Farmer Wants a Wife star John Sansone had an awkward encounter during his date with Samantha Riehl, when she turned down his attempt to kiss her during their private date. He shares with In Touch that he wasn’t thinking much when it took place.

“I kind of blanked out when it happened,” John, 25, admits. “I was naturally a bit shocked and slightly irritated, as it was quite embarrassing, especially with the whole cast around us, watching in awe.”

Originally from Missouri, John mentions that he “quickly returned to his senses” and “respected” Samantha’s choice. Reflecting back, John is now able to see the humor in it and considers the situation “hilarious.”

The shocking moment went down in episode 2 on March 27. During their date, Samantha, 24, and John opened up about what their expectations for a serious relationship included. For Samantha, that meant not ever “having any competition” or “feeling threatened.” Things seemed to be going well, and when John asked her what she was looking for in a man, she told him that she wanted to find a guy who was “unlike anybody else she’d ever met.”

The moment seemed perfect as the two smiled and John reached for Samantha’s hand. However, when he pulled her in for a kiss, she quickly put a hand up to his face to stop him.

“I cannot kiss you on camera,” Samantha explained. “There’s a reason for that. I’m going to marry someone someday – it might be you, it might not be you – and I do not want something of me kissing another man on television. If it’s you, then we don’t have anything to worry about.”

John told Samantha that he “certainly thought” their date was “going a different way” before she continued.

“Those are my values and that’s what I believe, and I don’t want that of me on the internet anywhere because I want my husband to have more than that,” Samantha said as she offered up a hug as a consolation.

She later told producers, “I think romance and intimacy is something that you can’t rush, it takes time. That’s just a boundary that I have and I will not be crossing it.”

Samantha caught John’s eye early on in season 3 of Farmer Wants a Wife, the wheat farmer explains that “first and foremost,” he found her looks “very appealing.”

“She had a whole different attitude than the rest of the girls that were there,” John continues. “It seemed that I was basically interviewing everybody, and everybody seemed eager to just kind of put on a sweet face and show me the sweeter side of them whereas, with Samantha, the positions were reversed. I was the one who needed to impress her so that certainly felt real, and I wanted to give that a try.”

Samantha is still in the running for John’s heart on Farmer Wants a Wife, but fans will have to continue to watch to see how their romance plays out.

Farmer Wants a Wife airs on Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on FOX with episodes available to stream on Hulu the following day.