The romantic activities of Bachelor In Paradise‘s Blake Horstmann at Stagecoach 2019 may have caused him trouble, but that’s not stopping him from returning this weekend to fulfill a dream: DJing at the country music festival. After hooking up with two fellow Paradise contestants at the event prior to production, Blake couldn’t escape being negatively associated with Stagecoach. But in 2021, Blake voiced his wish to DJ a set and hinted that he had “been in conversations” with organizers. Now, Blake is shifting from attendee to talent on April 30.
On Bachelor In Paradise season 6, Blake’s good guy image built on Becca Kufrin’s season of The Bachelorette was instantly shattered. It was revealed that, at 2019’s Stagecoach, he hooked up with Kristina Schulman and Caelynn Miller-Keyes on back-to-back nights. According to Caelynn, Blake wanted to keep their brief fling hidden from Bachelor Nation, which made her feel like a “slimy, disgusting secret.” In a desperate attempt to redeem his reputation, Blake released private text exchanges between the two to show his side of the story.
It was a messy situation, but Blake is heading into Stagecoach 2022 with one goal in mind – to entertain the crowd. On Instagram, Blake shared that his set is scheduled for Saturday, at 8 p.m. on the Honky Tonk stage. He also provided a glimpse (seen below) into what his set entails, including an energetic country/pop mix of Russell Dickerson’s hit “Blue Tacoma” and Lauv’s “I Like Me Better.” The festival takes place April 29-May 1 at the Empire Polo Club, located in Indio, California.
As Blake sings, dances and head bangs along to his musical creation, he looks completely in his element, something many of his followers picked up on. Demi Burnett, a fellow Paradise season 6 contestant, gushed, “Aww happy blakeyyy.” Michael Allio, the fan-favorite single dad from Katie Thurston’s season of The Bachelorette, said, “Love seeing a dream come true. Take no prisoners.” Even the official Stagecoach account commented, “Blake means business y’all.” One fan jokingly suggested that Blake “remix in those paradise stagecoach quotes.”
Though Blake’s post contained a fair number of critical remarks, they largely had nothing to do with his DJ abilities. Rather, fans felt his tank top, which exposes a large portion of his chest, could’ve been cut a little cleaner. One comment read, “Laughing hysterically at the fight you must’ve gotten in with a lawn mower to get that shirt cut like that.” However, the fact that the negativity is focused on Blake’s wardrobe, not his mix, is a testament to his DJ talents. It’s a career path that he takes seriously, with shows regularly booked at the Denver-based Mile High Spirits.
Despite tensions running high among Blake, Kristina and Caelynn on Bachelor In Paradise, all have moved on from the drama three years later. Caelynn is happily dating Dean Unglert, Blake is enjoying a full-circle Stagecoach experience, and Kristina has no hard feelings. On a separate Instagram post, which shows Blake arriving at the sunny venue, Kristina commented, “Mr. Stagecoach himself,” to which he replied, “Better see ya this weekend!” This time around, it will be a platonic meet-up since Blake is still quietly dating Giannina Gibelli, star of Love Is Blind season 1.
