office in Minnesota says that the show committed several labor violations, including unlawful contractual terms related to confidentiality and noncompete provisions.By classifying the cast members — who date and sometimes marry other singles on the show — as employees with certain federal legal protections, the complaint opens the door to possible unionization. It is one of the labor board’s first forays into reality television and a major development in the effort by some onscreen personalities to change the industry through the legal system.Several contestants on “Love Is Blind,” which streams on Netflix and has been one of the buzziest dating shows since its debut in 2020, have come forward in lawsuits, in interviews and on social media with objections to the restrictions outlined in their contracts.One contestant, Renee Poche, became involved in a legal dispute with the show after she publicly accused the production of allowing her to become engaged, in front of TV cameras, to a man “who was unemployed with a negative balance in his bank account.” She said in court papers that after she had made “limited public remarks about her distressing time on the program,” one of the companies behind the production initiated arbitration proceedings against her, accusing her of violating her nondisclosure agreement and seeking $4 million. (Poche, a veterinarian who lives in Texas, said she had earned a stipend of $1,000 per week, adding up to a total of $8,000.)Two “Love Is Blind” participants — Poche and Nick Thompson — submitted complaints to the labor board, resulting in an investigation into the policies and practices of the production companies behind the show, which include Kinetic Content and Delirium TV.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More