The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Dakota Mortensen reflected on his infamous behavior during the series premiere of Alex Cooper‘s Unwell Winter Games.
“I think people think that I am a really bad guy,” Dakota, 33, said during the Monday, April 6, episode of the YouTube series. “I don’t feel like I am. I think I do some villain things here and there. Every once in a while.”
Dakota had to answer for his behavior — such as flirting with influencer Hallie Batchelder — when his former costar Demi Engemann joined the show at the end of the episode. They joked about him already “not officially” dating someone.
Dakota and Demi star alongside fellow reality stars, influencers and public figures on Unwell Winter Games, a four-episode show that “brings together 16 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,” according to an official description.
Other cast members include Love Island USA’s Huda Mustafa, Love Island’s Ekin Su Cülcüloğlu and Eyal Booker, Bachelor in Paradise’s Joe Amabile and Serena Pitt, Siesta Key’s Juliette Porter and Dancing With the Stars’ Gleb Savchenko.
News of Dakota and Demi’s involvement in the series came amid a series of scandals for the Mormon Wives cast — most notably a police investigation into an alleged February domestic violence incident between Dakota and his ex Taylor Frankie Paul.
In March, Dakota was granted a temporary protective order against Taylor, 31, in addition to temporary custody of their son, Ever, 2, amid allegations of multiple alleged disputes between the pair. Dakota and Taylor are scheduled to appear in court for a Tuesday, April 7, hearing.
Mormon Wives halted production on season 5 of the hit reality TV series in the wake of the latest allegations. The Bachelorette also canceled Taylor’s season of the ABC reality dating series days before its March premiere. Dakota briefly spoke out about the situation after a video surfaced of a 2023 altercation with Taylor in which the star could be seen physically assaulting and throwing chairs at Dakota while in the presence of her daughter.
(Taylor was arrested and subsequently charged with aggravated assault, two counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child, child abuse and criminal mischief. She ultimately pleaded guilty to felony aggravated assault in exchange for the dismissal of the remaining charges.)
Both Dakota and Taylor have denied the recent allegations, with both issuing statements saying they are committed to focusing on their children.
Prior to the Unwell Winter Games premiere, Taylor showed her gratitude to Demi for supporting her amid her drama with Dakota.
“Thank you for checking in on me as much as you have and for the wellness gift,” Taylor responded to Demi via Instagram in March. “You and Jessi [Draper], I’ll never forget, didn’t leave my side at my lowest.”
Demi, for her part, took a step back from Mormon Wives during season 4 after finding herself at odds with her friends in the previous season.
“I want to enter into a little bit more of a slower season of life,” Demi told People in December 2025. “So that’s what we’re going to be deciding over the next little bit, in terms of if we want to move forward there. It honestly kind of feels like a chapter’s closing and a new one’s opening, and I’m excited to see what comes of it. It’s a good way to close out the year and I’m excited to start back up 2026 and see what comes.”
New episodes of Unwell Winter Games will premiere daily on Unwell’s YouTube channel through Thursday, April 9.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
