Mel Owens, 66, is the newest “The Golden Bachelor,” but his premiere began unlike most “The Bachelor” franchise openings.
To kick off the season 2 premiere, Owens addressed the controversial comments he made on a podcast in June about making sure to “cut” any women that was over the age of 60. The comments didn’t sit well with Bachelor fans and his potential love matches made it known, too.
Mel Owens Gets Slapped During ‘The Golden Bachelor’ Premiere
One of the best parts of watching any Bachelor franchise is seeing the first reactions between the lead and the contestants. For many, it’s a mix of butterflies and excitement, but for Mel Owens, season 2’s “The Golden Bachelor,” nerves were running exceptionally high as he faced 23 women who had strong opinions about his ageist comment.
As Owens stood in front of the Bachelor mansion and met all the lovely ladies as they exited the limo (who ranged in ages from 58 to 77), several of them brought up his controversial comments.
Diane, a 71 year old hockey player, said to Owens as she greeted him, “And you know what Mel? I gotta ask you. What the puck was that interview about on that podcast?”
Owens quickly apologized, but more backlash followed, including from 71 year old Terri, who brought along her “favorite dental assistant,” a puppet named Carly.
“Hi, Mel. I bet you weren’t expecting all these women over 60 to look so hot, right?” Carly said, before slapping Owens on the face.
In a confessional, Owens shared about the lighthearted moment, “I don’t think I’ve ever been hit by a puppet before. So that was fun.”
After meeting all the wonderful women, Owens spoke to them as a group about his podcast comments and again profusely apologized. The women all agreed that his apology was genuine.
What Owens Exactly Said About Cutting Contestants Over 60
Owens stirred controversy while appearing on the “In the Trenches” podcast in June, admitting he’d eliminate any contestant over 60 and criticizing a woman’s physical appearance.
“It’s blind up until they get out of the limo. But they asked me, ‘What’s your preferences?’ So, I just said 45 to 60, just being honest. And then we had lunch with the executive producer. I said, ‘You know, if they’re 60 or over, I’m cutting them.’”
Elsewhere in the podcast, Owens shared that he did not want any woman with “artificial hips and wigs.”
“I had no resume, but they asked me, what is my, like, my profile? Well, they got to be fit because I stay in shape, should work out and stuff. And I told them, you know, try to stay away from the artificial hips and wigs, you know, that kind of stuff,” he said.
So, it was great to see many of the women confront Owens about his comments, especially when a contestant named Carla, 62, cheekily told him, “I’m here to break all of your stereotypes about women over 60.”
