A Brand Collab Made in Heaven

"Taylor Frankie Paul's casting might sound at first like a wild choice for Bachelor Nation. The cornerstone of both the Emmy-nominated reality show The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and the "soft swinging" scandal from which the show was born, Paul is unapologetically messy. She's divorced and has three children from two baby daddies. She's quick to lose her temper and even quicker to post to social media, stoking the parasocial flames of the 5.5 million followers ready to ride on her behalf."

"Casting her as the Bachelorette reads like a Hail Mary from a flailing franchise, and in some ways it is. The Bachelor and its spinoffs have been in a flop era for quite some time now. Ratings are down. Showrunners have quit owing to a "toxic workplace." Since then, The Bachelor has brought in the showrunner from Summer House and a casting company known for hiring talent for various Real Housewives franchises."

"For this season, that might be enough, because Taylor Frankie Paul is very good at being on reality television. Given the franchise's history of cast-member manipulation, it's a relief as a viewer to know someone who suffers no fools (besides her parents and a man named Dakota) is at the helm. Production might try to pull a Jenn Tran on Taylor Frankie Paul, but godspeed to them and their families should that occur."

Taylor Frankie Paul is a MomTok personality with 5.5 million followers who is divorced, has three children from two fathers, and posts impulsively. She is openly and devotedly Mormon and rose to prominence through The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and a "soft swinging" scandal. The Bachelor franchise faces declining ratings, showrunner departures, and attempts to refresh casting and production. Casting Paul as the Bachelorette represents a high-risk bet on raw charisma rather than format changes. Paul understands reality-TV dynamics, resists producer manipulation, and commands a fervent parasocial audience that could reinvigorate viewer interest.

Read at Vulture