The fifth season of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” released Sept. 10, bringing another disastrous season to our screens.
During filming in March, an unreleased video of Taylor Frankie Paul, the main star of the show, surfaced where she was seemingly screaming and throwing bar stools at her baby daddy, Dakota Mortensen, with her daughter in the room. Production decided to halt filming of season five until the situation was handled and all parties involved were safe.
The five episodes focused completely on Paul’s return from “The Bachelorette” filming and her messy relationship drama.
Each episode follows a different week counting down to the production halt. I appreciate this timeline because it proves production is aware of how much media attention came with “The Bachelorette’s” cancellation. Paul did not return to filming after the production pause, so the intro-shoot and confessionals were filmed without her.
The show opened with Paul’s mother, Liann May, picking Paul up from the airport after “The Bachelorette” filming. Paul announces she’s engaged to Doug Mason, the winner of her season, and completely over the on-and-off again relationship with Mortensen. It’s not a shock when cameras catch Mortensen walking into Paul’s house after her return. Personally, I’m over it; I was ready to turn off the screen the second I saw him. The relationship between Mortensen and Paul is exhausting for me as a viewer, I can’t imagine how these two must feel. Paul needs to get out of it for herself and for her children, which is why “The Bachelorette” should have been fantastic for her.
Not long into the first episode, Paul reveals Mason has been ignoring her texts and calls, refusing to treat her as though they are an engaged couple. She reveals, instead, she is in love with Ben Lambert, a TikTok influencer viewers meet in season four. I hope no one watching the show forgot Paul had sex three times with Mortensen the day before they shot this scene. This mother of three has three guys on her roster, while filming a reality television show. I just can’t stop thinking about her kids.
The show lightly touches upon the lives of the other wives, but not in great detail. I wish we had updates of Mikayla Matthews’ marriage and health status or Layla Taylor’s abuse of GLP-1s. These topics were mentioned in passing – Jessi Draper and her husband are on good terms, Whitney Leavitt and Jen Affleck are still arguing and everyone is taking on a new career.
These events were briefly discussed but not as in depth as I would have preferred. Production didn’t even cover Matthews’ autoimmune disease, a topic that young women could truly relate to.
Paul’s attitude is childish and insecure and, frankly, ruined the season.
When the group went to New York City for Leavitt’s opening night as Roxie Hart in “Chicago,” Paul invited Lambert and refused to leave her room to celebrate. Paul was more concerned with her love-life than her friends’ accomplishments, which makes her a horrible addition to a group meant to empower each other.
The show closed after a fight between Paul, Matthews and Mayci Neeley. The three of them basically argued over the lack of the support each of them felt. Neeley wanted to speak upstairs, but Paul was adamant on staying in the kitchen. We learn later that her son was at the house and overheard the entire conversation. When Paul goes to leave, she turns around and says, “I need to say, ‘Goodbye’ to Ever.” The fact that production let Paul fight with friends in front of her child is a gross oversight on their part and her part, and completely disregards his care and safety.
Paul is a horrible friend and coworker, and should take a much needed break from reality television. The very last scene of the season features a phone call between Neeley and Paul, where Paul announces she’s taking a break from filming because someone called Child Protective Services for allegedly yelling inappropriately at her son and smacking herself in the face. When the call ends, production is paused.
Production edits together news clips and social media posts to tell the story of how “The Bachelorette” was cancelled, and says the story will be continued.
The show is currently filming season six, but it is doing so without Leavitt and Matthews who both announced their retirement from the show late last year and this month, respectfully. Taylor and Neeley also announced they’re not sure if they’ll continue filming after this season.
Like other fans, I’m not sure what will happen after season six finishes, but there will always be The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives: Orange County to fall back to. I can’t say it’ll be the same without Paul.