Jennifer Nettles is down on the farms in reality-show revival
As her celebrated career in music continues, Jennifer Nettles has been building another one in unscripted television.
A winner of many awards (including Grammys) as a member of country music’s Sugarland, Nettles also is a solo artist, and she has extended her brand by serving as a judge on the series “Duets” and “Go-Big Show.” She potentially expands her reach again by playing host as four rural men seek mates from city-based prospects in a Fox revival of “Farmer Wants a Wife,” premiering Wednesday, March 8.
Originated in England, “Farmer Wants a Wife” has yielded a number of international versions, the first U.S. one having aired on The CW in 2008. The friendly Nettles admits that reality television is “not my favorite genre, so I’m super-selective about the projects I choose. This one really stood out to me because it’s so different. Everyone who’s involved gets a chance to really look at everyone else, so it’s authentic, and that’s what I appreciate.”
Deeming herself a “storyteller” no matter which aspect of her work she focuses on, Nettles believes that “Farmer Wants a Wife” also fulfills that designation for her. She calls it “a television fairy tale. It’s really heartwarming to see these folks who are out there looking for love ... and who doesn’t love a love story? That’s what really drew me to it, to see that take place in real time, and for people who are in it for the right reasons.”
Explaining that she’s much more involved directly with the farmers on the show than with the women who are candidates to become their wives, Nettles likens her “Farmer Wants a Wife” role to that of “a fairy godmother, in a ‘mentor’ sort of way, to help them through this process. It is quite intimidating, I think, for them to take on a task like opening up their hearts and making themselves vulnerable – and doing it while cameras are around.”
Also an actress, having starred on Broadway in “Chicago” and “Waitress” and having made a couple of Dolly Partoninspired NBC holiday movies, Nettles maintains that music remains the strongest part of her professional mix. Her most recent solo album was the 2021 coverversion collection “Always Like New,” and she maintains that she isn’t certain when she might reteam with Sugarland partner Kristian Bush again.
“There are lots of ways to tell stories,” Nettles reflects, who also has been making a movie in Atlanta lately. “While music is obviously my first love, I’ve been expanding over the past 10 years into TV and film and theater. That’s mostly been on the scripted side, but it’s fun to do unscripted things, too. It’s all worked out wonderfully well.”