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LEHI — It was the moment many childhood years in the making. Jake Taylor-Baumann of Lehi was dancing in front of an audience on a national stage.
On June 21, Taylor-Baumann and 13 others competed on NBC's "Dancing with Myself," which is hosted by the likes of superstars Shakira and Nick Jonas. Contestants on the show are taught a dance and then separated into pods to perform that dance by themselves. Each dancer is judged by the audience, with the hope of making it closer to the $25,000 grand prize at the end of each episode.
Now, for the spoiler alert: Taylor-Baumann was eliminated after the first round.
Taylor-Baumann said that while it was a sting to the ego to lose, he came away from the show with yet one more life lesson he'd like to pass on to his three children — 18-month-old triplets.
"As a father, I want to teach my kids that it's important to do scary things regardless of the outcome," he said. "Sometimes those scary things lead to some of the best things."
This lesson is one Taylor-Baumann has come to learn a little later in life as a man who gave up on his love of dancing because it didn't fit the mold he felt he needed to fit.
"I started dancing when I was 8 years old, and I really loved it. But I quit when I was 12 because I thought that people would think I was gay," Taylor-Baumann said. "I had a lot of regrets for quitting dancing, and now that I have kids, it's important for me to be my authentic self for them."
It was being open about being his authentic self that Taylor-Baumann said helped him move forward with the life he always wanted but never thought he could have.
Finding love
Taylor-Baumann said he previously felt ashamed of who he was, but after finding love, his true personality began to emerge.
"When I came out to my family that I was gay, I thought it was going to be the end of the world," Taylor-Baumann said. "Thankfully, my family has been very supportive, and it wasn't the end of the world."
Taylor-Baumann eventually met his now-husband, Sean Taylor-Baumann, and the two married in 2016. Together, they began a successful real estate business, and the one thing that was missing was expanding their family.
"My husband and I both grew up wanting to have children, and so we looked for ways to grow our family," Jake Taylor-Baumann said. "We thought about adopting, but then looked into having a surrogate."
Heartache, then surprise
The couple was able to find a woman willing to be a surrogate, and they proceeded with implanting the embryo. Sadly, 12 weeks into the pregnancy, the woman miscarried.
"It was really hard when we found out that our surrogate had miscarried," Jake Taylor Baumann said. "We really wanted to be able to grow our family, and it was devastating."
Jake Taylor-Baumann explained that after some tests, the couple decided to find another surrogate who was then implanted with two embryos in hopes that one would take. In a crazy turn of events, not only did both of the embryos take, but one of the embryos split, and they found themselves expecting triplets.
In January of 2021, the couple became parents of two identical girls and one boy.
They shared their story on Instagram and TikTok and it went viral. In sharing their story, Jake Taylor-Baumann said they received a showering of love and support — and an invitation to dance on a national stage.
Coming full circle
Jake Taylor-Baumann said he loved to dance, and reiterated how much he regretted quitting as a child.
He said that while things didn't pan out for him on the show, he wants to continue to dance as a way of bringing back that part of himself, and to show his children how important it is to be your truest self. He said he hopes to continue dancing as the years go on.
"I want my kids to know how important it is to live authentically and without regrets," Jake Taylor-Baumann said. "Dancing is so freeing for me, and I want to continue to dance as long as I can."
