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@LuLu Mom: I work 3 long days a week and commute an hour each way. I don't like the commute, and wouldn't want to do a half hour more each way, BUT it might be worth it if that was the only way I could do a job I loved. @loki: haha! I was wondering if they could get an apartment or move closer to a city. That Arlington town didn't look like it had anything going on. I can't believe Chris even wants to live there. No coffee shop? No restaurant? Yikes! Even living 1/2 hour out of town would made a big difference... then they'd only 30 min from restaurants, shopping, etc. But maybe there isn't anything in between, who knows. I guess I could Google that, lol!
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@sungirl: haha ya i googled them a while back when i first heard about it. they are baaaaaaaaaad. it was so weird she showed them to him cuz it seemed like she was proud of them? i don't believe that didn't factor into chris' decision. everything her family said made it seem like she was NOT being herself with him at all so he was probably taken aback because she presented herself very differently.
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Ok, I've got it all figured out. He should marry Whitney and they should move to Independence, IA. It looks like it's about 30 min from Arlington, Waterloo (which looks cute and has hospitals), and Cedar Rapids (also has hospitals). Then it's about 60 min to Iowa City, where I saw a fertility clinic. Independence at least looks inhabited and has restaurants.If not Independence, then I think they should move to Cedar Rapids and Chris should commute an hour to his farm.
... nevermind that this has all been decided already
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@78h2o: Ha ha. I'm not watching because I wouldn't anyway, but doubly so because I think the portrayal of "farming" would make me ragey. I hate when crazy, innacurate stereotypes get perpetuated, because, really, why on earth would anyone but a farmer know what that job and lifestyle is really like? If he's going to commute an hour to his farm, he better have a crash pad lined up--there are going to be lots and lots of times when he won't be able to be that far. When it's busy season Mr. T might not come in the house until 11pm or so, and some people get done later depending on what they're harvesting. And there is sometimes machinery running that needs periodic overnight supervision. This isn't the case for every farm, but for some. And if he has any sort of livestock? Forget it!
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@Mrs. Twine: i think he is more of an overseer than an ACTUAL hands on farmer in the more traditional sense. from the little research i've done he has TONS of land/farms and is like a crazy millionaire. i could be wrong about that but that's the vibe i get.
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@78h2o: Hahaha, you're too funny. I feel like a farmer probably couldn't live 30 minutes from his farm, though, especially with the livestock and the loooooong hours during the busy seasons? I don't know. Maybe Whitney could work part-time 1.5 hours away...that seems doable! Plus, I feel like maybe she WOULD give up her career, at least for a while, once they had kids. She seems like while she absolutely loves her job, motherhood is her real dream and goal.
@loki: I had not really heard of him being super rich! Where did he get all the money?
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@IRunForFun: ok this isn't exactly hard hitting journalism but it's the first thing i came across:
http://www.wetpaint.com/the-bachelor/articles/2014-11-18-season-19-chris-soules-net-worth
when he was on andi's season i loved him and heard rumours he was rich so i looked around a bit. i mean a net worth of 1.5million isn't insane or anything but... i'd take it!
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@loki: This is slippery slope stuff. I couldn't find his actual farm size (maybe help me out?
), but what someone is on paper and what it means can be misleading. I think people would be really surprised to see/hear our net worth, but would have to spend time with us and get to know us to know how it realistically translates. In most cases with farming, net worth is really high. Land is very valuable. A tractor alone can cost a quarter of a million dollars. But most of that worth, in most situations, is in the business. And you have to have a reasonable amount of capital around to pay for operating costs. He does look more... non-active-farmer, but I have no idea. For all I know he's out moving cows and driving combine. -
@Mrs. Twine: ya i admit i'm ignorant about it all. i just don't know how he'd be able to leave his farms for months at a time (twice!) if the farm depended on his presence, ya know? i get the vibe he's not as involved as they make him out to be. but i coulda totally made that up!
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@Mrs. Twine: Lol, I know it is a totally ridiculous show, but I enjoy it for some reason. I also got the impression that he was more of a land owner and less of an actual farmer, though they did show him driving farm machinery of some sort. In one scene he was shown with cows, but I also thought they said he really didn't have much livestock. Living 30 minutes out is probably not realistic, I know, I'm just being silly. However, it does sound like he owns a bunch of different properties, and it's not clear how far he currently lives from each.
