Meet the NC farmer on Fox’s new reality dating show “Farmer Wants a Wife”

One of the farmers is Ryan Black, a North Carolina native with a ranch in Gastonia.

How it works: Each farmer will date eight city women over the course of six weeks.

• The women are invited to each of their farms ala Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie on The Simple Life.
• There, they get a real-life look at what life will look like with their potential partner. 

Why it matters: Love must be in the air in the Charlotte area as it has become a popular destination for major reality dating shows like The Ultimatum, Love is Blind and now Farmer Wants a Wife.

Details: “Farmer Wants a Wife” will premier on Fox on March 8 at 8pm and will be available for streaming on Hulu the following day.

• It’s hosted by country singer Jennifer Nettles. 
• It’s a spinoff of a popular UK show that debuted in 2001 and has since had several spin-offs across the world, including Belgium and Norway.

Get to know Ryan Black: 

Background: The 32-year-old Shelby native studied at UNC Charlotte before returning to the countryside to train and breed horses on his 44-acre ranch.

• Black was born from a legacy of farmers and is a third-generation cowboy, as most his family owns farms across the state.
• “Being a cowboy has always been the name of the game,” Black said.

The match: He’s looking for a wife and a lifelong bond. 

• He says he doesn’t have trouble meeting people in Charlotte, but most of his matches have been surface-level.
• “There’s a certain attraction to cowboys. The complicated part is finding the connection instead of infatuation,” Black said. 

Ideal first date: The Eagle in South End is his go-to spot, for their maple bacon. 

• Once it gets a little more serious, he likes to take his dates to Port City Club on Lake Norman. 

• And, Black says that men should always pay on a first date because they’re the ones doing the asking most of the time. However, “if your lady wants to pay then you should let her,” he said.

Chivalry matters: Black says that chivalry isn’t dead and it comes naturally to him because he was raised around it.

• “One of the most chivalrous things a man can do, it may sound deeper and it’s really not, is listening. Just listening and paying attention goes a long way,” Black said.
• He believes chivalry would blossom if men practiced it more often and women expected it.

Mother knows best: The lucky woman will have to be vetted by his family — most importantly, his mom.

• Black says he wants his future wife to be strong, like his mom, who raised four boys.
• “The first woman I ever loved was my mom so a future wife must have similar characteristics,” Black said.