After a rocky start on reality TV, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives‘ Marciano Brunette has his eyes set on any and every opportunity — starting with a potential stint on The Bachelor.
“The Bachelor is something that I think could be really, really fun because I think you would see a different side of me. That’s what I’m really trying to get at,” Marciano, 32, exclusively told Us Weekly about his plans for the future. “Because I really am this big and loving teddy bear [or] golden retriever. Do I have a bark at times? Yeah, absolutely. But there’s a different side of me that I definitely want people to see in the Bachelor.”
Marciano pointed out that after Taylor Frankie Paul is the Bachelorette, it would only make sense to keep it in the Mormon Wives family on The Bachelor.
“If you really want to see something really fun and different, I think it’s got to be me — or you would have to do Dakota [Mortensen],” he noted before Us pointed out the rare occasion where there were two leads. “It would be great. That would be fantastic.”
Marciano isn’t keeping himself boxed into just one dream job.
“If not [that] then The Traitors,” Marciano suggested. “Originally, I never wanted to do a dating show. You’re basically done with reality TV [after you do]. So I wasn’t originally open to it, but now I’m in a different part of my life. Earlier on, I was in a relationship and now I’m trying to navigate that and I would be open to it.”
He continued: “[The Perfect Match] specifically was presented to me in the past and it was something that I thought could be a lot of fun. I liked that show, so I do like it, and it’s something I would definitely be interested in. You can see different sides of yourself that are not as villainous, which is great. I’m open to it and we’ll see where it goes.”
Marciano got his start on Lisa Vanderpump‘s Vanderpump Villa — unless you caught his cameo in season 11 of Vanderpump Rules — where viewers saw him try to balance working at Chateau Rosabelle in France while in a tumultuous relationship with then-girlfriend Hannah Fouch.
“I grew up in Rhode Island and Pauly D is a legend in Rhode Island. So Jersey Shore was massive. I was obsessed with the show and that was where my real love for reality TV started. Then after that, my ex-girlfriend is the one who got me into Vanderpump Rules and all of the Housewives shows,” he recalled. “From there, I just knew I wanted to be on reality TV. I had auditioned for a couple different Netflix shows [and] my brother and I just started writing our own. But Vanderpump Villa, the timing of it and meeting Lisa — it was so perfect that it couldn’t have worked out any better.”
Marciano returned for season 2, which featured a crossover with Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. His connection with Demi Engemann came as a surprise to many of Us considering she’s married to Bret Engemann. After filming wrapped, Marciano found himself linked to both Demi and her costar Jessi Ngatikaura.
Amid the messy public entanglements, Demi accused Marciano of sexual misconduct, which he denied. Marciano appeared on season 2 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives to clear the air — only for his emotional affair with Jessi to be outed.
Marciano has since weathered several public storms while maintaining his innocence about his interactions with Demi, which were limited to contact via text. Earlier this month, Marciano filed a lawsuit against Demi for defamation.
“I’m doing much better now. When the show came out, I was not. It was really tough to navigate. I was definitely going through a roller-coaster of emotions but it’s definitely changed and I’m doing much better mentally,” Marciano explained about the aftermath of the high-profile scandals. “I’m also seeing a therapist now. I’m trying to really deal with how it can just come in waves. Because the biggest part for me has been not knowing what people think of me and because I’ve had some bad experiences recently. It’s really difficult.”
Marciano revealed how the drama has continued to affect him. “I still have a normal job that I don’t know what anyone will think of me. It’s been good lately but because of the bad experiences, it really affects me mentally as a person,” he continued. “I am so overly anxious and paranoid that I get caught up in what I want to say, what I can’t say and how am I supposed to act?”
He concluded: “It’s changing me as a person that I don’t like. Thankfully, therapy has been helping a lot and so I’m just trying to do my best to overcome this. It is a daily battle that I have to tell myself these things. But I’m willing to do the work and try and push through it and be the person that I want to be.”
Despite the challenges that come with putting his life out there for others to judge, Marciano never once considered quitting, adding, “No. Honestly, no. … I knew that I would be able to overcome whatever adversity that is thrown at me because that’s just how I am. I’m a strong-minded person that even if I’m down, I’m always going to find a way to get back up. I will try and make the best of any scenario that I possibly can. I love reality TV, and I personally don’t want to go anywhere. So I’m going to enjoy it while I can and do the best that I can.”
Keep scrolling for the biggest revelations from Marciano’s exclusive interview with Us:
Marciano Brunette Reveals the Toughest Part of Reality TV
Marciano Brunette Courtesy of Instagram/Marciano Brunette
“The hardest part is you don’t really know until you’re in it. You see who you’re involved with and then you obviously watch however the edit comes out,” he shared about adapting to possible reality TV archetypes. “I’m an outgoing person. It can be portrayed however you want it to be portrayed but I’m very self-aware of the decisions that I make while filming. Sometimes it can be a great thing or it can be a bad thing.”
There can be a risk about showing so much of yourself on TV — but Marciano has no regrets.
“It just depends on how they want to make it look. I’m OK with that. I wish — obviously — there were some things that I could have done differently but it’s OK,” he added. “It just allows for my story arc to change, and I’m OK with that. I think it really will give me a great opportunity for everyone else to see a different side of me going forward.”