@IRunForFun: Okay, you're probably all right. I guess Whitney can be the one to commute, though I can't get over how freaking tiny that town is... and I grew up in a tiny town.
I guess my childhood town only had one tiny general store (and basically a closet-size video store, from which you could rent VHS tapes!) and no restaurants, so it really wasn't much different. We were a little closer to civilization though (30 min).
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@78h2o: I mean, granted I have no idea how involved he actually is in the day-to-day operations of the farm. I do agree he can't be THAT involved since he's been able to leave twice for months at a time! I feel like throughout the whole show, though (and even during his hometown on Andi's season!) it has always been strongly implied that any woman he ended up marrying would HAVE to be OK living in Arlington. There's never been a single mention of him possibly being willing to re-locate, it's always been "If you can't see yourself living in Arlington, that's a deal-breaker." Which seems kind of strange to me, but...I know nothing about owning a farm!
ETA: I just had a brilliant idea! Isn't AI a big thing they do with cows? Whitney could totally get into that!
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@loki: I was under the impression his family owned the farm (and they are wealthy) but he's just like...the rich kid playing around. I mean, obviously he's not a "true farmer" if he's taking this much time off work to find love! The ACTUAL farmers I know IRL can't even get away fro a vacation!!!!
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@IRunForFun: I always thought it was clear he wasn't leaving Iowa, but I wasn't sure how welded he was to that town. I actually remeber Whitney asking him if he had cows (or maybe it was pigs?) that needed AI, I think maybe the very first night or their first 1:1.
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Late getting in on this thread but I have to input since I'm from Iowa and know the area... Sunday's episode at the football game Chris's team (Starmont) was playing against my high school team (go vikes!).
Anyways, its definitely not uncommon around here to commute to work. An hour commute is pretty normal when you live in these small towns. (My town is population 12 (technically a 'village' - but we do have a restaurant!)).Arlington is a half hour from Elkader and Manchester -which both have restaurants, a movie theatre, shopping (walmart), etc.
It will probably make the most sense for her to work in Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, or Dubuque and commute, although Manchester has a hospital as well (not sure about a fertility dept.)
The nearest mall is going to be an hour drive for her as well. Keep in mind there is zero traffic to worry about. I guess she will just have to be able to enjoy the country lifestyle - for me I love the peace and quiet, it can be a pain to have to drive 20 minutes to get groceries, but you get used to it.
I think as far as his net-worth, if they own as much land as he said (i don't know the exact number) than I'm sure most of that $ is in land.. an acre right now is between $3 and $5k. Add in the equipment, and I'm sure he doesn't have a huge cash flow as his disposal.
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@loki: @78h2o: No worries. Obviously I'm not worked up at you. Just more a little irritated at the idea that people are going to think farming means ladies driving tractors in bikinis, guys dressed up like a GQ spread running around all over creation with dolla dolla bills, and chasing greased pigs. Lol. Like I said, there's no real reason for people not directly involved with farming to know much about it, but there is a great deal of public opinion, especially now, about farming and farming practices, and in that context I do wish that more people had more accurate information at their disposal.
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@Mrs. Twine: hopefully most people realize that's not what it's really like! I can understand your frustration though.
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@Mrs. Twine: ya i can see that being really annoying, especially when you're in that industry. but don't worry, i know there's much more to farming than what they're portraying! i lived in alberta for a while and even did 4H when i was in high school so i have a better grasp of all the work involved than most, i would say! i get how it would drive you crazy.
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@78h2o: @loki: I do think most people realize it's pretty fake, but it sure doesn't help anyone sort out WHAT'S fake versus what's real. Ah, well. I hope more conventional farmers become interested in having an open dialog with the public, with governmental agencies, and with "the other side" (i.e. Organic/CSA/what have you) because from where I sit it strikes me that there is a lot of poor communication and misunderstanding that is resulting in negative outcomes for everyone on all sides. But mike off, and walking down my many podium steps. This thread obviously isn't about that. I do think it's sort of cool they have a farmer on there!
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@loki: If you want to message me on my wall, I'd love to hear about your 4H experience. I didn't participate as a kid, and we are looking to get Ellie involved!
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@Mrs. Twine: If it helps at all, my old roommate is a pig farmer, and through her, I know all about how not glamorous farming is!
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@Mrs. Twine: walled you!
