Farmer Wants a Wife's Shelby may have the solution to rabbit plagues

"I don't think I've ever brought a girl home to have lunch with the family," says Farmer Brenton, which strikes us as a little weird straight out of the gate.

What does he do with them instead? Anyway, now he has three.

Yes here we are on Farmer Wants A Wife, and in case you've been living under a Berkshire sow for the past few weeks, this is where we recap the latest episode to follow our Great Blonde Hope from Wollongong, OIivia, as she tries to out-girly two others and hitch herself a cocky.

More recaps: Killing time on FAWA as Andrew grabs his wife and heads off, then returns as it was his home

Last episode's voiceover person Sam Armytage appears on the screen, at a farm-looking place on her own somewhere but who knows, she may even turn up where the actual contestants actually are, like Natalie Gruzlewski does.

Don't worry Sam stays away for most of the rest of the episode, in which a new solution for rabbit plagues is hatched.

Also last episode we lost Farmer "Barnaby" Andrew, who met his match, packed off the others, threw her in the back of the ute, and headed for the happily ever after.

But they're history. Tonight, on Brad's farm, intruder Shelby is shaking things up. Confident, "smoking", and outgoing, Morgan says, tough competition.

On Matt's farm, Olivia's feeling nervous as the competition becomes more intense. She regresses into babytalk again which wins her few friends in viewerland. Mercifully they cut it short.

Brenton takes three ladies to get some firewood and some of the poor things have never swung an axe before. They've managed to collect a few pieces of wet wood before they try to head home but Brenton has crashed the new Isuzu ute.

Armytage says she has arranged for the farmers' families to come for lunch. We wonder where they've been hiding given some of these are clearly family farms.

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Someone Who Is Not Olivia starts complaining about our Girl From the Gong, who is taking the lead making lunch for the family.

"I think Olivia definitely things this is her place, her home. It's a bit bloody annoying," says Annabel who says she's not going to stand back out of the way "like a spare dick at a wedding". If only we could tell her Olivia's sails would be lowered later.

Matt's dad and a friend from university turn up for lunch. Mum's late, they say she's working, which is a bit sus.

An ad features farmers and fishermen saying they don't use roads so they shouldn't have to pay road tax. Turns out it's paid for by the Minerals Council, we chuckle at how the ad didn't mention mining.

When we left David and Emily they were experimenting with a new zero-emissions method for heating a large tub of water using only the bodies of two humans and friction.

Now Emily's nervously awaiting the arrival of the family and if the table decor is anything to go by, these are some pretty hipster farmers. She said she's never met a guy's parents before "in this capacity" anywhere.

The parents arrive for lunch and pretend they don't live there. The suitors prepare to eat each other.

I struggle in group settings, even in one-on-one chats, frets Emily. That covers just about every kind of communication, as she will prove.

Over at Brad's paddock newly arrived intruder Shelby is delivering another soliloquy.

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"Brad and Clare have so much in common and you can tell she fits in very easily round here," she says, and vows to destroy this happy couple if it's the last thing she does.

Shelby says she used to be a vegetarian - "until I decided I wanted to date a cattle farmer", and we realise how far she will to go to win her man. She's even willing to slice and devour the charred flesh of large ruminants which grow horns from their heads.

Watching Clare have fun conversations with people is driving Shelby up the wall. She's ready to rip some fingers off. She plots to poison Clare's good name at some point and we see why she has been installed.

Then an envelope arrives. Terrified it might be some more "poetry", from "Andrew", everyone falls silent. It's a letter from Sam, they say, as if this "Sam" was someone who actually had something to do with them on this show.

The family will choose someone for a 24-hour date with their son, so the ladies have to wind up the charm and fight each other to the death.

"We're not here to beat around the bush," says Shelby, who came here to paint stockings on spiders. She tries to poison Clare's name to Brad's brother.

Matt's dad David takes Someone Who Is Not Olivia (SWINO) down into the orchard to have a chat. He says she seems like a thinker, but she quickly puts the lie to that, telling him she's never really thought about moving from Western Australia to NSW, even though she's on a TV show where she's trying to marry a guy from a farm in NSW.

All this thinking is too much for SWINO who is clearly missing her dad. She said she was so happy to open up to David, he made her feelings "feel so valid" etc etc. She decides to leave this mess and take up with David.

Meanwhile Emily is blowing it with Farmer David's mum, who has asked her about long-term relationships, of which she has had none.

Poor Olivia. Always having to wait while another one breaks down in tears. Annabel is having a good old cry in bed while lunch is still on the table, and of course Matt is attending her dutifully on one knee. He seems like a a pretty good person who tries to do his best. I actually mean that.

Alright, that's enough wallowing in soppiness. Matt's "uni friend" is asked yet again for advice about a girl. When's it going to be me, she does not scream.

Matt's dad has turned into his mum, who has some good advice about careers or something. Then dad reappears - 'we work as a team' he says while helping mum's shawl around her shoulders, in what is a really lovely moment.

Jeez there we go again. What's wrong with me?

Olivia saves us from the soppiness. Matt's mum has taken her for a chat and asks what's her profession.

"Yeah, I'm doing admin. So I'm an Admin Officer," Olivia shouts, knowing saying things twice makes it more important. After starting like a gushing yeller she makes what seems like a decent impression on a decent woman.

Before we become too earnest Olivia's competitor Annabel has headed off for a weep. Matt finds her in a bedroom and there's already a camera crew in there how about that! He understands what he has to do. Apparently she's not used to sitting out there in the hot sun. Sure. Mum's not impressed; she talks about Annabel in the past tense. It's not even summer.

Matt, however, is a great communicator who doesn't want anyone to feel too bad. Nice guy sure but we wish he'd just pack her off back to the city.

The ad break comes and it's amazing how almost every single commercial is aimed clearly at men, or at women. Very few with broad appeal, or even gender neutral. Even for a show as hetero down the line as FWAW, it strikes a viewer as odd that a piece of communication has to be aimed firmly at either women or at men.

The farm families adjourn for some straight talking and decide who goes off on a 24-hour date with their boy. Emily has been a clear frontrunner but Jeff wants his son to sow some wild oats before settling down with any of them.

David's off to heat up a tub with Lorelei, Brenton gets packed off with Sophie, Brad's family doesn't fall for Shelby's witchery. Brother Ryan saw "the real me" Shelby says as if that's a plus, the family says no thanks, picks Clare.

And what of Olivia? Mum, Dad (who in true country style pronounces it "pavalova") and friend choose Annabel, who they say hasn't had much opportunity. Maybe if she had stayed at the table for lunch ... but no, the ruse worked.

Olivia's nervous. So much so she has to close her eyes a lot while talking. It enables her to talk to the Other Side and also enhances her vocal fry. Has Matt been spirited away from her? His family chose someone who wasn't even there as the one they liked the most.

She should be worried; they were saying don't throw your love away (cough, cough) too soon (Olivia). But why not? Come on Matt.

Everyone's shocked about some thing or another thing, unhappy about something or happy about something too. Shelby makes it clear she's not one to take no for an answer, and will "play the game". She rubs her hands together like Mr Burns and prepares to release the hounds.

Shelby has decided this is her home and will visualise her reality into existence by hook or by crook. "I don't want to be the crazy jealous one" Shelby says. Your words, sister.

Cootamundra's rabbit population heads for the hills as the penny drops. This one might be a bona fide bunny boiler.