Cupid in a cowboy hat? Not exactly. But country star Brad Paisley made an appearance on Thursday’s episode of “Farmer Wants a Wife,” offering relationship advice to Alabama’s Jay Woods and three other men.

Paisley, 52, is the husband of series host Kimberly Williams-Paisley, and he held up the basic concept of their marriage — country guy finds happiness with city girl — as an example of what the farmers might expect in the future.

Most of the women appearing on the FOX reality series are from the city, of course, giving the show a consistent “fish out of water” quality. But Paisley encouraged the farmers to look on the bright side, saying a culture clash could cause them to look at rural life with renewed appreciation.

“I think it’s a better match sometimes when, vicariously, you’ll get to fall in love with the country again through them,” Paisley said.

Although the country star didn’t look entirely comfortable with his role as a relationship guru, Paisley pointed out that each farmer had crucial decisions to make during Season 3. Which women in their dating pools would get the boot? Which ones were marriage material? Paisley had some guidance there, too.

“You can’t just pick five,” Paisley said. “These aren’t baseball cards. Whoever it is that you start to find yourself really nervous around, is probably the one. … I mean, no pressure — this is only your life.”

Woods, 25, a hay and cattle farmer from Florence, took Paisley’s words to heart, making his first cut of the season on Thursday’s episode. If you missed the show — or simply want a refresher on Woods and his TV quest for love — here’s what happened.

Repping Alabama: J’Marick “Jay” Woods grew up in a farming family in Lauderdale County. Football has been a big part of his life. (“If you’re not from Alabama, you’ve gotta know that football is king down here,” Woods said.) He played for Florence High School, the University of Michigan and Duke University before injuries compelled him to call it quits. When his NFL dreams were dashed, Woods moved back home and bought his grandfather’s land, which had been sold to others in the meantime. He now farms hay and cattle, and works as a sales rep.

Other farmers: Along with Woods, Season 3 of “Farmer Wants a Wife” focuses on Matt Warren, 30, an avocado and exotic fruit farmer from Morro Bay, California; John Sansone, 25, a soy, corn and wheat farmer from St. Louis, Missouri; and Colton Hendricks, 28, a cattle rancher and horse trainer in Mena, Arkansas.

How it works: Each farmer on the show has selected five women who are transported to his property for dates, chores and getting-to-know-you sessions. The field of contestants narrows through 12-14 episodes, with the goal of finding the perfect mates for the four farmers.

Five on the farm: Grace Clark, Julia Mya, Karina Sabol, T’yana Nolen and Viviane-Lee Reed were chosen by Woods during the season’s debut episode. One had to leave on Thursday’s episode, however, and while the others were at risk, Clark — who gave Woods the jitters on their first date — was absolutely safe.

Quotable: “That (advice from Paisley) was actually good to hear, because I was definitely nervous when I went for the kiss with Grace (on our date),” Woods said. “Yeah, I took her to one of my football games. It was really good. I really started to like her for real.”

READ: Alabama man’s first date on FOX reality series? A football game in Florence

Eliminated: Viviane-Lee Reed made her exit fairly quickly, after Woods admitted he just wasn’t into her. “I’m at an age now where I want a family,” Woods told Reed. “I want a wife. I’m trying to find that chemistry, that connection and … there’s just something missing. I feel like we’ll be great friends or something like that, but I guess this will probably be your last night on the farm.”

Graceful exit: Reed seemed disappointed by Woods’ rejection, but said he was probably right in the long run. “There just wasn’t that spark,” Reed said.

Hay there: Farm chores couldn’t wait, even in the aftermath of Reed’s departure. The four remaining women were tasked with hauling hay bales in a field, working alongside Woods. Eyes began to roll, however, when T’yana Nolen engaged in some energetic chatter with Woods, trying to grab his attention.

Trash talk: Karina Sabol took aim at Nolen and let her grievances fly. “I definitely think T’yana is starting to jeopardize how Jay and I connect,“ Sabol said. ”She tends to fill the conversation and exhaust it by being very theatrical. She’s been causing a lot of tension in the house and just making little jabs off-camera, and I think she thinks she kind of has the upper hand.”

Three against one: The drama intensified when everyone traveled to Nashville for a barn dance at Williamson Family Farm. Woods and his women were joined by the other farmers and their ladies, two-stepping and twirling to the sounds of a country band. Off the dance floor, Grace Clark, Julia Mya and Karina Sabol presented a united front against T’yana Nolen, giving her stink-eye and expressing their disdain for comments she’d made over the past few days.

Tense talk: Grace Clark complained that Nolen was snarky after Clark returned from her first date with Woods, saying Clark wouldn’t make it to the finale. “That was really frustrating for me because that sounds like you think it’s a game show,” Clark told Nolen. “Like, it’s not a game. And coming from, like, a super high of the date and then hearing that made me not want to be friends with you, if I’m being completely honest.”

Questionable quip: Julia Mya told Nolen she was annoyed by “little digs you’ve made, like when we were listening to Sexyy Red and, like, Viviane and I were (singing) ‘Looking for the Hoes,’ and then you told me to look in the mirror. Like, that’s not nice,” Mya said. “You basically called me a ho.”

Chilly reception: T’yana Nolen apologized for her hurtful remarks, admitting that she suffered from insecurity. But if she hoped for forgiveness, it wasn’t happening. The other women seemed to doubt Nolen’s sincerity and continued to freeze her out. “I think I’m, like, over this conversation right now,” Mya said.

Frontrunner: At this point, Grace Clark is clearly Woods’ No. 1. She pulled him aside for a heart-to-heart at the barn dance, telling him what T’yana Nolen had said and basically throwing her competitor under the bus. Woods proved to be a sympathetic listener, agreeing that Nolen was out of line and soothing Clark with kisses.

Southern comfort: “I don’t know why she would say something like that,“ Woods told Clark. ”You don’t hear it from my mouth, then, you know, don’t let it get to you. I don’t really want somebody trying to come in here and dictate how I feel. That date was really special. So I don’t want you to get that in your head, that it don’t matter. Of course, I’m gonna be talking to four other girls, or dating four other girls, but, like, why can’t that girl be you at the end?”

Next up: On the April 17 episode, Woods must pick a woman for his next one-on-one date. If that sounds like a simple task, think again. T’yana Nolen can be seen weeping in a preview video, while Woods appears to be agonized, holding his head in his hands. Also, Woods shares a kiss with Karina Sabol, which is sure to inspire jealousy from his current favorite, Grace Clark.

If you watch: New episodes of “Farmer Wants a Wife” air on Thursdays at 8 p.m. CT on FOX. The season was filmed in advance.