WARNING! THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS ABOUT THE GOLDEN BACHELOR SEASON 2!The Golden Bachelorseason 2 lead Mel Owens faced fierce backlash after he made some offensive and ageist comments about his cast, and now his fate has been revealed. In the June 4 episode of theIn the Trenchespodcast,Mel, a 66-year-old NFL player-turned-lawyer and divorced father of two, revealed that he told producers before he was cast that he preferred women aged 45 to 60.
Mel also stated that he told theGolden Bachelorproducers he’d"cut"anyone over 60 and thathe didn’t want any women on the show who had artificial hips or who wore wigs. Fans were outraged by these comments, and they demanded that someone else be cast asThe Golden Bachelorseason 2lead.
The Golden Bachelorseason 2 lead Mel Owens faced fierce backlash after he made some offensive and ageist comments about his cast, and now his fate has been revealed.
According toReality Steve,Mel will reportedly be replaced by a differentGolden Bachelorlead. In an Instagram post, he revealed,"(EXCLUSIVE): I’m hearing that Mel Owens is OUT as the Golden Bachelor due to recent negative publicity surrounding his June 4 podcast appearance. Expect an announcement soon incl who is going to replace him. Haven’t heard a name yet on who that is. Will update if/when I hear."
What Mel Owens Being Replaced Means For Golden Bachelor
The Golden Bachelor Producers Are Finally Listening To Fans
TheGoldenfranchise has been riddled with controversyever sinceThe Golden Bachelorseason 1. Lead Gerry Turner was presented as an innocent widower who hadn’t dated since the death of his wife six years earlier, but it later came to light that he’d been in a long-term relationship before the show.
In addition, twoGolden Bachelorettecontestants,Gil Ramirez and eventual runner-up Guy Gansert, had restraining orders filed against them by their exes, although both were eventually dropped. Still, many fans questioned the show’s vetting process when all of these scandals came to light.
It was outrageous to think that theGolden Bachelorproducers cast Melas the season 2 lead when they knew that he wasn’t willing to date in the age range of the show. However, the fact that he’s going to be replaced means thatthe producers are finally listening to fans and giving them what they want.
Our Take On Golden Bachelor Replacing Mel Owens As Lead
I’m relieved to hear thatThe Golden Bachelorseason 2 will replace Mel as the lead of the show.His comments go against everything that the show stands for. BothThe Golden BachelorandThe Golden Bachelorettehelped to showcase how vibrant and vivacious older women are. They put the spotlight on a generation that’s often overlooked and feels invisible.
Mel’s insulting comments only served to reinforce the negative stereotypes about older womenthatThe Golden Bachelorwas able to break. Therefore, I couldn’t believe that a 66-year-old man who refuses to date women his own age was cast astheGolden Bachelorlead. Thankfully, that’s no longer going to be the case.
Hopefully, one of the wonderful men from Joan Vassos’Golden Bacheloretteseason will step into the starring role. Several of them, including CK King, Gary Levingston, Jack Lencioni, Keith Gordon, Kim Buike, and RJ Johnson, will appear inBachelor in Paradiseseason 10, but, if they don’t find love there, they could still take the lead role.
In addition, men such as Jonathan Rone and Jordan Heller seem to be currently single, so it would be beautiful to see them as theGolden Bachelorseason 2 lead.I hope that the show finds a man who respects golden women, and I’m so happy that the producers did the right thing and sent Mel home.
The Golden Bachelorseason 2 will air Wednesdays at 9 p.m. EDT in fall 2025 on ABC.
The Golden Bachelor
Cast
The Bachelor returns to TV with The Golden Bachelor, a romantic reality competition series created for ABC. The show will focus on an older generation of hopefuls, with one senior male hoping to court and win the heart of one of several older female contestants.
