The Bachelorette alum Blake Horstmann has dished out some strong words to explain why he decided against looking for love -- again -- on Bachelor in Paradise's seventh season this summer.
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Bachelor in Paradise reportedly filmed its new season recently and will premiere Monday, August 16 at 8PM ET/PT on ABC.
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But Blake, who previously competed for Becca Kufrin's heart on The Bachelorette's fourteenth season before appearing on Season 6 of Bachelor in Paradise, won't be a part of it.
During a Thursday Q&A session on his Instagram Stories, a fan asked Blake why he didn't travel to Mexico and participate in Bachelor in Paradise 7.
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"Well I might as well address this lol. Ya know it was close. I went through some testing etc. But at the end of the day, I didn't feel it was right for me," Blake, 32, replied.
Blake didn't hold back when sharing his explanation for why he decided to sit this one out.
"I am in a good place in my life -- personally, professionally and mentally. I didn't want to go back into an environment that breeds toxicity and emotional abuse," Blake wrote.
"I didn't want to put my life in the hands of people that don't really have your best interest in mind. It's like having a life coach who pushes you to do the wrong things."
Blake ultimately decided his mental health is "more important" than the benefits of going on the show, such as receiving "some followers and [social-media] engagement."
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"But I absolutely do not think there is anything wrong with people who do go on the show," he clarified. "It's just not for me."
Blake told another follower that being on the show is a lot "harder than people think."
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"Everyone wants you to be the person you were [on] the show and that's not always the case," Blake explained.
"I often say you kind of become who you were edited to be. There are a lot of people that want to take advantage of who you are now, and that's hard. You have to keep your old friends close and pick the right new friends."
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Blake went on to suggest that no one who goes on Bachelor in Paradise is on the show for the right reasons, genuinely looking for true love.
"I think 100% go on Bachelor in Paradise for followers... It's incredibly easy to meet people in [Bachelor "BN" Nation] once you are in BN. So everyone that touches that beach is there for engagement and followers... And there is nothing wrong with that," Blake explained.
He added, "Imagine if you knew exactly what you had to do in your job to get a promotion... You would 100% do it."
But Blake admitted he's not sure whether he would encourage people to go on The Bachelor or The Bachelorette to begin with.
"I always say it's high risk, high reward," Blake wrote to another person on Thursday.
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"You can go have an amazing time and everything that comes with that or you can have a horrible time and be f-cked up for life. At this point it's no secret what this show is capable of. Do your research and know what you are getting into."
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Blake finished as the runner-up on Becca's The Bachelorette edition in 2018. The pair's breakup was excruciating to watch considering Blake had said he was madly in love with the show's leading lady at the time.
"I truly thought that if it came down to me proposing, that she wouldn't say no," Blake told Entertainment Tonight in 2018. "I thought what we had was real."
Blake added it was "incredibly hard" to get over his heartbreak at first.
Blake then developed a reputation for being a bit of a playboy in Bachelor Nation. On Bachelor in Paradise's sixth season, he found himself in hot water for having had flings with both Caelynn Miller-Keyes and Kristina Schulman at a festival before the show began filming.
Blake also tried to woo Hannah Godwin on Bachelor in Paradise's sixth season, but she chose to pursue a relationship with Dylan Barbour instead.
"I still don't regret it, even after everything. But I know a lot of people who do," Blake wrote on his Instagram Story.
However, Blake insisted Bachelor Nation will "always hold a special place" in his heart.
"I'll always be grateful what the show has allowed me to do," Blake told an Instagram user. "But I also don't want to be defined by the show. I hope years from now, people won't say, 'Blake from Bachelorette,' just 'Blake.'"
And finally, Blake assured his fans that his heart is "in a good place these days."
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Blake previously detailed why his experience on Bachelor in Paradise was so "toxic" during an interview with Us Weekly.
"[You're forced to] build a relationship with your producer or producers. In that environment, you have nobody else to lean on. [You're experiencing] lack of sleep, you're not eating right, you're drinking. It's very emotional and is easier to get manipulated in that environment, obviously, than in your regular life," Blake explained.
"But at the end of the day, the decisions you make are your own; they can't make you do anything. Now, it is scary in editing when that they can frankenbite and they can take words that you'd say at different times and put that together. That is super scary."
While ABC has yet to officially announce the Bachelor in Paradise cast, Reality Steve spoiler blogger Steve Carbone recently reported Becca -- who confirmed she had broken off her engagement to The Bachelorette 14 winner Garrett Yrigoyen in September 2020 -- is going to be on Season 7.
The season will reportedly be hosted by a rotation of celebrity guest hosts and comedians following Chris Harrison's permanent exit from the franchise.
Reports have swirled actor David Spade, rapper Lil Jon, former NSYNC member Lance Bass, and actor Tituss Burgess will all share the hosting role and that The Bachelorette alum Wells Adams will serve as the "master of ceremonies."
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