• Dakota Mortensen has been edited out of Vanderpump Villa season 3.
  • His removal comes amid an ongoing domestic violence investigation involving both Dakota and his ex Taylor Frankie Paul.
  • This update comes after Dakota’s Unwell Winter Games casting announcement fueled backlash.

There was no shortage of drama on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives season 4, but one of the most eyebrow-raising conflicts had to do with Taylor Frankie Paul, Dakota Mortensen, and an unnamed Vanderpump Villa cast member. As it turns out, DadTok’s trip across the pond to Rosecroft Park resulted in a hookup that was presumably being kept under wraps until it could play out on Vanderpump Villa season 3. But according to Variety, fans may never know exactly what went down.

On April 3, Variety broke the news that Dakota would no longer be a part of the upcoming season of Vanderpump Villa and that his “storyline will be edited out of season 3 of the reality series” altogether. Of course, this news isn’t all that surprising, considering Dakota’s involvement in an ongoing domestic violence investigation between him and Taylor, with allegations of abuse coming from both parties.

Lisa Vanderpump later confirmed the news herself to People, saying Dakota “didn't really have a big storyline” on the show and that removing him from the final cut “hasn’t affected the story.”

She added that they “don’t want to shine a spotlight on something that’s been so controversial” and that Dakota’s “brief storyline of an interaction with somebody else” would be “scaled…back because of the controversy.”

Just a few days earlier, Dakota made headlines when he was announced as part of the upcoming Unwell Winter Games, with a cast that includes fellow Mormon Wives star Demi Engemann (who was sued by Marciano Brunette for defamation in late 2025), YouTuber Alissa Violet (who was reportedly arrested after an altercation with her boyfriend in February), Love Island USA’s Huda Mustafa (who reportedly received a temporary restraining order from boyfriend Louis Russell’s ex in March), and infamous con artist (and convicted felon) Anna Delvey.

What fans wanted to know: Why Dakota still gets to star in a YouTube competition reality series while Taylor got her season of The Bachelorette pulled from air. To quote one diva from the comments section of Unwell’s official announcement post on Instagram: “Respectfully, edit Dakota out.”

Unwell Productions may be proceeding with the Unwell Winter Games as planned, but it seems that Hulu is at least listening to the fans. And as much as I want to know who Dakota slept with during his time at Vanderpump Villa, I’m confident that season 3 will be better off without him (and, hopefully, any of DadTok).