The ice crystals shimmer in the low sunlight. The hoarfrost has clung to the stumps of the grain stalks covering the fields at Botilsrud farm.
The green landscape we are used to seeing around the “Hunting for Love” farm in Grue has been replaced by the bare tree trunks of November.
Half a year has passed since Camilla Botilsrud Sagen (32) and Markus Botten (29) met on “Hunting.” Now TV2 meets the couple while they are out hunting.
– It’s so strange because I feel like I have known Markus my whole life.
ON OLD PATHS: camilla takes her boyfriend and Origi to the forest near the farm where she grew up in Grue. Photo: Ditlev Eidsmo / TV 2
The twigs crackle as the basset Origi runs ahead of the enamored couple. That Markus has a dog and an interest in hunting probably contributed to Camilla’s father selecting 29-year-old Markus as one of her suitors.
– I’ve heard that people think I had to choose Markus as he was dad’s choice, but everyone who knows me knows that I’m not necessarily the type who always listens to my father, she says with a laugh.
The list of common interests is long. Both are avid Liverpool supporters, more than average enjoy cooking, and they share the dream of a quiet, normal life in the countryside.
– But it’s not Liverpool, hunting, and those things that made us think we were alike. It was about our personalities, values, qualities, dreams, and traditions that are critically important to us.
THE HUNT OF LIFE: Camilla applied as a ‘Hunting’ farmer last year. Photo: Ditlev Eidsmo / TV 2
Camilla smiles and looks over at her boyfriend with a gaze that warms even a frozen hunter in the biting November cold.
– It’s just a entirely crazy bonus that we have all these interests in common on top of that. I didn’t think someone like him existed in real life.
It was during a date in the stable that the ”God Morgen Norge” profile truly became aware of the carpenter from Frosta.
FIRST BUTTERFLIES: During this date, in the stable at Botilsrud farm, something special happened between Camilla and Markus. Photo: Screen dump / TV 2
There was something about his gaze, she recounts. The warmth and softer qualities that she recognized from the men in her own family.
– I haven’t met many guys like that. Markus dares to feel and talk about emotions. Those are qualities I really appreciate in a partner, she says.
Earlier this year, Camilla shared in an interview with TV 2 about the tough year she had last year.
– I had very destructive thoughts.I wasn’t having suicidal thoughts, but I thought: “Does it matter if I drive into that tree?”. I was indifferent to absolutely everything, she recounted.
Received the diagnosis of clinical depression: – I lost myself
A heartbreak after a lousy and unresolved relationship mixed with the bottomless sorrow she felt when her dog, Basse, died of cancer.
The happiness she sought, she found.
– Having someone who can recognize this lousy year I’ve had, someone I can talk to about this, who understands and respects it, is very comforting.
Markus gently strokes Camilla’s back and looks at her with caring eyes. She takes a deep breath, as if sheer relief.
– You can talk a lot about how life takes a negative turn, but it can turn just as quickly to the positive, she says calmly and smiling.
The chase is over, the couple is out of the forest and back at Botilsrud farm – where Camilla’s parents live.
After keeping discreetly in the background while Camilla laid out food for the horses, Markus prepares for an uncomfortable trip over to Kirkenær and the 32-year-old’s detached house a few kilometers away.
– Jump in and duck down,Camilla says while laughing.
TV 2 meets the couple a few days before the outcome of “Hunting for Love” is broadcast on screen. To maintain the suspense for TV viewers, they take all precautions to avoid being discovered by curious villagers.
Throughout the autumn, Markus and Camilla have become accustomed to lying in the backseat, hiding in corners and going for walks in the dark of night.
– Frosta and Grue are perhaps the two worst places in all of Norway to live when trying to keep such a thing a secret, Markus says.
CURIOUS NEIGHBORS: – We actually haven’t been caught or seen by anyone, say the ‘Hunting’ couple contentedly. Photo: Ditlev Eidsmo / TV 2
Arriving at the housing area, the 29-year-old quickly slips inside the door.
Here, the windows are covered so that the neighbors can’t see in. Behind the curtains in the hallway are several cardboard boxes full of items.
– I just drove down the first load of moving items now. the company I work at is starting a new department down here, so the last load I’ll bring down just after New Year, he says.
Camilla smiles contentedly.
– It’s not that we need to rush to become roommates already. We just know that we want to live together.
TV viewers have speculated intensely about which of the suitors Camilla would choose.In the comments section on social media, many were rooting for Marius Snekkestad (32) from Nøtterøy – right until the end.
The confusion may be due to the fact that the “Hunting” farmer chose to kiss both Markus and Marius on the same day, just before the final choice.
– This is what I’ve dreaded the most throughout the season, says the “Hunting” farmer.
KISSED BOTH: Before the final choice, Camilla kissed both Markus and Marius – on the same day. Photo: Screen dump / TV 2
– I felt a pang in my stomach. I think that’s a completely natural reaction when you’re in love with someone, but I was prepared.
Camilla had warned Markus about the kiss in advance.
OPEN DIS
A week after the final choice, Camilla and Markus whent on a trip to Falkenberg in Sweden – still with cameras in tow. There, neither of them needed to hold back, and they describe it as their love exploding.
– It didn’t feel unnatural to have that conversation because I was so sure that we were going to be a couple anyway.So there was no point in waiting.
COZY AT HOME: The couple has mostly stayed indoors and shares the interest of cooking.– I have achieved my goal of gaining ‘relationship weight’, says Camilla contentedly. Photo: Ditlev Eidsmo / TV 2
– I felt so brave because I was the one who asked. Earlier in my life, I had my “guard” up high in situations like that, but with Markus, I was also the first to say “I love you.”
– It happened fast because he is easy to love.
– We dream of living on a small farm. A little more on the outskirts than here in the housing area. Then hopefully we
Norway’s newest ”Hunting” couple is not worried about moving too fast in their relationship.
– I cannot describe it,but you just know when you know. Very quickly after filming was over I felt: “He is here, he is mine. It’s best to just call us a couple right away so we are one step closer to marriage.”
– Don’t pretend that you’re scared now, Markus!
He gives her a gentle look in return and responds calmly.
– I’m not scared. This is what I have dreamed of, too.
CALENDARS: While Markus has made an advent calendar, Camilla has made this calendar book for him.Photo: Ditlev Eidsmo / TV 2
How did Camilla’s choice between Markus and Marius reflect her personal struggles?
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As her journey on the show came too a close, Camilla found herself navigating the complexities of her emotions. She mentioned that while she had formed connections with both Markus and Marius, her heart ultimately led her down a different path. The kiss was a defining moment, representing the emotions and uncertain choices that come with finding love in a unique setting.
the choice she made reflected not only her feelings for Markus but also her desire for someone who could understand her past struggles and support her through them. Markus’s emotional openness and ability to connect resonated deeply with Camilla, leading to a beautiful relationship blossoming amidst the pressures of reality TV.
This season of “Hunting for Love” certainly left its mark, illustrating the challenges of romantic connections and the vulnerability that comes with opening yourself up to another person while in the public eye.
As Camilla and Markus move forward, they embrace the excitement of their budding relationship and the future they envision together, stepping into a world filled with possibilities and shared happiness.