During the Golden Bachelor season 2 finale Nov. 12, Mel Owens had to decide whether to give his final rose to Cindy Cullers or Peg Munson. Find out what happened during the dramatic final episode.
There’s a new golden couple joining Bachelor Nation.
During the season two finale of The Golden Bachelor Nov. 12, Mel Owens was planning to choose between Cindy Cullers and Peg Munson as the retired NFL star’s two remaining love interests vied for his final rose. But it ultimately wasn’t up to him, because Cindy ended their relationship over his inability to commit.
“I gave him every opportunity to say, ‘Just be patient with me. I’m falling for you.’ And he still could even go there,” she said. “He’s like, ‘Just wait for two years. Let me see where I am in two years.’ I’m sorry, but if you find a person that makes a good partner, that’s your time to commit.”
When all was said and done, it was Peg, 62, who stole Mel’s heart, prompting him to give her a ring—but not the engagement variety.
“This represents our commitment to love,” the 66-year-old told her while slipping a diamond on that finger, “to give us time to figure out together what our future holds.”
And Peg was in agreement about moving forward not as fiancés but partners, noting, “I think we’re on the same page with that.”
As Peg told him, “I met my match and I know that you definitely are the man that I can trust.”
While Mel expressed he wasn’t ready to get engaged, he added in a confessional, “Today is about fully committing to Peg and our future together because I’m ready.”
Although Mel ultimately parted ways with Cindy, 60, his decision wasn’t an easy one, given his unique relationships with both her and Peg.
“Cindy was more open, as you can see, during the season,” Mel told Glamour magazine in an interview published Nov. 5. “And Peg was sort of closed off and really a difficult person to get to know. Cindy’s affectionate and smart. I like Peg because she’s high-energy, but she was really not that affectionate in the beginning.”
Of course, Mel’s journey to find love had other hurdles as well. Before the season even started filming, he raised eyebrows when he shared one controversial dating preference he gave producers before they cast his prospects.
“If they’re 60 or over, I’m cutting them,” he recalled telling a Bachelor staffer during an appearance on MGoBlue Podcasts With Jon Jansen in June. “‘This is not The Silver Bachelor, this is The Golden Bachelor.’”
Mel later walked back his comments, but the damage was already done—and during the season premiere, he took ownership of his remarks in front of all 23 contenders.
“I sincerely apologize,” he told the ladies while giving a toast during the September episode. “It was insensitive, unfair. It’s truly a privilege for me to be the Golden Bachelor, and I hope you forgive me and let me earn it back. Age is really just a number, and spirit has no age.”
Peg Munson & Mel Owens
Even before Mel Owen’s season of The Golden Bachelor kicked off, he was hit with a few penalties after going on the MGoBlue Podcasts With Jon Jansen and insisting, “if they’re 60 or over, I’m cutting them,” adding that he wanted them to “try to stay away from the artificial hips and the wigs.”
And while his forever teammate Peg Munson is a fellow sexagenarian, his connection with the retired firefighter and bomb tech is quite explosive, the former NFL linebacker praising her as “high-energy” to Glamour.
Though he didn’t take a knee during his November 2025 finale, the sports lawyer still offered up a Neil Lane sparkler, saying, “This represents our commitment to love, to give us time to figure out together what our future holds.”