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I live in Nebraska, my FIL is a farmer, my grandpa was a farmer, ect. Land is $$$$ so owning it makes you look rich, however lots of work goes into traditional farming, Chris to me seems like he might be more of a lease the land out kind of guy, which is fine, farming is farming and when it's in your blood you aren't going to live 30 minutes away from the "homestead." I'm sure he farms some of it himself and his family does.
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@Mrs. Twine: Next you're going to tell me that people really find everlasting and true love on these shows
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@blackbird: They don't?! But--my worldview! It's shattering. I am now going off to cry in a corner.
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@Mrs. Twine: I agree that more communication would be very helpful. With regards to 4H, my cousins were very involved growing up and had good experiences (at least from what they shared with me). Seems like it would be great for Ellie.
ETA: even though we live in the suburbs and can't even have chickens, we might involve our girls in 4H at some point. The local chapter seems active, and when we've gone to the local farm fair, we've talked to a lot of the kids about their experiences. There are some that do not live on farms or have livestock. Some train their dogs in agility, some raise rabbits, focus on gardening, sewing, baking, photography, etc. My cousins raised cattle, pigs, goats, chickens, and showed horses.
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@blackbird: lol!
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I love that their life has been planned out by HB
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@josina: see I needed someone from IA to tell me the reality of the town layouts
@Mrs. Twine: my life view is also shattered.. I thought this show creates TRUE LOVE oh the horror!!
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I think the show is really playing up this farmer thing in the most stereotypical way! I'm from central IL (corn country!!) so I know a lot of people in the farming business, including my in-laws. They crop share so they own several tracts of land and family friends do the farming. It seems like Chris and his family may actually do the farming though? But it's so hard to tell because you can't trust what they're showing you anyway! On the subject of net worth - 1.5 million (if that # is accurate) is not a lot when you're talking farm land. My in laws bought a million dollar chunk of land that abuts their existing property last year and it's just a small fraction of their land. But money tied up in land isn't liquid and my in laws certainly aren't "millionaires" in a celebrity/LA/famous person way!
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@78h2o: I am a 4-H photography leader. It's an awesome program. It's really inexpensive and gives kids the hands on learning on many subjects that may not be taught in schools. Sure, lots of the kids have animals and land but many do not.
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@Mrs. Twine: see above
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He is such a lip whore...
And now he's going to be a fantasy suite whore!
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Sad to see Kaitlin go...hope to see her in the Bachelorette!
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@78h2o: I am kind of surprised!! But I did not think she was Chris's type. She seems like she would date a more hipster guy.
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He doesn't seem like Kaitlin's type at all. I think she would be a really fun bachelorette. I'm thinking that's who they'll pick. The only other option would be Britt, but I think after the way she left, too many people dislike her. They would really have to spin it to make people like her again.
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I was completely grossed out by how hot and sweaty they were in bali. All the making out while dripping soaking wet? blechhhh. I'd be like CAN WE PLEASE SWIM FIRST. heh.
I'm a bit underwhelmed this season
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@Mrs.ThinMint: Agreed I like Kaitlyn but she was too "city" for him, I think she would be a great bachelorette. I love how she's a little bit feisty and says what she thinks. I'm sick of the prim/proper they always choose! Give us a REAL girl for once!
@blackbird: The sweating was disgusting, who decides wearing a LONG sleeved button up in Bali is a good idea??? Come on man! I also find him so dull! And I wanted him to be the bachelor! But he has no screen presence and his voice is so monotone. I think he makes this season boring.
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@LuLu Mom: OMGGG i know, he shoulda been wearing like... tees and muscle shirts. in dark colours!!! what was he thinking?! haha. but i still love him. i think a lot of the time they edit out their personalities... i've found that before where i'm like meh this guy sucks and then you see bloopers and you're like why didn't we see more of this?! i really love chris! i'll move to iowa and quit my job for him any day.
kaitlyn's ok but totally not his type. i dont' want her to be the next bachie at alllllllllllllll though. i think if he doesn't choose becca, she should be the bachelorette. i'm really hoping they don't let andi do it again. ugh.
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@twodoghouse: he lives by me and yes, his family does the farming
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@LuLu Mom: Yes so gross! I wouldn't want my husband to touch me all sweaty like that, let alone *the first time*, yeetch. But he is so boring. And he stares at these girls like he's just not interested in them. He has zero personality and is just so...flat. I think all he wants, though, is a woman to marry him, have his babies, and run the household. He just doesn't seem interested in them for who they are--simply "will you move to Arlington?"
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