Bachelorette Season 22 Winner Speaks Out Following Taylor Frankie Paul Drama (Spoiler Alert)

WARNING! THIS ARTICLE REVEALS MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE BACHELORETTE SEASON 22! The 22nd season of The Bachelorette has been officially canceled following the resurfacing of a video from 2023, depicting an altercation between Taylor Frankie Paul and her former boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen. In light of this, Doug Mason, who was rumored to be the winner, has decided to break his silence. Taylor, known for her influential online presence and her role in The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, is a mother of three who faced legal troubles in 2023. She was arrested on misdemeanor charges, including aggravated assault, two counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child, child abuse resulting in injury, and criminal mischief.

In August 2023, Taylor entered a guilty plea for the aggravated assault charge, while the remaining charges were dropped. She was subsequently sentenced to 36 months of probation. Fast forward to February 2026, Taylor and Dakota found themselves entangled in yet another domestic violence incident, with both parties leveling accusations against one another.

Taylor pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in August 2023, but the other charges were dismissed, and she received 36 months of probation. In February 2026, Dakota and Taylor were involved in another domestic violence incident, in which they both made allegations against each other.

Three days before The Bachelorette season 22 was set to premiere on March 22, TMZ released a disturbing video of the 2023 incident, in which Taylor threw metal chairs at Dakota, one of which hit her then 5-year-old daughter from her first marriage to Tate Paul in the head. After the video was released, ABC made the decision to cancel The Bachelorette season 22.

Who Won Taylor Frankie Paul’s Bachelorette Season?

According to Reality Steve, one of Taylor’s 22 contestants, Doug Mason, a 28-year-old ocean lifeguard, got engaged to Taylor at the end of The Bachelorette season 22, which filmed from October 26 to December 19, 2025. Her runner-up was Shane Parton, a 28-year-old private wealth planner from Atlanta, Georgia.

However, in January 2026, Doug flew to Utah, and Taylor ended their engagement. Reality Steve claims that it was because of Dakota. As revealed in The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives season 4 finale, Taylor and Dakota had spent the night together the night before she left to film The Bachelorette. Reality Steve reported that, as of his post on March 17, Taylor wasn’t with Doug or Dakota.

Taylor Frankie Paul’s Rumored Bachelorette Season 22 Winner Breaks Silence

Doug spoke out on March 20, the day after ABC canceled Taylor’s Bachelorette season. In an Instagram story, he shared a video of himself driving in a car, in which he said, “Yo. Good morning, everybody. In light of everything that’s happened, I’m just sending out prayers to Taylor because that was her moment, and her moment was blocked. So, all we can do right now is just be hopeful. And I’m headed off to run, to watch the sunrise. So, hope you guys have a great day. Let’s stay positive, and show nothing but support for people in need. Cheers.”

Fans will likely never see The Bachelorette season 22, so they’ll never truly know what happened between Doug and Taylor. However, it’s beautiful to see that he’s wishing her well in her time of need. Doug obviously loved Taylor at some point if he proposed to her, so he must be concerned for her after everything that’s happened. This cancellation is unprecedented for The Bachelorette, so nobody really knows what to do, but it’s admirable that Doug is leading the way with kindness.

Sources: TMZ, Reality Steve/Instagram, Doug Mason/Instagram

Release Date

January 8, 2003

Network

ABC

Showrunner

Mike Fleiss

Directors

Mike Fleiss

Writers

Elan Gale