'Bachelorette' Producers Blindsided by Taylor Frankie Paul Scandal

The top brass at "The Bachelorette" didn't see it coming ... but according to one well-placed source, they're guilty of willful blindness.

A source connected to the show with direct knowledge tells TMZ ... the latest crop of producers on the ABC show wanted Taylor Frankie Paul from "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" in a bad, bad way. They felt she could bring in a wider audience because her reality show was such a hit, and that's why our source says they "cut corners" in the vetting process.

TMZ broke the story ... Taylor and her baby daddy, Dakota Mortensen, have both been ordered to undergo a psych evaluation after allegations of physical violence.

As we reported, Taylor's people say Dakota has been calling Utah's Department of Children and Family Services, alleging Taylor abused their nearly 2-year-old son, Ever. She denies it. Taylor's people say it came to a head 3 weeks ago during an argument in a car, where Dakota attacked her.

Dakota's people tell a wildly different story. They say the car incident happened more than a year ago and it was Taylor who attacked Dakota and he's the one who called the cops. What they say really happened was ... around 3 weeks ago Taylor choked Dakota and ripped his necklace off. They say the next day Taylor scratched his neck and his friend called the cops on her.

'Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' has been put on ice ... we're told after cast members refused to work with Taylor because of the allegations of violence.

A source close to Taylor tells TMZ that they feel the reality star's personal issues were already well-known because they were documented on 'Mormon Wives.'