‘Golden Bachelor’ Mel Owens Angers Fans With Shocking Demand
Bachelor Nation fans had high hopes for the first Golden Bachelor season. It premiered in 2023 after the idea was delayed due to the pandemic. Gerry Turner headlined the first season. He was 71 when he was announced as the spinoff’s first lead. The female contestants were between the ages of 60 to 75. Many of them were widows who understood Gerry Turner’s pain of losing a spouse. His wife of 43 years passed away suddenly in 2017.
The first Golden Bachelor season ended with Gerry Turner proposing to Theresa Nist. They got married a few months later in a wedding that aired on ABC. However, the marriage was short-lived. He filed for divorce three months later.
The split put a damper on the season. However, ABC finally revealed the fate of the spinoff. They renewed it for a second season, coming this fall. Former NFL player Mel Owens was named as the next Golden Bachelor. However, he didn’t make a good impression on fans of the franchise in his first interview since he was named the lead.
Golden Bachelor Women Must Be Fit
The leads of Bachelor Nation shows don’t get to hand-pick their contestants. But they are allowed to tell the producers what they’re looking for in a match. Mel Owens was a guest earlier this month on the MGoBlue podcast, the official podcast of his college alma mater, the University of Michigan.
He revealed on the podcast that he went to lunch with producers from the show so they could begin the casting process. Mel Owens is looking for a very specific woman. As a former football player, staying active is important to him and it’s important in his partner.
The woman he sees as his future wife must “work out, stay fit, eat, have fun, be energetic and live life.”
Mel Owens Shocks With Age Restriction
His focus on fitness isn’t the only demand Mel Owens has for his Golden Bachelor women. He’s not looking for a woman his own age. The 66-year-old shared his cut-off age for contestants on his season.
“You know, if they’re 60 or over, I’m cutting them,” he told the producers. He prefers fit women between the ages of 45 and 60.
He said on the podcast that he was told by producers not to use the phrase “cut” in reference to eliminating the women. Mel Owens said it was just a football word he’s used to saying.
While ABC hasn’t revealed the Golden Bachelor contestants yet, Mel Owens said he was assured by producers that they would be “hot.”
Fans Blast Him For Demands
Bachelor Nation fans really wanted to give Mel Owens a chance. But his interview was an immediate turn-off for many. ABC might want to do some damage control after the former NFL player’s disastrous first impression.
One fan wrote, “OOF. I don’t know anything about this guy, but now I won’t be able to see him as anything but gross. Anti first impression rose for you, sir.”
Another added, “There’s simply no charitable way to interpret this!”
A third fan said, “I already hate this man with a burning passion, and not in a way that makes me want to watch him on TV.” That sentiment was shared by many fans who vowed not to watch the upcoming Golden Bachelor season.
Are you surprised by the demands Mel Owens made about age and body type? Sound off in the comments.
To each his own. He obviously knows what he likes.