The Bachelorette winner Doug Mason has claimed Taylor Frankie Paul "seared" their relationship and friend-zoned him right after they got engaged on the show.
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According to footage on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' fifth season, Doug was Taylor's The Bachelorette winner, he popped the question during the finale, and the pair broke up shortly after returning home.
During an interview on the "Bachelor Happy Hour" podcast that was released in two parts this week, Doug opened up about his version of events after Taylor accepted his marriage proposal when they filmed The Bachelorette finale in St. Lucia in late 2025.
"We were asked if we wanted to stay multiple days, but Taylor decided it would be best if we left the next day," Doug alleged during his conversation with former The Bachelorette stars Charity Lawson and Rachel Recchia.
"So we left the next day. She had to get home to her family and her kids -- is what I thought... So we had the night of the proposal, and the next day, we split off into our separate ways."
Taylor shares son Ever True, 2, with her ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen as well as daughter Indy, 8, and son Ocean, 6, with ex-husband Tate Paul.
But Taylor was shown admitting to her co-stars on Mormon Wives that she slept with Dakota once she returned home to Utah, while engaged to Doug.
"Once we got home, we wanted to see each other. We both were thrown. I remember her texting me something, 'I miss you already,' that was really wonderful to hear," Doug recalled.
"I think I said something sweet back. But it was very confusing because this is the first time that we're texting. It was so strange."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW: WHOM DID 'THE BACHELORETTE' STARS AND THEIR BACHELOR PICKS ULTIMATELY END UP WITH?! (PHOTOS)
Doug said texting Taylor for the first time felt like their relationship was starting off "on ground zero."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW"After being engaged, it was a trippy deal," Doug acknowledged.
Doug went on to share that once he returned to San Diego, CA, he didn't want to waste any time planning his first "Happy Couple" reunion with Taylor.
"I wanted it to be New Year's Eve. She did not... so communication started lacking, basically instantly," Doug claimed, adding that they were both probably to blame for that.
"I also was confused on what just happened... [but] the only person I wanted to be with was her, after the experience, of course. She was the only person that understands."
But Doug called Taylor's communication was "spotty" and "weird."
"We got on the phone the next day, or two days later, and it was a conversation that basically was just kind of like, 'Let's slow things down,'" Doug alleged.
"In her words, 'I see us as friends. And I think we need to just take our time in this. I'm confused. Like, what did we actually do?'"
Doug recalled how his dynamic with Taylor was "instantly seared" after they left the show.
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Doug admitted that he didn't feel like he was one of Taylor's priorities, although he understood her children would always come first.
"She could have been there for me... after everything. I was understanding, but it got interesting for sure. From that point on, from when we got home and we had that conversation on the phone of being as friends, it was confusing," Doug explained.
"And now it makes sense, given what I've heard, that she went home to Dakota. Makes a lot of sense. She was guilty."
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Doug lamented about how he felt "alone" and "isolated" after filming The Bachelorette and then his relationship with Taylor "just started to unwind."
Doug claimed that when he and Taylor finally had their "Happy Couple" visit, she was "blaming" him for their problems. Doug said he could tell that Taylor had cheated on him, and the pair officially decided to break up.
Doug said what he found with Taylor was "not real love" and he's happier than ever before because he's no longer in a relationship with her.
Doug insisted that he'll never rekindle a romance with Taylor, claiming he's even been ignoring her recent attempts to contact him.
Taylor's The Bachelorette season was canceled after a 2023 video leaked of her attacking Dakota in front of her daughter Indy.
Taylor was arrested in February 2023 for an altercation with Dakota, and the pair have recently been embroiled in a legal and custody dispute. They accused each other of domestic violence in February and subsequently filed dueling restraining orders.
Not only did Taylor and Dakota drama prompt ABC to pull the plug on Taylor's The Bachelorette season, but The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives also temporarily halted production on Season 5 this past spring.
Taylor recently announced she's leaving The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, which is currently filming its sixth season.
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
