ABC Dumps Mel Owens As ‘Golden Bachelor’ After Backlash
Mel Owens won’t be handing out any roses. ABC has reportedly dumped the former NFL player as the next Golden Bachelor after negative press. What did he say to lose the cushy gig?
Mel Owens Dumped As Golden Bachelor
After speculation that the Golden Bachelor spinoff would end after one season, ABC dropped a surprise renewal in May. They didn’t waste any time naming the lead for the second season. Former NFL player Mel Owens was named the Golden Bachelor for Season 2. Jesse Palmer sang his praises, and fans were excited.
But now it seems that ABC has changed their minds about his ability to bring in ratings. Bachelor Nation spoiler guru Reality Steve posted on Twitter on July 2nd that the network dumped Mel Owens as the next Golden Bachelor.
An official announcement hasn’t been made yet, but his sources said the network will announce the change once they’ve decided on a lead.
What did Mel Owens do that was so bad that the show essentially fired him right before filming?
What Did He Do?
Fans weren’t sure The Golden Bachelor would return for a second season after Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist got divorced after three months of marriage. But the network saw a leading man in Mel Owens and chose him to continue the spinoff. The second season hasn’t even started filming yet and he already landed in hot water with the internet.
The former NFL player was on a podcast earlier this month. He laid out what he told producers about his preferences when casting the contestants for Season 2. Mel Owens, 66, wasn’t interested in dating anyone over 60, despite the entire premise of the spinoff being senior citizens looking for love.
He also wanted women who were active and fit. He quipped that he didn’t want anyone with artificial hips or wigs.
The backlash was swift and spread like wildfire. Media outlets that don’t normally cover The Bachelor posted scathing commentary about ageism and body-shaming.
While no one demanded ABC fire Mel Owens, it seems they wanted to get ahead of the backlash by replacing him as the next Golden Bachelor.
Bachelor Nation fans reacted to the news with shock, but also agreed with the decision. One fan wrote, “Sorry Mel you didn’t just get benched, your the one that got cut.”
Another added, “Maybe we should have another Golden Bachelorette instead. This franchise keeps putting scrubby men as leads.”
Now the speculation begins again about who will replace Mel Owens. A lot of fans hope it’s someone from Joan Vassos’ season, like Charles Ling, who was a fan favorite.
Let us know in the comments what you think about ABC dumping Mel Owens so fast.
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