The Bachelorette’s Doug Mason Supports Taylor Frankie Paul

After ABC pulled the plug on Taylor Frankie Paul’s season of The Bachelorette, one of the contestants is coming to her defense. On March 20, Doug Mason spoke out on the season’s cancellation, taking to Instagram to send support to the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star amid her personal turmoil.

“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 in a video. “All we can do right now is just be hopeful, and I am headed off to run to watch the sunrise. I hope you guys have a great day, and let’s stay positive and show nothing but support for people in need.”

The Bachelorette was set to premiere on March 22. But just days prior, it was reported that Taylor was part of an ongoing domestic violence investigation with her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen, with accusations in both directions stemming from an alleged incident in late February. As a result, filming was halted on Season 5 of Mormon Wives, but The Bachelorette had not yet been affected.

However, TMZ later released video footage from Taylor and Dakota’s 2023 altercation, which led to an arrest that was covered in the first season of Mormon Wives. In light of the video, ABC announced it would “not move forward with the new season of The Bachelorette at this time, and our focus is on supporting the family.”

How Do The Contestants Feel?

Doug was just one of 22 men vying for Taylor’s heart on The Bachelorette, and according to Bachelor gossip blogger Reality Steve, he succeeded. Doug reportedly won the season and got engaged to Taylor, but she broke it off about a month after filming. However, the two were seen together on March 14, putting their relationship status into question.

The rumored winner isn’t the only man from Taylor’s season to speak out. A mystery contestant anonymously opened up about the canceled season to E!, saying there was “a lot of drama” between Taylor and the cast. “Not to the point of being violent, but she exploded on a couple of us during the show,” he revealed. “I just thought she was leaning into the drama.”

He also claimed that “every single one of the guys all had beef with each other.” But despite the tension, he has no hard feelings, calling his fellow contestants “great dudes” and appreciating how “everybody was very open about their feelings” toward each other, which is why he was “so f*cking pissed” when their season got canceled before airing.

“We all gave up so much to go do this,” he said. “We all came in with open hearts. Obviously, the way she acted and the way she treated all of us in hindsight is just a waste of time, a waste of energy, a waste of emotional intelligence.”