The Golden Bachelor season 2 premiere has already proven that casting Mel Owens as the lead has destroyed what made season 1 with Gerry Turner so beautiful. The Golden Bachelor season 1 premiered in 2023, and starred Gerry, a 72-year-old widower, who was searching for the next great love of his life.

Although Gerry’s marriage to Theresa Nist, a 70-year-old widow, ended in divorce just three months after they tied the knot during the Golden Wedding, their love story and the journeys of the other Golden women captivated Bachelor Nation.

The Golden Bachelor season 1 was so inspiring because it proved that people can find love at any age and that senior citizens are still vibrant with full lives. While women over 60 are often invisible in society, contestants such as Theresa, Leslie Fhima, Faith Martin, Ellen Goltzer, Sandra Mason, Susan Noles, April Kirkwood, Kathy Swarts, Nancy Hulkower, and Joan Vassos, who later became the first-ever Golden Bachelorette, proved that older women are just as vivacious as younger ones.

However, The Golden Bachelor season 2 has ruined the magic of the series because of Mel, his missteps, and how the show is treating the new group of women. It’s disappointing and sad to see that the season has already failed the women, and the beauty and inspiration from season 1 is gone.

Mel’s Apology Seemed Fake & Forced

The Golden Bachelor season 2 began by addressing the ageist comments that Mel, a divorced dad of two sons, made on the In the Trenches podcast. Mel’s first words on the show were that it doesn’t matter how old you are because falling in love never stops being magical. He said that he’d only been in love once in his life, and he’d give anything to feel that again. Mel shared that he was excited about meeting the women, but he was nervous that they’d have misconceptions about him.

The show then played Mel’s comments from the podcast, during which he said that he’d only date women aged 45 to 60. Mel also stated that he didn’t want any women with artificial hips or wigs in his cast. The show conveniently left out the part in which Mel said that he’d cut any women over 60 from the cast. This is because only one of his contestants, Maia Dreyer, is under 60, at age 58. The rest are over 60, with Andra Wicks as the oldest at age 77.

The Golden Bachelor then showed the women reacting to Mel’s comments. Diane Firmani, 71, stated that she was offended, while Carla Kemp, 62, said that, just because someone might be 50, doesn’t mean they’re more attractive than someone who’s 62. Debbie Siebers, 65, acknowledged that people can say really dumb things sometimes, so she needed to form her own opinion. Cindy Cullers, 60, wondered if she was wasting her time if Mel was really looking for someone in a younger age category.

Mel then said in his confessional that he messed up and he was wrong. He stated that he replays what he said in his head a lot, and he has regrets. He then apologized for what he said on the podcast. Mel then stated that he knew what a lot of people were thinking about him, but that’s not who he is.

The Golden Bachelor season 2 premiere couldn’t have been more different from season 1, which began on a high note as Gerry ventured out into the world of reality TV dating after losing his beloved wife six years earlier. In contrast, season 2 started with Mel’s mistake. In addition, Mel’s apology to the women at the cocktail party seemed fake, and the women’s understanding reactions seemed forced.

Rather than focusing on hope and love, season 2 began on a sour note with Mel giving an empty apology and the women doubting him and themselves. It didn’t feel special or inspiring; it felt more like ABC was trying to justify the decision not to replace Mel as the Golden Bachelor after the fan backlash.

The Golden Bachelor Season 2 Premiere Humiliated The Women

There Were Too Many Problematic Scenes

Image via ABC

One of the best things about The Golden Bachelor season 1 was the lack of drama among the women. Except for Theresa and Kathy’s “Zip it” conflict, there was no arguing among them. It was a refreshing change from the usual Bachelor chaos as the women became supportive friends to each other. However, The Golden Bachelor season 2 seems to be moving in a different direction.

During the pool party, Nicolle Kate dominated Mel’s time, and they made out in the middle of the pool in front of everyone, which made the other women very uncomfortable and angry. He whispered to her that they should take it easy, but he still didn’t show respect for the other women by kissing her publicly. The preview of the season showed more of the same, which was very disappointing to see.

During the first group date, the women were required to participate in a cheerleading competition. While some might’ve viewed it as harmless fun, in light of Mel’s ageist comments, it was a slap in the face to the women. Although they were thrilled to meet their mentor, Paula Abdul, many of the women seemed uncomfortable and nervous having to portray themselves in such a manner.

Even the confident women who had cheer and dance backgrounds had to prove themselves to Mel by doing something that much younger women usually do, and it was difficult to watch them wearing their cheerleading uniforms. It was the sort of degrading group date that never appeared during The Golden Bachelor season 1, but often happens on the regular Bachelor.

It seems that, deep down, the contestants know that Mel likes younger women, so they’re willing to do whatever it takes to prove to him that they’re still youthful. Mel’s ageist comments are a dark cloud hanging over the season because they were how he truly felt. The man viewers are seeing on screen now is the persona that ABC created in order to keep him as the Golden Bachelor.

The Golden Bachelor season 2 is already too problematic to follow in the footsteps of the magical season 1. It’s no longer an inspirational show about the power of senior citizens, but instead it’s devolved into an older version of The Bachelor. What made it so special is gone because Mel ruined the spirit of the show. The Golden Bachelor season 2 should’ve had a different lead who would’ve respected the series and kept its beauty alive.