Reality TV
‘Bachelor’ Producers Reportedly Doing ‘Extensive’ Psych Evaluations and More as Part of New Vetting Process
The Bachelor franchise is looking to avoid another potential Taylor Frankie Paul situation.
After the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star’s season of The Bachelorette ended before it even began — getting canceled by ABC ahead of its premiere date after shocking videos showing Paul getting physical with ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen surfaced — producers are being cautious.
A Friday, May 1, report in journalist Rob Shuter’s Naughty But Nice Substack claimed that a new vetting process will be more detailed than it has been in the past.
“We’re talking extensive psychological evaluations, deep-dive social media investigations,” a source told Shuter. “They’re combing through everything — past relationships, legal records, online behavior, even the people contestants keep close.”
Producers across the franchise, including The Bachelor, are reportedly rolling out the new practices.
“This is not a minor adjustment — it’s a full reset,” a Naughty But Nice source said. “The franchise has taken too many hits, and production knows they cannot afford another disaster.”
A source pointed out that the teams behind both The Bachelor and The Bachelorette have been “burned” before, explaining: “People with messy, troubling, or flat-out disqualifying histories made it onto the show — and viewers uncovered it before production did.”
The source also claimed that “Reddit was vetting contestants better than casting.”
“That was embarrassing, and everyone inside the franchise knew it,” the source said.
After the #MomTok influencer’s season was canceled — when filming was already well underway — it was a “wake-up call,” a source claimed.
“It cost millions, created massive embarrassment, and forced them to admit the system was broken,” the source said.
In the video footage that led to the recent Bachelorette cancellation, Paul, 31, could be seen hitting Mortensen, 33, and throwing metal barstools, one of which seemingly hit her daughter Indy, now 8. (Paul shares Indy and son Ocean, 5, with ex-husband Tate and son Ever, 2, with Mortensen.)
The fight, which took place in 2023, ultimately led to Paul’s arrest for domestic violence. She later pleaded guilty to aggravated assault.
