ABC’s Golden Bachelor is supposed to showcase seniors finding romance, and during its first season, the show earned devoted fans who found the older adults’ maturity and decorum refreshing.
From the sweet-mannered Charles to the blunt Pascal, many of the men became fan favorites. They seemed genuinely open to love.
Even when the first Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner’s hasty marriage to final choice Theresa Nist flopped in record speed, many fans were looking forward to season 2 and watching former NFL pro Mel Owens, 66, give dating a whirl.
However, now Owens has revealed he has an age cutoff for women he will date, and that’s causing controversy, as it’s igniting a long-standing debate about ageism and leading some fans to bluntly label him a “jerk.”
Many fans of the show are absolutely blistering Owens on social media, with some even demanding that he be replaced with someone who is more accepting of older women or, at the very least, someone his age.
Frances Farmer
Frances FarmIt’s not like Owens is a spring chicken. But he told host Jon Jansen on the MGoBlue podcast in June that he’s not willing to date women his age. He said he made this preference clear to the producers.
“They ask me, ‘What’s your preferences?’ So I just said [ages] 45 to 60, just being honest,” Owens said on the podcast. “And then we had lunch with the executive producer. I said, ‘You know, if they’re 60 or over, I’m cutting them.’”
The producer pushed back, Owens — who played for the Los Angeles Rams in the 1980s — revealed.
“‘Mel, you can’t. This is not The Silver Bachelor. This is The Golden Bachelor.’ He goes, ‘But they’re going to be hot. Don’t worry about it,” Owens said on the podcast. It’s not clear whether Owens got his way because the women have not been revealed yet.
Owens continued, “He goes, ‘You can’t use the word cut.’ I go, ‘Well, that’s an NFL term.’”
He also revealed that he wants a fit woman. He told the podcaster that he informed the producer, “Try to stay away from the artificial hips and the wigs, you know, that kind of stuff, right?”
Owens also claimed that a show official told him during the casting process that he looked like actor Robert Redford.
All of that isn’t sitting well with some people on X.
“Awful. Gary (from the first season of this show) was lovable and genuine. I wasn’t planning to watch it, but I did because of his sincerity and kindness. I won’t watch with a jerk in the lead,” wrote one woman on X.
“C’mon, @ABCNetwork. There is a huge pool of wholesome, handsome fellows out there. Why choose a shallow gent who imagines himself a ‘catch?'” wrote another person.
But some people defended him. “What’s the problem? He’s not supposed to have preferences in a mate?” wrote one person.
