They signed up hoping to find love on .
But instead, some of the 22 eligible men set to feature on this season had allegedly been 'fooled' by producers after it was revealed Taylor Frankie Paul – the leading lady – is being investigated for domestic assault.
In an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, one frustrated contestant from the now-cancelled season 22 has accused bosses of glossing over Paul's checkered past, claiming they tried to convince the contestants that she was a 'changed woman' when filming took place last year.
It is one of many accusations leveled at Warner Bros. Unscripted Television, the company that produces the show for ABC. A production source told the Daily Mail that both Warner Bros. and ABC are waging a blame game over who is responsible for the vetting failure.
'A lot of guys went into the season with an open mind,' the contestant told us. 'They may or may not have heard of her or known about her past.
'But when we talked to [producers] about her past arrest, they were like: "Oh, that's a thing from the past. We've spent every day with her, and she's changed completely." Producers painted her to be this very redeemed person.'
Speaking exclusively with the Daily Mail, a contestant from the now-cancelled Bachelorette season has spoken out about how the cast has been 'fooled' by producers into thinking Taylor Frankie Paul was a 'changed woman'
Paul's mugshot has emerged showing the reality TV star posing for a police camera after she was arrested in February 2023 for aggravated assault (note the copyright from the mugshot obtained by the Daily Mail was dated 2024)
In 2023, Paul, 31, of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives fame, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in the third degree after throwing a bar stool at her ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen and inadvertently hitting one of her children.
Mortensen, 33, is also at the center of another incident which took place at the end of February, with domestic assault allegations coming from both parties, a spokesperson from the Draper Police department confirmed to the Daily Mail. The investigation is still ongoing and Mortensen has been granted a restraining order against Paul.
The contestant revealed that Paul 'addressed' her 2023 arrest during filming. 'It was just very much in an apologetic light,' he said. '"Obviously, that was the worst moment of my life, and I never want to see that side of me again, and I love my kids so much."' That's how she expressed it - very changed, apologetic.'
But after was released on Thursday, it became clear to the contestant that despite Paul's comments on set, he 'had no understanding' of all the details and is 'still trying to piece together' what has unfolded just days before his season was scheduled to air on Sunday night.
The contestant says he feels like he and the other men are being 'dragged through the mud with Taylor' because, given their contractual non-disclosure agreement (NDA), they cannot speak out.
The Daily Mail has been told by the contestant that the majority of the men found out from breaking news reports, and it wasn't until a phone call hours later that they were reminded to stay silent and that the NDA would be tightly enforced.
'These guys are really good guys,' the contestant told us of his costars. 'They really, really are. And it's just disappointing. We literally can't even say how we feel about the situation,' claiming they are not allowed to 'disparage Taylor.'
'It's like, "All right, how long do we have to support or protect this lady?"' he added.
A Bachelorette contestant alleged that producers 'painted [Paul] to be this very redeemed person,' but they later realized this was not the case (pictured with host Jesse Palmer)
The cast is feeling like they are being 'dragged through the mud with Taylor' because, given their contractual NDA, they cannot speak out (a tearful Paul is pictured as the Bachelorette)
The alleged winner of this season of The Bachelorette was expected to be Doug Mason (pictured). We're told: 'This definitely has all been very challenging for him. He got engaged in it and the whole her breaking it off for Dakota, obviously it's not a fun thing to go through'
The Bachelorette cancellation comes following new details about Paul's criminal domestic violence history with ex Dakota Mortensen - and a new domestic assault investigation that has been launched following a February 2026 incident
A source from the production company told the Daily Mail about the chaos going on at ABC: 'Lots of finger pointing right now. The finger pointing is who was responsible for the background check? The network says we should have and execs say the network needed to'
The source added: 'She didn't hide it. They hired her knowing full well [about her past]. If she disclosed it, the question being thrown around is, "What course of action do they even have against her?"'
