Hallie Batchelder shared a smooch with Dakota Mortensen, though she emphasized it’s nothing serious.
The influencer, 28, opened up about feeling a connection with Dakota, 33, during a new episode of Gia Guidice’s “Casual Chaos” podcast that dropped on Monday, April 20.
“I was living in his comments section, he was living in my comments section,” she said of her brief connection with Dakota while filming Unwell Winter Games. “We shared a couple kisses. It was just very, like, whatever.”
The rumor mill went into overdrive after People reported that Hallie and Dakota kissed when the cameras were off, and that Hallie told Dakota she had a “crush” on him. During a confessional, Hallie was asked point-blank if she “likes Dakota,” to which she responded, “No.”
“I was honestly kind of giggling at it because it was so nothing,” she said of the article. “I was so confused. I thought it was gonna be a lot worse than it actually was.”
Hallie added, “What I thought was funny was he was reposting [the People article], he loved all the hype. I was starting to question what that source was. It was funny, he’s cute.”
Hallie also clarified that Dakota was not the only “person [she] was in the hot tub with.”
“I was treating the show like Love Island a little bit. I kissed a couple of people,” she noted.
Gia then asked if Dakota gave off “creepy vibes” amid his alleged domestic violence dispute with ex Taylor Frankie Paul, to which Hallie replied, “Honestly, no. He was kind of a nice, normal dude.”
“We didn’t have a ton of conversations. He does kind of have scary eyes,” she added. “All that stuff came out after we filmed. I didn’t know the depths of that lore. I don’t really talk to him now. I didn’t know.”
Hallie went on to say that she plans to keep her distance from DadTok members after she was seen cozying up with Chase McWhorter — Miranda McWhorter’s ex-husband — at Coachella. “Anything around these Mormon Wives significant others, husbands, fiancés, exes, you gotta stay away,” she said. “You cannot go near these men. They just find me.”
“Thank god that’s over and done with,” she quipped. “He’s back in Utah.
Last month, Dakota seemingly hinted at his connection with Hallie in a trailer for the competition series.
“She hooked up with him, then hooked up with me,” he said in the clip.
While filming Unwell Winter Games, Hallie told Gia that she treated the competition like a “vacation.”
“It was fun,” she said. “I made some new friends. I liked everyone.”
Dakota made headlines again on Monday when he responded to the now-closed police investigation involving him and Taylor, 31, the latter of whom avoided charges following the former couple’s recent alleged domestic violence dispute.
“Over the past several weeks, I’ve taken a step back and had time away from the chaos. That space has been a breath of fresh air and has given me clarity,” he wrote via Instagram. “My focus now is where it should have been all along-on my son and creating a stable, healthy environment for him moving forward.” (The exes share son Ever, 2, while Taylor is also mom to Indy, 8, and Ocean, 5, with ex Tate Paul.)
He continued, “I regret not stepping away from the difficult cycle sooner. I’m not perfect, and I take accountability for my part. I’m sincerely sorry to those I’ve hurt. At the same time, I don’t agree with how this situation has been portrayed publicly. It does not reflect the full context of what occurred or the impact it has had on me and my son.”
Taylor, for her part, shared via Instagram that she “cried” when she “got the call” notifying her that she would not be charged in the case. “THANK YOU to those that have stood with me,” she added.
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.
