The upcoming third season of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives promises to unpack dramatic fallout from a explosive crossover episode with Vanderpump Villa that left cast members embroiled in allegations of assault and infidelity.
The controversy centres on Marciano Brunette from Vanderpump Villa and his interactions with SLOMW stars Jessi Ngatikaura and Demi Engemann during a special episode titled "Momtoks and Mormons, Oh My!" that aired in April 2025.
The Crossover Episode That Started It All
Five cast members from The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives travelled to Italy to appear on Vanderpump Villa, a spin-off of Bravo's popular Vanderpump Rules. What began as an innocent drinking game between the castle staff and the SLOMW cast quickly escalated into accusations and deception that would spill over onto social media and podcasts.
During the episode, Marciano Brunette, 32, confessed to feeling an "instant connection" with Demi Engemann, 30, who is married to Bret Engemann, 46. Brunette took Engemann aside for a private conversation, telling her "I wanna get to know you" and suggesting she "owed it to yourself, and you owe it to me" to answer his questions.
Instead of reciprocating his advances, Engemann offered relationship advice. When their conversation concluded, Brunette pulled her in for a hug before kissing her on the head.
Assault Allegations and Social Media Fallout
The drama intensified significantly in May 2025 when Engemann appeared on Nick Viall's podcast and alleged she had been groped at the Vanderpump Villa by an unnamed man. Though she didn't identify the alleged perpetrator, she revealed she had told her SLOMW co-stars about the incident and decided against filing a police report.
Weeks later, Brunette posted an Instagram reel captioned: "uninvited to the function cus a 30yo mormon wife's scared I'll tell her husband the truth." The post, which has since been deleted, referenced his absence from a Hulu Get Real House event on April 22, 2025.
Engemann responded fiercely in comments on a fan account, writing: "Grown men acting like a child cause they couldn't bag a woman that was beyond out of their league and MARRIED." In a subsequent comment, she directly accused Brunette of being "a s3xual pr3dator that can't keep his hands to himself."
Affair Allegations and Text Message Revelations
The situation grew more complex when Jessi Ngatikaura, 33, cryptically commented on Brunette's post: "The truth will always come out." When a fan suggested Ngatikaura must not "f*** with Demi anymore," Ngatikaura responded: "All I'll say is it's not ok to claim assault when it's not true."
Engemann fired back on her Instagram Story, asserting: "Unwanted physical touch = assault. PERIOD the end." She criticised those who "proceed to use their platforms to victim shame, publicly call me a liar, and judge the way I handled it."
During the SLOMW season two reunion in July, Ngatikaura exposed alleged text messages between Brunette and Engemann that showed suggestive banter. In one exchange, Engemann wrote: "Is this how you sweet-talk all the ladies!?" with Brunette responding: "I didn't realize I was sweet-talking you."
Brunette broke his silence, thanking Ngatikaura for "leaking our text messages" and claiming Engemann's assault accusation was "just an attempt to scare me & silent [sic] me."
Meanwhile, rumours surfaced about an alleged affair between Brunette and Ngatikaura. In the penultimate episode of SLOMW's second season, Brunette told cast member Layla Taylor that after hearing about the "soft swinging" scandal involving SLOMW castmate Taylor Frankie Paul, he mistakenly assumed all the Mormon wives were swingers.
"I didn't really understand the boundaries," he admitted. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't at least try and kiss [Engemann]."
Brunette then claimed his relationship with Ngatikaura wasn't just "some freaking one-night stand" but a "full-blown f***ing affair" that extended beyond their initial encounter. He alleged they had "tried meeting up" additional times and that Ngatikaura's husband, Jordan, "doesn't know the truth about how extensive it was."
Ngatikaura has previously denied initial kissing allegations, stating: "If I was dumb enough to do that, I wouldn't do it in public." She has yet to directly address the affair claims but teased in a TikTok: "I'll speak when I can."
Season three of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives premieres Thursday, November 13 on Hulu and is expected to address the truth behind these explosive allegations.
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