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The Bachelorette Season 22 hasn’t even premiered yet, but it’s already one of the franchise’s biggest disappointments to date. And if you’re well versed in decades of problematic, disappointing Bachelor Nation lore, you know that’s saying a lot…
In recent seasons, the franchise has come under fire for epically failing Bachelorette Jenn Tran in her train wreck of a finale, casting several Golden Bachelorette contestants with orders of protection filed against them, and proudly championing a Golden Guy who said he didn’t want to date women over 60. After so many missteps and so many chances to learn from past mistakes, fans sincerely hoped the franchise could hold itself accountable for the past, take viewer feedback, course-correct to make an epic comeback, and genuinely commit to being better. Instead, on the heels of a promising hiatus, it doubled down on some of its worst impulses by casting controversial Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Taylor Frankie Paul as The Bachelorette‘s leading lady.
With the 31-year-old #MomTok creator at the helm, the franchise finally achieved its goal of crafting “the most dramatic season yet.” But the win came at a calamitous cost. Days away from Season 22’s March 22 premiere, Paul is dominating headlines for involvement in a domestic violence incident that reportedly halted Secret Lives of Mormon Wives Season 5 filming. The reality star was previously arrested for alleged domestic violence in 2023, and during a Call Her Daddy appearance she called it the “hardest time” in her life and said the charges “were all dropped.”
In response to the recent accusations, Paul told People, “My heart hurts to see it, to go through it, especially at this time. Just the timing is hard, and it’s a big deal… It’s just heavy. It’s a heavy time, and it’s unfortunate. I’m struggling for sure, but also at the same time I feel like if I don’t show up, then I’m just giving these opportunities away and not enjoying what we’ve worked on and something super exciting that’s coming. I just feel like it was the right thing to do… show up even though it’s hard.”
In an interview with Good Morning America on March 18, Paul also addressed recent headlines and confirmed that The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives paused production. “I’m a person that will always speak my truth. That’s what I’m known for. And when the time is right I will be,” the Bachelorette lead said. “My kids come first. It’s been a back and forth process. Trying to be here in the present moment, worrying about home and headlines. It’s been stressful, to be honest… When your life is broadcasted out there in these headlines, it’s like the end of the world. That’s what it feels like, I’m not going to lie. But I’ve been here before and I got through it. I shared my story and my life so I’m hoping that I can do that again.”
Despite the severity of the situation and the franchise’s history, it sounds like ABC still plans to air Paul’s journey. But franchise alum like Sydney Warren are publicly questioning the “morals and values” of The Bachelorette, Bachelor Nation’s go-to spoiler Reality Steve is calling for Paul to get professional help, and fans of the franchise are urging ABC to scrap the season entirely. While the headlines are messy as hell, the issues with Paul as lead run far deeper than her premiere week news cycle. The Bachelorette Season 22 was doomed from the start, because Paul was cast for the wrong reasons.
Photo: Disney / Fred HayesWhen the mom of three was first announced as lead, I admittedly knew nothing about her past or The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. I was initially perturbed that the franchise cast an established reality star as a lead — versus a former contestant or outside applicant without celebrity status — because that’s not the model of the show Bachelor Nation fell in love with. (The Reality Star Bachelor/Bachelorette should have been its own spinoff entirely, but I digress!) To get a taste of Paul’s character and career, I watched the first and last episodes of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and I came away baffled as to why ABC would green light a lead that directly challenges the integrity of The Bachelorette‘s premise.
In every iteration of a Bachelor show, the leads, viewers, and participants set out to ensure that contestants are there for “the right reasons.” If you’re cast, you’re expected to take the incredible opportunity seriously. You’ve presumably worked to better yourself and developed the awareness, empathy, and emotional intelligence needed to be a good partner. You’re not only ready to be in a relationship, but you’re at a place in life where you’re open and excited to get engaged in a short amount of time. You’re there for love, not clout. And you’re certainly not hung up on or actively trying to get over an ex. The Bachelorette Season 22 flips that script by asking, “What if the lead also wasn’t here for the right reasons?”
For those who don’t know, the Season 4 finale of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives essentially showed Paul embarking on her Bachelorette journey against her will. She spent the night before her trip to LA with her toxic baby daddy, Dakota Mortensen. She missed her flight and sent her family to the airport without her. She considered backing out of her Bachelorette commitment entirely. Her co-stars and relatives voiced concerns about her readiness and disappointment over her toxic relationship with her ex. And though Paul ultimately headed LA, when she landed, she FaceTimed that toxic ex, who turned on his toxic charm, refused to let her move forward, and kept her on the hook by asking her to “save a rose for me.” A number of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives fans familiar with Paul and Mortensen’s relationship dynamic have been quick to lay blame on him as well and question the terrible timing of the negative reports about Paul.
As you know, Paul eventually arrived to the Bachelor Mansion and accepted the role, but it’s clear she wasn’t ready for it. “At the end of the day, I do think it’s an opportunity to get away from [Dakota]. It’s like a dream come true,” Paul mused. But that dream she described wasn’t the chance to find new love, it was the chance to distance herself from old, ongoing, problematic love. And as the great Taylor Swift once sang, “Nothing good starts in a getaway car.”
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives Season 4 ended with Mortensen questioning if Paul was pregnant on The Bachelorette. And how anyone could watch that finale and think, “Desirable foundation for a healthy relationship!” is beyond me. With considerable chaos to work through in her own life, a toxic situationship with Mortensen, and complex unresolved feelings, Paul shouldn’t have accepted The Bachelorette offer. But at the end of the day, she’s just a person who was offered an incredible opportunity, and she’s not solely to blame. She’s not the only contributor to her toxic relationship, nor should she shoulder all of this scrutiny herself, because she shouldn’t have been offered the gig in the first place.
Photo: Disney/John FleenorThe unfortunate reality of this epic reality TV blunder is that Paul was cast, in part, because of her controversies and past. There’s a long list of women in the world without ties to toxic exes and existing reality TV baggage who would’ve loved the gig, but the franchise purposefully chose Paul to give Season 22 an edge and shake things up. The team wanted so badly for Bachelor Nation to be onboard with the unconventional casting that they even assembled Bachelorette leads past — who are likely not loving the optics of this news cycle — to lift her up in a post-Oscars special.
Those choices are reminders that the franchise continues to put leads in precarious positions and sets stars up for failure in pursuit of shock value and ratings. And if the Bachelorette team was blindsided by this week’s headlines or Paul’s Secret Lives of Mormon Wives past, then it’s another example of improper vetting. After years of hoping for higher standards, fans are tired. Casting Paul may pay off in the ratings as planned, and she may genuinely find love on the show. But no matter how entertaining the season, there’s a dark cloud over it once again.
Like any toxic relationship, there comes a time when you have to draw the line and cut ties. And The Bachelorette Season 22 may very well prove to be the final straw for fans of the franchise.
The Bachelorette Season 22 premieres Sunday, March 22 on ABC with next-day streaming on Hulu.
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