Mel Owens’ Fate As Golden Bachelor Season 2 Lead Revealed After Ageist Comments (SPOILERS)

The Golden Bachelor season 2 lead Mel Owens faced fierce backlash after he made some offensive and ageist comments about his cast, and now his fate has been revealed. On the June 4 episode of the In the Trenches podcast, Mel, a 66-year-old NFL player-turned-lawyer and divorced father of two, revealed that he told producers before he was cast that he preferred women aged 45 to 60.

Mel also stated that he told the Golden Bachelor producers that he'd "cut" anyone over 60, and that he didn't want any women on the show who had artificial hips or who wore wigs. Fans were outraged by these comments, and they demanded that someone else be cast as The Golden Bachelor season 2 lead.

According to Reality Steve, Mel will be replaced by a different Golden Bachelor lead. In an Instagram post, he revealed, "(EXCLUSIVE): I'm hearing that Mel Owens is OUT as the Golden Bachelor due to recent negative publicity surrounding his June 4 podcast appearance. Expect an announcement soon incl who is going to replace him. Haven't heard a name yet on who that is. Will update if/when I hear."

What Mel Owens Being Replaced Means For Golden Bachelor

The Golden Bachelor Producers Are Finally Listening To Fans

The Golden franchise has been riddled with controversy ever since The Golden Bachelor season 1. Lead Gerry Turner was presented as an innocent widower who hadn't dated since the death of his wife six years earlier, but it later came to light that he'd been in a long-term relationship before the show.

In addition, two Golden Bachelorette contestants, Gil Ramirez and eventual runner-up Guy Gansert, had restraining orders filed against them by their exes, although both were eventually dropped. Still, many fans questioned the show's vetting process when all of these scandals came to light.

It was outrageous to think that the Golden Bachelor producers cast Mel as the season 2 lead when they knew that he wasn't willing to date willing in the age range of the show. However, the fact that he's going to be replaced means that the producers are finally listening to fans and giving them what they want.

Our Take On Golden Bachelor Replacing Mel Owens As Lead

Mel Couldn't Be The Lead After His Ageist Comments

I'm relieved to hear that The Golden Bachelor season 2 will replace Mel as the lead of the show. His comments go against everything that the show stands for. Both The Golden Bachelor and The Golden Bachelorette helped to showcase how vibrant and vivacious older women are. They put the spotlight on a generation that's often overlooked and feels invisible.

Mel's insulting comments only served to reinforce the negative stereotypes about older women that The Golden Bachelor was able to break. Therefore, I couldn't believe that a 66-year-old man who refuses to date women his own age was cast as the Golden Bachelor lead. Thankfully, that's no longer going to be the case.

Hopefully, one of the wonderful men from Joan Vassos' Golden Bachelorette season will step into the starring role. Several of them, including CK King, Gary Levingston, Jack Lencioni, Keith Gordon, Kim Buike, and RJ Johnson, will appear in Bachelor in Paradise season 10, but, if they didn't find love there, they could still take the lead.

In addition, men such as Jonathan Rone and Jordan Heller seem to be currently single, so it would be beautiful to see them as the Golden Bachelor season 2 lead. I hope that the show finds a man who respects Golden women, and I'm so happy that the producers did the right thing and sent Mel home.