Sam Armytage's 'odd' move could backfire amid Farmer Wants a Wife ratings fears

It was only a couple of months ago that Australia was shocked to learn Samantha Armytage had decided to leave Channel Seven, ending a 21-year relationship with the network, with Yahoo Lifestyle being told that "no one saw it coming".

In a statement to the Daily Telegraph, the former Farmer Wants A Wife and Sunrise host explained: “I leave with lots of goodwill in my heart and excitement about the future. I’m big on instinct. I listen to my instinct. I know when the time comes. I am proud of the fact that I back myself enough to say, 'I’ve done what I can do here' and I move on.”

Why did Sam Armytage leave Channel Seven?

Although initial reports suggested the former Sunrise host’s choice not to renew her contract with Seven may be down to talent across the network facing pay cuts, as advertising revenue across the entire media industry continues to decline, Yahoo Lifestyle understands there was much more to it than this.

“Since Sam left Sunrise [in 2021] all they’ve really given her is Farmer,” a source at Seven said, with Sam having hosted Farmer Wants A Wife for the past three seasons.

“Throughout her career, Sam’s travelled the world covering wars, natural disasters and the biggest stories of most people's lifetimes and she misses the rush that comes with this and knowing she’s making a difference.”

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Will Sam go to a rival network?

After Sam broke the news to her Instagram followers, thanking Channel Seven for the years, speculation mounted that she may head to a rival network after she captioned her farewell post, "this is not the end, just the end of this chapter".

According to our source, Channel Seven was "blindsided" by Sam's decision after thinking she'd stay on for another season of Farmer Wants A Wife.

"It wasn't an easy gig to take on with loyal fans quite attached to Natalie Gruzlewski but the change in hosts saw FWAW rating increase 17%," they said.

"[It's] pretty impressive and maybe Channel Nine saw that as an invitation to bring her onboard to do something similar with their dalliance with The Bachelor," the source continued, saying Samantha was "keen" to take on meetings with rival networks.

"The ratings for FWAW were up and it was a real surprise to everyone to see her end her time with the network," a source at Channel Seven said. "The success of Farmer was leading to more opportunities which we will never see."

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The Golden Bachelor Vs. Farmer Wants A Wife

With The Golden Bachelor set to air on Channel Nine in 2025, many eyes will be on whether Sam Armytage nabs the hosting role, and whether the show will go up against Farmer Wants A Wife in the same time-slot.

As the Sam rolls the dice with Channel Nine an industry insider fears Farmer Wants A Wife will most certainly outrate The Golden Bachelor, with The Bachelor brand having a lot of making up to do to bring back viewers.

"Without a doubt 'Farmer' is on the up and up and having its moment. It was an odd time to disembark that ship," an insider says. "Especially to try her hand on the tainted Bachelor format."

We will just have to wait and see what 2025 brings.

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