Taylor Frankie Paul and Doug Mason's Engagement and Split Take Center Stage
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives Season 5, released Thursday, September 10 on Hulu, has pulled back the curtain on Taylor Frankie Paul's unaired season of The Bachelorette — revealing that she did, in fact, get engaged to contestant Doug Mason before their relationship imploded.
According to multiple sources, Taylor, 31, accepted a proposal from Doug, a 28-year-old lifeguard-turned-model from San Diego. The engagement occurred during filming of The Bachelorette's 22nd season in Los Angeles last December, but the season was scrapped by ABC just days before its March premiere following a domestic violence investigation involving Taylor and her ex, Dakota Mortensen. The show has never aired and likely never will.
Season 5 of Mormon Wives picks up immediately after Taylor returned from filming. "He was the one that I liked from night one. There was instant chemistry," Taylor says on the show. "The entire time, I didn't think we were going to 'get engaged,' per se, but then at the last minute, he did propose and I said yes."
She confirmed to her MomTok co-stars that she left the show engaged to Doug. However, the happiness was short-lived. After returning to Utah, Taylor quickly fell back into old patterns with Dakota, hooking up with him multiple times while still engaged to Doug. Dakota was simultaneously dating Emma Shippen at the time. Taylor and Doug split just months later, with sources confirming the cause was her rekindled communication with Dakota.
Who Is Doug Mason?
Doug Mason is a 28-year-old lifeguard and model from San Diego who describes himself as an "avid surfer" and a family man at heart. He is no stranger to the spotlight: he graduated from Boise State University with a communications degree, where he hosted his own college television show, Presents with Douglas Mason.
He has since built a modest acting résumé, including a role as Adam Webber in NBC's Magnum P.I. season five and a Moda Moda hair commercial. He is also a musician who performs under the stage name TonedBone and has released his own songs. His IMDb profile notes that he grew up relocating every two years due to his mother's Navy career — an experience he credits with teaching him to reinvent himself.
However, MomTok cast members had reservations. Jessi Ngatikaura, Mikayla Matthews, and Mayci Neeley met Taylor's final three men — Shane Parton, Lew Evans, and Doug — and immediately flagged Doug as a potential red flag. They noted he reminded them of Dakota, sharing the same initials and also hailing from Idaho. "It just felt like he was hiding something," one cast member said. They worried he was more interested in the spotlight than in Taylor.
Why the Engagement Mattered — and Why It Fell Apart
The stakes surrounding Taylor's engagement were unusually high, both for her personally and for the reality TV franchise. The Bachelorette had cast Taylor as its first Mormon lead in a bid to diversify its dating pool and capitalize on the crossover appeal of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, one of Hulu's most-watched reality series.
Taylor's personal life, however, has been a lightning rod. She shares three children with two different fathers: Indy, 9, and Ocean, 6, with ex-husband Tate Paul, and Ever, 2, with Dakota. Her relationship with Dakota has been marred by a domestic violence scandal that ultimately led ABC to pull her Bachelorette season. Dakota has denied all allegations, though the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office decided to press charges. Taylor has since been involved in two separate child custody battles.
Doug, for his part, addressed comparisons to Dakota during an April appearance on the Bachelor Happy Hour podcast. "It's interesting because our initials are similar, or the same," he said. "But you know it's funny, it goes back to the same thing: I don't know the guy. I only know what I've heard about him, which I don't really love what I've heard. So I hate to be compared to somebody who has treated Taylor like that."
He added that he sensed unfinished business between Taylor and Dakota during filming. "I expressed clearly that there may or may not be some unfinished business," he said. "I've been in toxic relationships before... I started to recognize that maybe I was a little bit more willing to open up."
After the Bachelorette cancellation, Doug publicly supported Taylor in an Instagram video in March. "In light of everything that has happened, I am just sending prayers to Taylor because that was her moment and her moment was blocked," he said. "All we can do right now is just be hopeful."
A Reality TV Cautionary Tale
The saga of Taylor Frankie Paul and Doug Mason underscores a broader trend in reality television: the blurring of lines between on-screen romance and off-screen baggage. Unlike traditional seasons of The Bachelorette, where engagements are usually followed by months of speculation and public appearances, Taylor's season never aired — making Season 5 of Mormon Wives the de facto reveal platform.
It also highlights the ethical and logistical challenges networks face when a lead's personal life becomes a liability. ABC's decision to scrap the entire season — a costly move — signals that networks are increasingly unwilling to air content that could be seen as endorsing or exploiting abusive relationships. For Taylor, the fallout has been both public and personal, playing out across two reality franchises and multiple custody battles.
As for Doug, he appears to have moved on. He continues to model, make music, and post sunrises. Meanwhile, fans of Mormon Wives can now piece together the full timeline — from proposal to breakup — that The Bachelorette never got to show.
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