Reality TV
Taylor Frankie Paul’s ‘Bachelorette’ Winner Doug Mason Reportedly ‘Livid’ Over Axed Season
Taylor Frankie Paul’s The Bachelorette season will not see the light of day, which has reportedly angered the rumored winner, Doug Mason.
“Doug is livid,” a source told Rob Shuter for his Naughty But Nice Substack on Tuesday, March 31. “He gave up six weeks of his life, didn’t get paid, and ‘won’ a show no one will ever see.”
According to the source, Mason was expecting instant fame after winning season 22.
In recent years, many Bachelor Nation stars have gone on to compete on Dancing with the Stars, land brand deals as social media influencers or launch podcasts. However, after Paul’s season was axed days ahead of its March 22 premiere, it’s looking nearly impossible for Mason to gain the same traction.
“They expected everything — Dancing with the Stars, brand deals, sponsorships. The full reality TV jackpot,” the source told Shuter. “He was supposed to be the guy. Now he’s just… a guy.”
In an effort to make up some of the lost future income, Mason and the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star, 31, are “acting like they won over the audience.”
“Except… there is no audience,” the insider notes, explaining that the two have exchanged flirty comments to keep viewers talking. “They want the rewards of a TV romance — without the TV.”
As Star previously reported, ABC pulled the plug on Paul’s season of The Bachelorette after a 2023 domestic violence video surfaced showing the reality star hurling metal barstools at then-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen. Paul later pleaded guilty to aggravated assault.
