“I messed up. I was wrong,” the former football pro said at the top of the episode.
“Golden Bachelor” star Mel Owens had some explaining to do during the premiere episode of the show’s sophomore season.
Before meeting the 23 women cast on his season, Owens directly addressed the controversial remarks he made on the “In the Trenches” podcast in June.
“I’m excited to meet the women but I’m nervous they’re going to have misconceptions about me,” he said at the start of the episode.
“I messed up. I was wrong. I replay it in my head a lot. I have regrets. I’m sorry for everything I said in the podcast. I know what a lot of people are thinking about me but that’s not who I am,” the former football pro continued.
On the podcast, Owens, 66, said he’s not interested in dating anyone who is older than 60, unfit and wears wigs or has artificial hips.
The contestants grilled Owens on his remarks during their limo entrances. Diane, a 71-year-old hockey player, immediately asked Owens about the interview.
“What the puck was that interview about on that podcast?” she said.
“I sincerely apologize. It was unfair, unkind. Will you give me a second chance and let me earn it back?” Owens replied.
Multiple other women also had thoughts — including 71-year-old Terri, who used a puppet to give him a reprimanding tap.
Once the women were all in the Bachelor Mansion, Owens apologized for his remarks to the group.
“This has exceeded my expectations. Every one of you ladies is wonderful. Some of your questions were about the podcast I did. I sincerely apologize. It was insensitive. Unfair. I thought to myself, ‘What the puck was I thinking,'” he said, a callback to Diane’s line.
“It’s truly a privilege for me to be the ‘Golden Bachelor.’ I hope you forgive me and let me earn it back. Age is just a number. Spirit has no age.”
Diane was among the women who expressed her happiness at how it was handled.
“The way that Mel addressed the elephant in the room was so good to hear. You could almost hear a collective sigh among all the women,” she said.
At the end of the episode, Owens sent home 10 women, including Diane. He also said he feels his wife is somewhere among the remaining women.
“Saying goodbye to any of them is tough,” he said. “But the group of women that I have left is just spectacular. They’re all beautiful and they’re all smart. Is my wife here? Yes. I feel it in my heart.”
