Longtime residents of the Fox Valley might recognize a familiar face stepping out of the limo during the second season of “The Golden Bachelor.”
Debbie Siebers, who is originally from Little Chute, is among the 23 women hoping to spark a romantic connection with 66-year-old Mel Owens when the reality dating show premieres at 7 p.m. Sept. 24 on ABC.
She is best known as the fitness trainer who created the internationally released “Slim in 6,” a low-impact, at-home, six-week workout aimed at losing weight and toning muscles without bulking up. The infomercial for the program, which is still available, significantly raised her profile more than 20 years ago, along with a couple of her nutritional cookbooks.
Today, she has more than 25,800 followers on her Instagram as a “celebrity fitness guru.”
Siebers, 65, moved from the Fox Valley to Los Angeles in the 1980s, but she did come back to the area in 2008 to teach her “Slim in 6” routine at the Paper Valley Hotel in Appleton.
She currently works as a fitness professional in Denver, according to her “Golden Bachelor” profile on the show’s website. Her own website lists her as a fitness and wellness expert, entrepreneur and motivational speaker who started as a personal trainer in 1989 and created her first program for Beachbody in 1998.
More from her “Golden Bachelor” bio:
“Debbie is THE ‘It Girl.’ From a life filled with glitz and glamour to a dazzling smile and personality to match, Debbie is ready for her fairy-tale ending. She is a successful fitness instructor who has worked with countless celebrities and is ready to find the one thing that’s been missing in her life: everlasting love. Despite getting ghosted on dating apps, Debbie still believes her partner is out there and hopes to meet someone engaging, genuine and comfortable in their own skin. And when she’s not grinding in the gym, Debbie is a huge dog lover who enjoys singing, reading, and going to music festivals.”
The fun facts listed for each contestant say Siebers was once asked out on a date by actor Robert De Niro, but it’s “unclear if she said yes.”
She was a fitness coach on reality TV’s ‘The Swan’ in 2004
“The Golden Bachelor” isn’t her first go-round on reality television. In 2004, she was the fitness expert on Fox’s “The Swan,” the controversial show that took 18 so-called “ugly ducklings” and transformed them in weeks with plastic surgery. Siebers’ role was to work with the women for three hours a day at the gym and counsel them on healthy eating.
She has also appeared on Fit TV’s “Fitting It In,” Discovery Health Channel’s “National Body Challenge” and Travel Channel’s “Swimsuit Slim Down,” according to her website.
Whether she gets the final rose from Owens, a former NFL linebacker who played nine seasons with the Los Angeles Rams in the 1980s, is anybody’s guess. She, of course, is offering no hints, saying only in a Sept. 4 Facebook post, “It’s going to be quite a ride.” A more recent Instagram post that shows her meeting Owens during contestant introductions reads: “From the first hello with Mel I knew I was stepping into quite the adventure.”
Owens found himself in hot water in June when he told the “In the Trenches” podcast from alma mater University of Michigan that he would be “cutting” any of the contestants who were 60 or older. He has since apologized amid the backlash. Only one of the 23 contestants is younger than 60.
