The Golden Bachelor alum Cindy Angelcyk Cullers has made fun of the fact Mel Owens gave his Season 2 winner, Peg Munson, a promise ring at the Final Rose Ceremony in Antigua.
When asked how she’d react if Mel had given her a promise ring on The Golden Bachelor finale, Cindy bluntly told Ben Higgins and Ashley Iaconetti, “What a joke.”
Cindy admitted during a recent appearance on “The Ben & Ashley I: Almost Famous Podcast” that she wouldn’t have accepted the ring.
“No, I mean, I think [bachelorette Carol Freeman-Branstine] said it best — that she got a promise ring when she was 14,” Cindy said.
Cindy finished Mel’s The Golden Bachelor season in second place.
Cindy quit the process before the overnight portion of her Fantasy Suite date with Mel because the former NFL player had trouble verbalizing his feelings for her and picturing their future together.
Mel also told Cindy — who seemed to be in love with Mel — that he couldn’t see himself getting engaged for two more years.
That’s not what Cindy wanted considering she had signed up for “a leap of faith” on The Golden Bachelor.
Cindy had also just come from her daughter’s beautiful wedding.
“I was witnessing my beloved become betrothed to a man who stood up and committed for her,” Cindy recalled.
“And I’ve said it several times before, and I’m going to say it again — because I believe this is one of the biggest principles that we need to teach each other,” Cindy shared.
“There is a big difference between people who want to share time with you. Why wouldn’t they, right? We are fabulous, we’re fun to be around, I do a lot of great stuff, and everybody would love to spend time with me.”
But she added, “There’s a difference between somebody who will share time with me and somebody who will commit to me. And knowing the difference is going to save you a ton of heartache and a ton of confusion — years of it.”
Cindy admitted she’s put herself in a position before where she allowed people to just take her time.
“Nothing wrong with that. I have another bucket for people that I date that I just do fun things with,” Cindy explained.
“But if I’m looking for a relationship, you are not going to give this woman a promise ring!”
Cindy went on to reveal, “I don’t think Mel has any intention of ever getting married.”
(Peg, on the contrary, recently said that she and Mel have talked about marriage and what their wedding would look like. She claimed their relationship is thriving and quite serious).
“No, no, [he won’t wed],” Cindy reiterated.
“And when I said to him that I would move to California, it’s a little easy because my daughter lives there and I don’t have anybody who lives here in Austin. But he hadn’t thought about what his life would be like to change in any way to make room.”
Cindy joked about how she’d need to escape from Mel in Antigua if he tried to put a promise ring on her finger.
“I think I would’ve been paddling, swimming, snorkeling and scubadiving. I would’ve found a way to get off that island and run from Mel as an option for my future,” Cindy confessed with a laugh.
Cindy suggested that, in hindsight, Peg is probably the better match for Mel.
“I want Mel to be extraordinarily happy, I do,” Cindy said.
“I think that he will end up a different person in a relationship with Peg than he would with me, and I think he could find a happiness with both.”
She continued, “I think this is kind of more of what he’s looking for — more, ‘Oh, it doesn’t matter, let’s just get to know each other.’ And so I think this probably ended up exactly the way it needed to. I know it did for me. This ended up exactly the way it needed to.”
Despite leaving The Golden Bachelor disappointed and crushed, Cindy insisted she’s “absolutely” happy that she went on the show.
The Golden Bachelor’s Season 2 finale aired in November, and Mel has since faced backlash for failing to be vulnerable with his bachelorettes.
When Mel gave Peg a ring at the Final Rose Ceremony, he didn’t even say, “I love you.”
But Peg shared on the “She’s All Bach” podcast earlier this month that viewers didn’t get to know the real Mel.
She also explained of her man, “He’s really a committed kind of guy, but he’s only going to commit to the way it works for him. He’s not going to commit to what you want him to be. Nobody is going to change him.”
“And I don’t want to change him!” she elaborated. “Look, I tried changing men for 40 fricking years. It doesn’t work! It just doesn’t work. You’ve just got to love them and accept them for who they are.”
Peg revealed, however, that Mel expressed his love to her after filming wrapped.
“Yes he has. And have I told him that I love him? Yes, I have,” the retired Las Vegas firefighter and bomb tech clarified.
“But that took time and it took respect and it took trust, especially for women. I’m not going to go in and tell somebody that I love them when I don’t even know them! How can I love you when I don’t even know you?!”
Peg concluded, seemingly taking a shot at Cindy, “To me, that’s just complete insanity.”
