Mortensen and ‘Secret Lives of Mormon’ star Demi Engemann are among the “polarizing figures” who will compete on Alex Cooper’s “Unwell Winter Games.”

Taylor Frankie Paul’s ex Dakota Mortensen teases new romance in reality competition trailer

Mortensen and 'Secret Lives of Mormon' star Demi Engemann are among the "polarizing figures" who will compete on Alex Cooper's "Unwell Winter Games."

By Derek Lawrence

Derek Lawrence

Derek Lawrence is a former associate editor at **. He left EW in 2022.

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on March 31, 2026 2:08 p.m. ET

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Dakota Mortensen in 'Unwell Winter Games' trailer. Credit:

A pair of *Secret Lives of Mormon Wives* personalities are about to be *Unwell*.

Dakota Mortensen and Demi Engemann are both set to be contestants on the inaugural *Unwell Winter Games*. Airing on YouTube, the four-part reality competition series is executive produced by *Call Her Daddy*'s Alex Cooper for her Unwell Network. In the first trailer, released on Tuesday, Mortensen, the ex of embattled *Mormon Wives* star Taylor Frankie Paul, addresses a possible love triangle on the show, saying that he and another male contestant "hooked up" with the same woman.

Here's the official logline for the *Unwell Winter Games*: "The series brings together sixteen of the most polarizing figures in pop culture to compete in a series of mental and physical challenges over four days, filmed against the backdrop of a luxury chalet in Park City, Utah. The show promises fierce competition, unexpected alliances, and the kind of unfiltered drama that has defined Unwell across its programming slate."

The casting of Mortensen and Engemann is particularly "polarizing" given the drama surrounding Engemann's *Mormon Wives* costar Paul, who was set to be the lead of the new *Bachelorette** *season, until video and details emerged about incidents involving her and her ex, Mortensen. Production has also since been paused on Engemann and Paul's Hulu reality series.

Paul was previously arrested on suspicion of domestic violence in 2023 following an argument with Mortensen, eventually being charged with aggravated assault and domestic violence in the presence of a child and child abuse. Paul pled guilty to the aggravated assault and the other charges were dropped. But then TMZ recently posted video of the altercation in which Paul can be seen throwing a chair, prompting ABC to pull the plug on her *Bachelorette *season, only days before its premiere.

An incident in February of this year between Mortensen and Paul resulted in an investigation that halted filming on *Mormon Wives*, and Mortensen then also reported another alleged altercation from 2024. Mortensen was granted a temporary restraining order against Paul, as well as temporary custody of their 2-year-old son, Ever.

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At the time of the video becoming public and the *Bachelorette* season being shuttered, Paul's team said of the situation: "After years of silently suffering extensive mental and physical abuse as well as threats of retaliation, Taylor is finally gaining the strength to face her accuser and taking steps to ensure that she and her children are protected from any further harm. There are too many women who are suffering in silence as they survive aggressive, jealous ex-partners who refuse to let them move on with their lives. Taylor has remained silent out of fear of further abuse, retaliation and public shaming. She is currently exploring all of her options, seeking support, and preparing to own and share her story."

Mortensen subsequently said in a statement to EW: "As anyone who has seen the video will understand, this is a deeply upsetting situation. I am, unfortunately, used to these baseless claims about me and our relationship, which I categorically deny. I am focusing on our son and his safety, and hope that Taylor will do the same."

Other *Unwell Winter Game*s competitors include Anna Delvey and married *Bachelor in Paradise* alums Joe Amabile and Serena Pitt. The series premieres April 6, with episodes dropping the next three subsequent days.

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