Embed from Getty Images
Remember earlier in the summer when Mel Owens, the retired NFL player turned lawyer who’s the next Golden Bachelor for season 2, went on a podcast and declared that he proudly told producers that he would only date women aged between 45 to 60, even though the show is called The Golden Bachelor, and even though Owens is 66? And it didn’t stop there: Owens doubled down that he would cut any contestant over 60, didn’t want anyone with “artificial hips and the wigs,” and was particularly interested in a partner who likes to “work out and stay fit.” What a catch. Well, Owens has seen the error in his views (i.e. friends and show producers yelled at him) and he’s finally issued a public apology… more than a month later. In a newly-released damage control interview with Glamour, Owens addressed the backlash, said that when the series started filming he apologized to the women first thing, and further revealed how the production tried to make lemonade out of sexist, ageist lemons:
He told Glamour that he learned his comments were wrong when a good friend, who was 65 years old, called him out. “She said, ‘What you said was insensitive, and it’s just not who you are.’ My reference of dating was 39, 40 years old. I hadn’t dated in 26, 27 years. That’s what I told her,” he said. “She goes, ‘It doesn’t matter. You’ve said some things that are just incredibly wrong.’ And I go, ‘I’ve got to apologize.’”
Mel explained that his comments about the age range were due to his lack of knowledge about the Bachelor franchise. “I didn’t know anything about the Golden Bachelor ages,” he said.
“I didn’t know the age range because I wasn’t watching it. I’m thinking, to me, the age range was 45 to 60. That’s my age range. I’m thinking that’s the gold years for me. My reference, again, was when I was dating at 39, 40. I hadn’t dated in 26 years, so I had no clue. And that’s why I said that comment.”
…During filming, Mel said he apologized to the women and took responsibility for his comments. “I apologized to the women on the show. When I first walked in, I addressed it. I apologized to them. I said, ‘It was unfair, insensitive. I want to earn it back. Just give me the chance.’”
Mel also revealed that some women spoke directly to him about the comments. “During our one-on-ones, 12 or 15 of them said, ‘We appreciate the apology, and it meant a lot to us,’” he said.
According to his interview, the women of the sophomore season even had an opportunity to roast Mel. “One of the dates was a roast. It was brutal. They were killing me,” he said. “One said, ‘Oh, when Mel was walking with me, he was using me as a cane.’ And I’m from Detroit, right? One said, ‘Like a Detroit pizza, he’s doughy, squishy, square, and crusty.’ It was good because I earned that, and I took it and I deserved it, and it landed squarely on me. They were throwing haymakers. It was good.”
I fully believe that people should be given the chance to learn and grow from their mistakes. That being said, I’m still getting major BS vibes from Bachelor Mel, largely because of all the holes in his supposed explanation. Taking his arguments from the top: he said he hasn’t dated in a quarter of a century, and when he was dating previously his dates were around 40. And?? How asinine is it to suggest that you didn’t realize you could date someone older than when you last left the dating pool? I thought that was dumb, but then he claimed not to know the Bachelor/Golden Bachelor franchise and the typical age ranges. At best, that reveals that he did no research whatsoever on the show he signed up for, in which case I worry for the clients who use his lawyerly services. But I don’t even think it’s true! Because in the original damning podcast, which, you know, is on record, Owens said the following: “If they’re 60 or over, I’m cutting them. This is not The Silver Bachelor, this is The Golden Bachelor.” Gee, that sure implies to me he understands the premise of the show! On the positive side, I do think it was clever of the showrunners to build a roast around this steaming pile of sexist, ageist hogwash, and I really hope all the ladies relished their turns to sling it back at him. Like Owens said, he deserved it. Season 2 will premiere September 24 on ABC.