Joan Vassos has criticized Mel Owens for dismissing Robin’s claim that there were women on The Golden Bachelor looking for something other than love.
“I’m hoping he starts thinking with the right body parts,” Joan quipped of Mel during a recent appearance on “The Ben & Ashley I: Almost Famous Podcast.”
The Golden Bachelorette star added in her conversation with Ben Higgins, “I think he’s not thinking with his head and his heart right now, to be honest.”
On The Golden Bachelor’s Season 2 episode that aired on October 8, Robin approached Mel about her concerns with Nicolle Kate, who had said she was “dating America” — and not Mel — and was going to have “Real Housewives status” post-show.
Nicolle had also told her fellow bachelorettes that she was hoping to expand her influencing and wellness career with the fame she gains from The Golden Bachelor.
“I don’t think people are being authentic with you, and it’s hard for me to watch,” Robin told Mel during the group date on the latest episode.
“Not being authentic means what?” Mel asked. “That they’re here for the wrong reasons?”
“Yeah,” Robin replied. “I think people are self-serving because they potentially have an opportunity to promote whatever they’re trying to promote or be [something].”
While Robin’s claim initially gave Mel some “pause,” he told The Golden Bachelor cameras, “I don’t think that’s true in this group.”
Mel continued in a confessional, “I think everybody is here for the right reasons, but I appreciate her telling me — and that’s her opinion. But overall, I think it’s a genuine bunch of women.”
Joan pointed out in her conversation with Ben how this “wrong reasons” type of conversation often plays out on The Bachelor franchise.
“I feel like the lead is always very conflicted about not necessarily wanting to believe them. And sometimes, the messenger becomes the person they’re mad at, and not the intended person maybe they should be wary of,” Joan explained.
“So all of a sudden, the messenger becomes the bad guy. I think that’s what happened in this [situation] also, that he didn’t really want to believe it.”
Joan seemed to be referring to how Mel ended up eliminating Robin at the Week 4 Rose Ceremony.
Joan said even if Robin had mentioned Nicolle’s name, it probably wouldn’t have made a difference because Mel didn’t seem to care.
“I think at this time, he’s not [thinking with the right body parts] and he would’ve dismissed it anyway, even if she had said the name,” Joan noted.
“As a lead, I think I would want to know, but you just never know what people’s motives are. So I’m not sure if you want to dive into that, and maybe you need to discover things yourself.”
Joan shared how she believes Mel is going to discover these red flags about Nicolle for himself later this season.
“She’s so out there with her statements. Eventually, she’s going to say something to him,” Joan predicted.
“I just can’t imagine she’s going to hide it from him for much longer.”
Joan admitted that she was surprised Mel didn’t try to push Robin for a name during their conversation.
“So I don’t think he wanted to know!” Joan reiterated. “He just would’ve asked for a name.”
Ben said it seemed like Mel “wasn’t invested” in The Golden Bachelor journey at all and that “there was no emotion behind” his response to Robin.
“Yeah, he was like, ‘Whatever!'” Joan recalled.
But Ben reasoned, “Maybe he didn’t know the path going forward, if he did find out.”
Joan, however, thought Mel could’ve at least asked, “Well, who are you talking about?”
Joan therefore told Ben, “So I think it’s because of what you said in the beginning — that he didn’t care! He must not really care.”
“And that’s concerning for me,” Ben confessed. “I think the best thing for him this season would be a moment of vulnerability that he displays for us to go, ‘Yeah, you’re in this, man. You care. You’re in it.'”
“Yup!” Joan agreed. “I haven’t seen that yet either.”
Joan had starred on Season 1 of The Golden Bachelorette in late 2024, and she’s still happily engaged to her winner, Chock Chapple.
