Doug Mason Opens Up About Meeting Taylor Frankie Paul’s Kids on the Unaired Season of ‘The Bachelorette’
Doug Mason is finally sharing the emotional details of his time on the unaired season 22 of The Bachelorette, and one memory stands out above all others: the moment he met Taylor Frankie Paul’s three children. During a recent appearance on the iHeartRadio podcast Bachelor Happy Hour, hosted by former Bachelorettes Charity Lawson and Rachel Recchia, the 28-year-old California lifeguard opened up about the pressure, joy, and raw vulnerability he felt when stepping into Taylor’s world as a potential partner and future stepparent.
“When I met her children, I knew it was an important moment,” Doug said during the Tuesday, October 13, episode. “You can’t prepare for kids. Kids are crazy. Kids are so fun. And kids can tell if you got something up. If there’s something in your head, they can tell it right away like an animal. Just automatically. Like, you cannot lie to your dog. Ever lie to a dog? That’s not happening. You kidding me? They’re like BS. Right when they see you, BS.”
Doug’s comments offered a candid glimpse into how seriously he took the possibility of joining Taylor’s family. The season may never have aired on ABC, but the connection he formed with Taylor and her children was clearly real to him. He admitted that meeting her kids was a defining moment in his Bachelorette journey, one that made him realize how much was at stake beyond just a rose or a proposal.
Doug explained that he has always loved children, describing them as “the future” and “the next level of life.” As someone who spent years working as a junior instructor, he was no stranger to being around kids and understanding their energy. He noted that children have an uncanny ability to sense authenticity and see through any facade, which is why he made a point of approaching the meeting with total honesty.
“So I’m used to children and they’re fun,” he said. “Hello, life is fun. Why is it so heavy? Let’s have a good time. So kids and I, we’ve got along. Of course, I knew I’d like her kids because I liked Taylor. So therefore, I knew [they are a] direct reflection of their mother. She didn’t prepare me for that. I just walked in and I’d basically sink or swim. And we swam. We were swimming laps in that experience. I had a great time with the kids. They’re lovely.”
Taylor Frankie Paul is a mother to daughter Indy, 9, and son Ocean, 6, whom she shares with her ex-husband Tate Paul, as well as son Ever, 2, whom she welcomed with ex Dakota Mortensen. Doug knew that getting involved with Taylor meant embracing all of those relationships, including her children, her co-parents, and her extended family. It was not a decision he took lightly.
Doug confessed that he was actually “terrified” of taking that next step and becoming part of Taylor’s family. He described spending time at home mentally preparing himself for the challenge and asking himself a difficult question again and again: “What kind of man are you? Are you willing to put yourself in her life, and fully in her life?”
He explained that by the time he actually met her children, he had already decided he was all in. He did not walk in with a “we’ll see how it goes” attitude. Instead, he went in knowing he was ready, but that did not make it any less exhausting. “It was draining, mentally exhausting, emotional. The emotional toll it took on me was a lot. However, I was extremely genuine throughout the entire process,” he said.
The conversation comes months after news broke that Taylor’s season of The Bachelorette had been pulled from ABC’s lineup just days before it was scheduled to premiere. The sudden removal was tied to a domestic violence investigation into an alleged incident between Taylor and Dakota. The Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office ultimately declined to press charges against either Taylor or Dakota, and both denied the allegations. Since then, Taylor has been involved in separate child custody battles with both Dakota and Tate, adding more personal turmoil to an already complicated chapter of her life.
Doug did not shy away from addressing the aftermath. During the podcast, he said he stood by Taylor even when things got difficult. “I supported Taylor,” he recalled. “I didn’t know she was talking about me. I didn’t know her friends were talking about me on her season. But I fully supported her because I remembered what it felt like in that moment. Also, it’s a lot to introduce your family to all these guys. So I saw it from her side too. But yeah, it was draining. But yes, to answer your question, I was fully invested once I met her children and her parents and her ex. We met off camera.”
One of the most revealing parts of Doug’s podcast appearance was his recollection of meeting Tate, Taylor’s ex-husband, off camera. He said the meeting took place during what was probably “the most exhausting week mentally” of his life. Tate did not sugarcoat the reality of being with Taylor. Instead, he challenged Doug directly.
“I don’t need to do the timeline, however, when I met Tate, he asked me the same question that you asked me, Charity — ‘You ready for this? ‘Cause it’s a lot. I live it every day. Being with Taylor will change your life,’” Doug said. “So he really wanted to look in my eyes and see my sincerity. And like I said, at that point, I was all in. I was not going to BS. I’m not a BS-er. It was just as clear as day, this is going to be my life. So it was draining to talk to him for sure. I left that room [and was like], ‘I need 10. I need 10 minutes.’”
The raw honesty in Doug’s retelling painted a picture of a man who was genuinely prepared to take on a complex family situation. He did not view Taylor’s children or her co-parenting relationships as obstacles. Instead, he seemed to understand that loving her meant embracing every part of her life, including the messy parts.
Doug’s story is still unfolding for fans because Taylor’s season of The Bachelorette has never been officially aired, and ABC has not announced any plans to release it. However, Taylor did reveal during season 5 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives that she and Doug had gotten engaged. The engagement was a major development, but it did not last. In the Hulu series, Taylor admitted to having doubts about Doug after reconnecting with Dakota multiple times and also pursuing a connection with ex Ben Lambert. Ultimately, she made the difficult choice to end things with Doug, and the couple went their separate ways.
Doug’s appearance on Bachelor Happy Hour was just the first part of what appears to be a tell-all conversation. He promised to share more of his side of the story, including the rise and fall of his relationship with Taylor. His willingness to reflect so openly on those moments suggests that he has done a lot of healing since the relationship ended. He came across as someone still grateful for the experience, despite the heartbreak.
The story of Doug and Taylor is a reminder that reality television relationships are often far more complicated than what viewers see on screen. Even though Doug never got his proper Bachelorette finale, he walked away with memories that clearly meant a lot to him. Meeting Taylor’s children was more than just a milestone in the show’s format. For Doug, it was a moment of clarity, one in which he realized that he was ready to build a life with Taylor and all the beautiful, chaotic, and challenging pieces that came with her.
Whether viewers will ever see those moments play out on television remains uncertain. But Doug’s podcast interview gave fans a behind-the-scenes look at an experience that was deeply personal to him. His honesty about the emotional weight of meeting a partner’s children, the intensity of being questioned by her ex, and his decision to be entirely genuine through it all offers a compelling portrait of a man who was willing to take a leap of faith for love.
As Doug moves forward, he seems at peace with what happened. He did not dwell on bitterness or regret in his interview. Instead, he focused on the meaningful connections he made, including with Taylor’s kids. He called them “lovely,” and the affection in his voice was unmistakable.
For fans of The Bachelorette and The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, the saga of Doug and Taylor is full of twists and turns. But this latest interview adds another layer to the narrative, showing that Doug was serious about becoming part of Taylor’s family and that he fully embraced the challenge, even if the love story did not have a fairy-tale ending.
