The Golden Bachelor season 2 is in full swing following its premiere on Wednesday, Sept. 24.
This season’s Golden Bachelor, Mel Owens, is still in the thick of some divorce drama with his ex-wife, Fabiana Pimente.
Mel recently weighed in on whether he thinks Fabiana will watch the show.
The Golden Bachelor has made its way back to our screens, and this time, it’s former NFL player Mel Owens’ turn for a second shot at love. While the OG Golden Bachelor, Gerry Turner, was a widower after his wife’s tragic death in 2017, Mel is pulling up to the beloved Bachelor Nation spin-off as a divorcé. However, he appears to still be dealing with some drama in the aftermath of his split from his ex-wife, Fabiana Pimente.
According to Us Weekly, Fabiana filed for divorce after 18 years of marriage when she fell in love with someone else during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Mel seems to be moving on just fine—especially as he searches for romance on this season of The Golden Bachelor.
“Well, it’s never good, right?” Mel told the outlet. “But, you know, I’m never going to get in the way of someone’s happiness. If you want to find somebody else in a different phase in your life—it hurts, but I can’t get in the way of your happiness.”
He continued, sharing how he moved on from their sudden split. “You live in the moment. Plus, I had kids, so I had to think about them before me. So that was the main focus,” he said. “And there were younger kids at the time—not infants, but teenagers. I let things work itself out, and it did. And have patience and understanding.”
Per court docs obtained by the Daily Mail, Fabiana filed for divorce in February 2020, citing irreconcilable differences. After a nearly five-year court battle, the divorce was eventually finalized in December 2024. The former couple shares joint custody of their grown sons, Lucas and Andre.
The docs also revealed that instead of paying for child support, Mel was responsible for paying his youngest son’s high school tuition, fees, and costs of extracurricular activities until his graduation.
While Fabiana waived all rights to receive ongoing spousal support and alimony from Mel, a California judge ruled that he was still responsible for paying her $980,000 by February 28, 2025. The settlement included past-due and unpaid child support, unpaid mortgage loans, law school loans, and more. Per the Daily Mail, the former NFL player paid off the total sum by the deadline.
As for whether his ex will be tuned in to this season of The Golden Bachelor (yes, even after all that ^^^), Mel told Us Weekly that his grown sons gave him some intel.
“I don’t know, but my boys told me, like, ‘Oh, she’s not gonna be watching.’ But everybody’s peeking,” he said. “I’d be watching [if it was her]! Everybody’s peeking.”
On the other hand, Fabiana issued a “stark warning” when she separately told the Daily Mail, “Good luck. I mean, it’s going to be bad. But anyway, I don’t want to be involved in this.”
Okay, then!
