When Allen Foster and Hunter Grayson agreed to appear on Farmer Wants A Wife, it wasn’t because they were looking for instant stardom. Instead, both men were ready to try a new approach to finding love and romance, unconventional as it might be. While appearing on a reality TV dating show might be unique, for Foster and Grayson, the experience was worth it, and for a lot more reasons than just finding true love.

“It was really, really surprising to me that I felt like these women were really here for the right reasons, and not for the fame, the glory, the television or whatever,” Foster tells Everything Nash. “And this is just my take, but I think they were equally surprised that us guys were here for the right reasons, too. I think they had some surprises as far as what they truly thought this kind of lifestyle was.

“I think they watched Yellowstone and looked at the reels and stuff from Instagram and caught, if you will, the highlight reels of what farming and ranching really is,” he continues. “Then they get here and realize that it’s not like that every day. And so I think maybe that was a surprise for them as well.”

Although time will tell if Foster and Grayson were able to find true love that will stand the test of time, they both felt that it was worth the risk to appear on Farmer Wants a Wife, even if their families were a bit skeptical of the idea at first.

“Mine just kind of looked at me like I had three heads,” Foster recalls with a laugh. “I joke and play pranks on my family a lot. I’m kind of the joker, which I guess is hard to tell on the show. But I think they thought I was kidding it first. They were like, ‘Yeah, whatever,’ and then went on about their business. I was like, ‘No, you guys are not listening. I’m being serious, and this is fixing to happen.'”

Still, it didn’t take long for his family to support his plan, outlandish as it might have seemed, once they saw that he was serious.

“Once they realized that I wasn’t kidding, and it was real, I think they were a little skeptical, and a little nervous for me,” Foster admits. “But from square one, they were behind me all the way. And, as with anything in my life, they supported me a hundred percent.”

Grayson also praises his family for being “super supportive,” even if they too thought he wasn’t serious in the beginning.

“I’ve been very blessed to have such a close-knit family, and we all support one another in our endeavors,” Grayson says. “Allen, his family thought he was joking with him. My family started joking with me and they were saying, ‘Well, heck, you hadn’t had any success really in dating real life. Might as well date on reality TV, to see how that works.’ It’s been a wild ride.”

While the finale has yet to air, so it’s still unknown if the men found true love, romance aside, both Foster and Grayson say appearing on Farmer Wants A Wife paid off in a myriad of ways.

“The personal growth that I think each of us gained out of this experience is something I’ll never forget, and never be able to replicate,” Grayson says. “You are thrown into the lion’s den of emotions right off the cuff, and I think that was something that we weren’t really expecting. So I guess that was kind of the surprise too for a lot of us.

“But we all grew so much in that short window of time that if that’s the only thing that comes from this, I would recommend it to anybody that’s willing to put themself out there on a national platform to let your love life be taped and aired,’ he adds with a laugh. “I will say that’s something that’s kind of hard to watch on television. Watching your emotions is pretty wild on TV.”

Being on Farmer Wants A Wife, for Foster, was unlike anything he had ever been a part of before, which is why he was willing to appear on the popular, global TV show.

“I came into this with hardly any expectations at all,” Foster acknowledges. “I just tried to keep an open mind, and I walked away a better person. You have five women at your home and the whole time they’re here, they want to know how you feel. They want to know what’s going through your brain. And that’s not something I’m great at, is expressing my feelings, and what’s going on inside my head. And so they brought that out in me.

“The personal growth, it’s astounding how much I grew over a short period of time,” he remarks. “I would just end, end it by saying I’m happy, and I’m proud to have been a part of it.  I couldn’t be more tickled.”

Jennifer Nettles serves as the show’s host. Farmer Wants a Wife airs on Wednesdays at 9:00 PM CT on FOX.