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The Golden Bachelor star Mel Owens had some specific parameters for the women cast in season 2.
“They ask me, ‘What’s your preferences?’ So I just said [ages] 45 to 60, just being honest,” Mel, 66, said during his appearance on the June 4 episode of the “MGoBlue” podcast with Jon Jansen. “And then we had lunch with the executive producer. I said, ‘You know, if they’re 60 or over, I’m cutting them.’”
Mel said the executive producer told him, “‘Mel, you can’t. This is not The Silver Bachelor. This is The Golden Bachelor.’ He goes, ‘But they’re going to be hot. Don’t worry about it.’”
The former football pro continued, “He goes, ‘You can’t use the word cut.’ I go, ‘Well, that’s an NFL term.’”
Why Mel Owens Was Named the Next Golden Bachelor
Us Weekly reached out to ABC for comment.
Mel added that he knows the women in his season, who have not yet been announced publicly, are “going to be beautiful,” but he “had no say” in picking them.
“They asked me, ‘What is my profile?’ Well, [the women] got to be fit, because I’m staying in shape and work out and stuff. And I told them, ‘Try to stay away from the artificial hips and the wigs, you know, that kind of stuff, right?’”
Additionally, Mel said he’s looking for someone who is a “lifetime learner” and loves to “work out, stay fit, eat, have fun, be energetic and live life.”
Elsewhere in the podcast episode, Mel shared the story of how he was cast on The Golden Bachelor. He explained that a friend was persistent about him calling a phone number that turned out to be the casting department for the show.
Mel Owens Disney/Maarten de BoerAfter talking to someone in the casting department for “an hour,” Mel received another phone call a few days later and found out that he had been moved up in the casting process. Eventually, he was able to meet an executive producer, who turned out to be a fellow alum of the University of Michigan.
Mel revealed that, after a few more weeks of meetings, Golden Bachelor host Jesse Palmer arrived at his door to meet his family and deliver the news that he would be the next star of the show.
Mel also revealed that, during the interview process, one person asked him why he wanted to join The Golden Bachelor.
“He goes, ‘You look like Robert Redford, first round draft pick. You’re an attorney.’ He goes, ‘You don’t need any of the fame,’” Mel explained. “I go, ‘I like to try new things. I like to be in the unknown.’ And I go, ‘You guys have been so wonderful to me. This is something I really want to do.’ And it’s tough, it’s tedious, and it’s remarkable. And it’s something that is the unknown. And I’ve always been a guy who’s been sort of out there, not on the edge, but trying new things.”
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Mel was named the next Golden Bachelor in April.
“Born and raised in a close-knit Midwestern family in Detroit, Owens’ athleticism shone through from an early age,” a press release read at the time, adding that the former University of Michigan lineman was the ninth overall pick in the 1981 NFL Draft.
After nine seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, Mel retired and “transitioned into a career in law and moved to Orange County, California, dedicating himself to helping others — particularly those seeking justice for sports-related injuries.”
He then met his wife, and the pair welcomed two sons.
“While life took an unexpected turn with the passing of his father and the end of his marriage,” the press release continued. “Owens channeled his energy into being the best father he could be, focusing on raising his sons and coaching their extracurricular sports teams. Now, after several years as a devoted dad, Owens is ready to rediscover a love rooted in the simple joys of companionship — sharing life’s everyday moments, making plans for the future and growing stronger together as a couple. As the Golden Bachelor, he’s eager to meet someone who shares this vision and finally find that perfect teammate he’s been waiting for in his golden years.”
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