Kriti Mehrotra
Directed by Tara Malone, Investigation Discovery’s ‘Big Girls Wanted: Escaping Pearadise’ is a docuseries exploring the realities of the titular community founded by Stefan Wilhelmy. That’s because there have been several claims regarding it over the years, with some alleging they found the plus-size positive mindset empowering, while others alleged experiencing coercion and manipulation. Amongst those to thus be significantly mentioned in the original production is Kassidy “Kass” Parades (better known online as Kass the Blast), as she was once the founder’s girlfriend.
Kass Parades Parted Ways With Pearadise For Her Mental Health
A native of Sacramento, California, Kass Parades first came across millionaire entrepreneur Stefan Wilhelmy on TikTok when the world was shut down owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. The then-25-year-old was already a plus-size content creator by that point, posting videos of her daily experiences, eating habits, lifestyle, and more on different social media platforms. Therefore, when she saw a post by the former in which he made it clear that he was looking to talk to women who were fat and confident, she messaged him without any hesitation. One thing led to another, and it culminated in him inviting her over to his 6-bedroom mansion in Las Vegas, Nevada, which he aptly named Pearadise.
Kass was not the only woman Stefan invited over to his place, but she was his only girlfriend. There were other women who stayed at the address indefinitely or for short periods, but she shared his room. They honestly seemed to have a good thing going as there was a mutual sense of understanding between them. According to the show, there was no jealousy or rage when he engaged in sexual encounters with others because she did the same, all the while also being active on dating/fetish websites. Her former housemates/friends have since claimed that she made her money through social media and through men on those kink sites by fulfilling their requests.
However, things changed in Pearadise in 2021 as an influencer began posting about the community being a sham and two former house guests came forward to accuse Stefan of sexual assault. As per the aforementioned series, since Kass had been raped when she was young, all the allegations and public backlash triggered her to such an extent that she fell into depression. She seemingly believed in her boyfriend’s innocence as she defended him online, but her mental state was always in fight or flight mode owing to the continuous back and forth. Therefore, after months of struggling, she broke up with Stefan, packed her bags, and moved out of Pearadise in the hopes of focusing on herself while starting a new chapter of her life.
Kass Parades Passed Away at the Age of 29
Although Kass parted ways with Stefan as well as Pearadise in April 2022, she never really left them behind. In fact, she not only remained in constant touch but also often visited, as evidenced by her online footprint and the docuseries. She had initially moved to New York to live with her best friend before eventually making her way to New Orleans, Louisiana. According to records, she managed to do so by continuing her career as a content creator, being active on both social media and the fetish sites. Unfortunately, her engagement in feederism led her to gain more weight than anyone expected; as per the show, she had gained over 100 lbs by the time early 2024 rolled around.
Kass’ weight issues reportedly spiraled to such an extent that she started having respiratory as well as mobility issues – she was using a scooter to get around by the summer of 2024. Then, the news came that she had sadly passed away at the age of 29 on June 27, 2024. While her official cause of death has never been made public, photojournalist Emily Kask revealed in the ID production that she was told it was from natural causes. “Kass is dead because of the harm that was put on her body through death feederism,” she said. “Having this pretty rapid weight gain, she had sleep apnea. People told me she fell out of bed and stopped breathing. Kass found freedom in feederism. It was financial freedom. It was freedom from chains of fatphobia. But it was false freedom.”
We should mention that Kass had attempted suicide once in late 2021/early 2022 by consuming a mix of Benadryl and Valium after texting her friends an apology/goodbye message. Thankfully, Stefan found out and immediately had someone call 911 upon finding her unconscious on their bed, which resulted in her receiving treatment before it was too late. As per the series, her attempt was because she was really struggling with her mental health, so that seemingly had nothing to do with her death in June 2024. In the end, Kass’ family raised funds to be able to transport her remains from New Orleans, Louisiana, to Sacramento, California, where she was finally laid to rest on July 19, 2024. Kass is survived by her parents, Rocio Parades and Arturo Parades, and her two younger siblings.
Read More: Stefan Wilhelmy: Where is the Founder of Pearadise Now?
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