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Golden Bachelor - Mel, Jesse
ABC.

It’s that time of year, Bachelor Nation. The Golden Bachelor Season 2 spoilers for Mel’s season are here, and they include one of the most dramatic plot twists from before Season 2 even started filming. 

Related: How to Watch The Golden Bachelor Live for Free to See Who Gerry Picks

Mel Owens, a 66-year-old lawyer and a retired NFL linebacker from Laguna Hills, California, was announced as the Season 2 Golden Bachelor on April 2025. However, less than two months later, he faced backlash for an interview he gave on the “MGoBlue Podcasts With Jon Jansen,” in which he claimed that the oldest woman he would date on The Golden Bachelor would be 60 years old when the producers asked, “What’s your preferences?” “I just said, ’45 to 60,’ just being honest,” Mel said on the podcast. “‘If they’re 60 or over, I’m cutting them.’” The producer told him, “This is not The Silver Bachelor, this is The Golden Bachelor.”

Related: Which Bachelor couples who are still together may surprise you

He continued, “[The executive producer] goes, ‘But they’re going to be hot, don’t worry about it, don’t worry about it.’ He goes, ‘You can’t use the word cut,’ I go, ‘That’s an NFL term…’ They’ve got to be fit, because I stay in shape and workout and stuff. And I told them to try to stay away from the artificial hips and the wigs.”

What are The Golden Bachelor Season 2 spoilers? 

After his interview, Mel faced backlash from Bachelor Nation, with Reality Steve reporting that ABC was considering replacing him as the Golden Bachelor. Mel apologized for his comments in an interview with Glamour in August 2025, in which he recalled a conversation between him and a 65-year-old female friend who called him out. 

“She said, ‘What you said was insensitive, and it’s just not who you are.’ My reference of dating was 39, 40 years old. I hadn’t dated in 26, 27 years. That’s what I told her,” he said. “She goes, ‘It doesn’t matter. You’ve said some things that are just incredibly wrong.’ And I go, ‘I’ve got to apologize.'”

He continued, “I didn’t know anything about the Golden Bachelor ages. I didn’t know the age range because I wasn’t watching it. I’m thinking, to me, the age range was 45 to 60. That’s my age range. I’m thinking that’s the gold years for me. My reference, again, was when I was dating at 39, 40. I hadn’t dated in 26 years, so I had no clue. And that’s why I said that comment.”

Mel also called his ending “brilliant” in an interview with Us Weekly before his finale. “You have the setting, and I know who it is. It’s really emotional. And you’re a little nervous, but it’s so brilliant. … It’s so good, you won’t believe it,” he said. He continued, “You won’t believe how we get there, not mechanically, but how we get there emotionally. There’s some movement and twists and turns.”

As for what happened on The Golden Bachelor Season 2 after his controversy, Mel teased to USA Today that there were “twists and turns” and “ups and downs” throughout his journey to love. “You’re just going to have to watch the journey,” he said. “There’s ups and downs, twists and turns. It’s like, whoa, I even can’t believe what just happened. This is an adventure.” Read on for The Golden Bachelor Season 2 spoilers from Reality Steve so far.

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