What We Know About Farmer Ryan Black From Farmer Wants A Wife

Fox's newest rebooted reality dating show, "Farmer Wants a Wife," asks single women from big cities to see if the love of their life happens to live out on the range. Premiering on March 8, audiences will see four real farmers each invite eight city-dwelling women to stay at their countryside abodes and work on their land while also finding love. Entertainment Weekly described it as "if 'Yellowstone' and 'The Bachelor' had a baby." 

"Farmer Wants a Wife" originated in the UK and is now an international franchise with versions in 32 different countries. Over the years, the dating show has been behind 180 weddings and over 400 children across the globe! There actually used to be a US version of "Farmer Wants a Wife" in 2008 on the CW, and now Fox decided to revive the rural reality hit for today's audience.

This newest iteration is hosted by country music star Jennifer Nettles, who leads the farmers through their experiences finding a partner. In an interview with Country Living, Nettles explained that the farm boys and the city girls get to "mutually select one another" to date. "These guys are small-town," she said, adding, "They're from small communities, and you'll hear them say, 'I've never had any woman on the farm!'"

So, let's get to know one of the farmers who will be searching for love, Ryan Black.

"Farmer Wants a Wife" plucked four cowboys — Ryan Black, Landon Heaton, Hunter Grayson, and Allen Foster — out of their comfort zone and into a dating experiment to hopefully come out on the other side with a lifelong partner. 32-year-old Black originates from a small town called Shelby, North Carolina, which boasts a population of about 20,000 people. He revealed in an interview on the "Tamron Hall Show" on February 28 that he's a third-generation farmer, meaning he grew up with his parents and grandparents as ranchers. Staying in his home state for his education, the self-described cowboy attended the University of North Carolina – Charlotte.

Today, Black specializes in horses, running his own ranch located in Gaston County, North Carolina called Blackstone Ranch & Stables. They offer a variety of services, including horseback riding lessons, access to the ranch's own arena and nature trails, and stables as boarding homes for other people's horses. In a sneak peek for "Farmer Wants a Wife," one of the contestants gushed, "Seeing Ryan with his horses, he kind of has a calming presence about him." A natural!

Outside of spending time with the animals, Black has dipped his toes into real estate by flipping houses. In 2020, the rancher posted photos to his Instagram of one of the homes he flipped and put on the market in Union, South Carolina.

Ryan Black isn't just looking for love — he says he wants to use the reality series to share his experiences as a Black farmer. It's worth noting here that the other three farmers in this season of "Farmer Wants a Wife" are white. During his appearance on the "Tamron Hall Show," Ryan explained that it was important to him to showcase his family's legacy.

"There was obviously more reasons I wanted to do [the show], being a cowboy, and being a Black cowboy, if I will," he remarked. "There was like the moral obligation behind that, and shining light on that. And also being open for love, I mean this show has a lot of success," referencing the over 180 weddings that have resulted from the franchise. Black also shared that the ideal characteristics he was looking for in a partner were "someone that's independent, and strong, and feminine."

Well, from what we've seen from the show, the contestants were definitely drawn to the ranchman. In one clip, Black holds back tears as he describes what he wishes for his love life. "To open myself up and share my life with someone ..." he chokes up. "It would mean a lot." The camera cuts to one of the contestants visibly sighing and swooning. This season is bound to be interesting.