Marciano Brunette Compares ‘Vanderpump Villa’ to ‘Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’
While discussing his experience on screen, Marciano pointed out that Mormon Wives gave him an idea of what conversations he would have — and with who — when he made appearances on the hit show. Vanderpump Villa, however, relies on cameras to capture what takes place in the workplace all day long.
“I’m very real and you sometimes don’t know how the outcome will look,” he noted before addressing the lack of phones while filming Vanderpump Villa. “It is tough because you do want to do certain things to either create havoc or resolve things — even if it was just to text these people. Because that is a lot of the communication aspect of it is huge.”
How Marciano Brunette Has Tried to Benefit From Onscreen Digs
As Mormon Wives viewers know, there’s been several occasions where Marciano has been at the receiving end of some shade. From Zac Affleck calling him a “chubby Italian” to the show using audio from a conversation where Marciano told Jessi, “I remember I took a Cialis and I remember I had c** stains in my shorts.”
“I’m not going to be upset about something that I said. If I said something and it makes the cut, it is what it is. I think it’s funny. Zac calling me a chubby Italian? Now I have some merch coming out because of it now,” he noted. “But the [erectile dysfunction] pill, I don’t have ED.”
He continued: “I’ve since hit up that company to try and maybe get a brand deal because of it. Because I think it’s funny. … The only thing I wish that was handled better — and I wish that never made it to camera — [is Demi’s claims] because obviously you can see it’s really affected my life right now.”
The midseason 2026 TV schedule is stacked — but when is your favorite show coming back? On ABC, Grey’s Anatomy is returning after the season 22 fall finale ended with Jo’s (Camilla Luddington) premature emergency C-section. Jo’s fate was unclear and the trailer for the rest of the season hinted at a possible loss. Season […]
Marciano Brunette Teases Getting the Chance to Break His Silence on Demi’s Claims
“You’ll see me be able to tell my story in the future,” he told Us. “You’ll see me try and really open up, be vulnerable and show a different side to me. I will get to explain what I was going through mentally — even up until like now. So you’ll see that you will be able to play out.”
What Does Marciano Think of His Relationship With Jessi Now?
Jessi Ngatikaura, Jordan Ngatikaura, and Marciano Brunette. Disney; Getty Images; Disney
After Jessi’s husband, Jordan Ngatikaura, caught wind of her affair with Marciano earlier this year, the married couple chose to work on their relationship. Marciano has since hinted at Jordan accusing them of having a second affair — but he is now trying to move on from the past.
“I obviously wish I could do things differently. Jessi has been very important and she’s an amazing person. She’s just been very important in my life from the first day we met to the last time we spoke,” he gushed to Us.
Marciano Reveals Why He Stepped Away From Speaking With Demi
“She was putting me in really difficult positions with both shows from Mormon Wives and then with Vanderpump Villa,” he told Us about cutting ties with Demi. “I absolutely needed to cut it off at that point. I was advised to do that and I was OK with it. Because what was transpiring at that time — which was in that March area — was becoming very detrimental to me for professional reasons and mentally. It was really difficult.”
What Opportunities Does Marciano Brunette Hope to Explore?
While Marciano still works a regular job, he is keeping all his options open.
“I would definitely be open to a spinoff [of Mormon Wives] because I think you could have a lot of fun with that. There’s definitely so many different ways you can go with that,” he told Us. “That would definitely allow me to come back in a different way too. Then Dancing with the Stars, I am very interested in that.”
Off screen, Marciano is releasing music, booking DJ events, taking part in a celebrity poker tour — and even considering influencer boxing gigs.
What Marciano Hopes to Get Out of Filing a Lawsuit
Demi Engemann, Marciano Brunette. Getty Images (2)
“There’s things that can be said and can’t be said. Unfortunately, what was said was extremely damaging. I didn’t take it lightly. There have to be consequences for your actions. I don’t think you can just go on reality TV and say whatever you want and get away with it,” he explained about taking legal action. “I hit that point where I felt like I was in a position where I had to do it for myself. I just feel really good about it all.”
Marciano recalled making the decision when a shocking dig that Demi made about his father surfaced on social media.
“My dad was a professional boxer and a very good one. Unfortunately, he ended up getting hit in the head that ended up damaging his brain and dying because of it. But I think he would be very happy with who I am today,” he told Us. “For her to say that he wouldn’t be is really crazy and just hurtful. It is the lowest of the low that you can go. I hate that she said [in an interview with] Entertainment Tonight that she stooped down to my level to say that. I would never, ever go that low. I haven’t gone low at all because that’s not who I am as a person.”
He continued: “I’ve been quiet since she started doing this in April. I have been quiet the whole time. I thought that there was power in being quiet and just keeping to myself. I was hoping that maybe this would go away.”
Now Marciano is hoping his lawsuit sets a precedent.
“You can easily see a shift going forward when you say things that there’s consequences. It’s that simple and it’s tough. I’m put in a weird position because I’m still on reality TV and I see shows that are extremely vile and crazy. It makes good TV, but you also have to understand that there’s mentally damaging things that you can say and there has to be consequences for it,” he concluded. “So I want there to be a positive outlook on reality TV. I want there to be resolution in general when all this all comes about. But I really hope that there is resolution. I just want it all to work out the way it’s supposed to work out.”
