The news of Alex and Eddy’s split after Farmer Wants A Wife might have come as a surprise to viewers, but there was more going on behind the scenes than it seemed.
While it appeared they were meant to be from the moment they met on the Channel Seven show, hidden signs actually pointed towards tensions.
From the generous necklace gift that caused concern to their never-solved religious conflict and Rachel’s pointed warning, we take a look at all the signs signalling their split.
Scroll down for everything you need to know.
The necklace
Eddy was a clear frontrunner from the 24-hour date, where Alex gifted her a necklace in a grand gesture to cement their connection.
Speaking to New Idea before her final FWAW scenes aired, Eddy admits that while it was the “craziest high” to be picked for the 24-hour date, she was also nervous.
“With regard to the 24-hour date, I think it definitely gave me a leg up, and I do wonder if we would have had the same connection or if it would have gone the way that it did if I hadn’t won the 24-hour date,” Eddy tells New Idea.
Though the extravagant necklace gift may have seemed like a romantic gesture, Eddy says she actually had some anxiety around it, feeling it was an “intense” gesture to make so early.
“I was honestly just so surprised,” she says.
“It wasn’t what I expected at all, and I guess it did make me feel a little bit worried. It was just such an intense, romantic gesture so very early on in the relationship.”
“I’m very protective of myself, and I’ve got some firm walls built up around me to protect myself. I couldn’t help but second-guess the decision to give me that necklace.”
“When did he buy the necklace? Did he intend to give it to somebody else? Was it always supposed to be for me?
“I don’t know. I guess you can’t help but think those negative things when you’re in that situation.”
However, Alex viewed it as a physical reminder of their strong connection for reassurance when the other women arrived on the farm.
“It was spur of the moment on the date, but planned as well in the sense that I wanted to let her know that if things were going really, really well, that that was a symbol of me saying that and something for her to remember as we moved through the experience together,” he explains.
“As you can see on screen, there are always doubts that pop into everyone’s minds when decisions are made, when I do open myself up to other ladies, and because I had such a great time with Ed, I just wanted her to know that.”
Looking back on it, Eddy adds that it did provide her with more “reassurance” during filming once she had got over the initial “crazy” moment.
Fans had been left divided over the grand gesture, with some arguing it was romantic, while others felt it was a “red flag” on a first date.
In fact, Montana Bourke from Carat Cake Jewellery even weighed in, telling New Idea, “I think jewellery on a first date is less about the price tag and more about the thought behind it.
“The most meaningful pieces aren’t necessarily the most expensive; they’re the ones that show someone has paid attention.”
“That said, we’re seeing a shift in how people view jewellery. It used to be reserved for major milestones, whereas now it’s become a way to celebrate connection, confidence and memorable moments, even early on in a relationship.”
“A thoughtful piece of jewellery on a first date can be incredibly romantic when it feels genuine and not performative.”
“Whether it’s a simple pendant, a pair of earrings or a bracelet, it’s really the intention behind the gift that makes it special. The best jewellery tells a story, and sometimes those stories start from the very first meeting.”
MDT Design jeweller Kosta Theochari estimated the necklace’s value to be around $2,800 when speaking to New Idea.
Religious differences
The only “conflict” Alex and Eddy really had on FWAW was their differences on religion.
When Eddy said grace around the dinner table, Alex was left wondering if they could get past their differences, given that he doesn’t practice religion himself.
Speaking to New Idea after the scenes aired, Alex admits that their differences pushed him to “open up to the other girls” more, after he’d been quite focused on Eddy alone.
“The religious differences were something that was really tricky to navigate,” he shares.
“And that, I think, played into me opening up to the other girls more because we wanted to navigate that.”
“Both Eddie and I wanted to navigate that respectfully because it’s very easy for words to get twisted in these kinds of experiences, and it unnecessarily offends people who could be watching the show.”
“I’m not a church hater, and Eddy’s not an atheist hater either. We were just figuring out where we align and where we don’t, and that was difficult with cameras in our faces.”
As for the truth behind the scenes, Eddy insists she had initially been saying grace with just the other girls before production asked to film it in front of Alex.
“It wasn’t really natural the way that it came out,” she tells us. “The backstory is we were all waiting to start filming, and it was just our girls at the dinner table, and you know, we all share some level of Christian values.”
“We were just having a private, intimate moment where we were just going to save grace with each other.”
“Alex wasn’t there, the camera crew was like no one was really paying attention to us. They said, ‘Oh, hold on, we’ll film this, we want to get the grace as part of dinner. ‘
“And then, we said it all together, and it was obviously a huge shock to Alex.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone react in that way.”
“But I’m very glad that it came up in the end because, you know, if that’s going to be a make-or-break, I’d rather know early on than later.”
So, did they ever find a middle ground off camera? Alex says they were able to move forward, but that they didn’t fully speak about how religion would play into raising children.
“It was tricky; we managed to get to a point with it, and we found common ground, but Eddy made it clear that she would rather just leave the conversation for later on,” he shares.
“I was happy with that because we got to a point – I didn’t really cover this too much in the episode – but we got to a point where I wanted to ascertain if she was involved with the church because of the organised religion and the divine being, or because of the values that the church teaches and the morals that it teaches.”
“And she highlighted that it was the values and morals. So because of that, I was pretty happy, even though the kid discussion didn’t really happen.”
Rachel’s warning
While viewers might have felt it was a fairytale romance between Alex and Eddy, his other match, Rachel, had some different thoughts.
Speaking to New Idea, she boldly said that she didn’t actually think they were compatible and had doubts about whether they’d last.
“Just from what I saw and experienced, I do not think that they are compatible in a multitude of ways,” she tells us.
“I honestly think that Alex was just infatuated with Eddy.”
“I think it was like some type of infatuation where he just couldn’t see the fact that they were not compatible.”
“I guess ultimately [Alex and Eddy are] the only two people who know what their relationship is really like,” she adds.
Rachel remains close friends with Eddy to this day, and no doubt saw more behind the scenes on the farm than viewers did.
Read our full interview with Rachel here for her full, unfiltered comments.
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