December 27, 2025 • 12 mins
Our countdown continues with the most shocking moments of 2025 for Bachelor Nation! Moving on to #4 with a Golden scandal.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous podcast
with iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Okay, hello everybody, This is Trista on the Almost Famous
podcast and I am just here solo. I'm bringing you
the fourth most shocking or should I say number four
in the most shocking Bachelor Nation moments of twenty twenty five.
(00:27):
So we've been counting down the most shocking Bachelor Nation
moments and this is number four. This moment was not
only shocking, but I feel like we talked about it
forever afterwards, like months and months and months afterwards. And
if you haven't guessed by that, because I guess there
are a lot of shocking moments this year, but the
(00:48):
number four most shocking moment this year was Golden Bachelor
mel Owens podcast comments before his season even started. Okay,
on April twenty second, mel Owens was announced as the
lead of season two of The Golden Bachelor. Right off
the bat, we didn't know a whole lot about mel
(01:10):
because he wasn't from Jones season. But he was a
professional athlete, so people may have connected with him over that,
but we didn't know him as a as someone who
had already been in Bachelor Nation. And of course that's
how most of us get to know each of the leads.
(01:32):
Most of course, of Bachelor Nation fans were expecting for
it to be somebody from previous season, because, like I said,
it's that's usually the case. We usually pull somebody from
I say we, it's not we, the casting department and
the producers usually pull someone from the previous season so
(01:53):
that we all have a vested interest in their love
story and their continued love story. And Mel just wasn't
that person. So we learned that he is a sixty
six year old former NFL linebacker. He played for the
Los Angeles Rams. He was divorced and a single dad
of two sons, And actually I kind of connected with
(02:16):
that bart because his sons are around the same age
as my kids. Actually, Mel is obviously very attractive, So
even though he wasn't from Bachelor Nation, I think overall
fans were intrigued to get to know him until he
was a guest on a podcast. So by June, clips
(02:39):
went viral of Mel talking on a podcast about what
he told producers of the show what kind of women
he wasn't interested in dating. As a refresher, he said
during an appearance on the m Go Blue podcast with
John Jansen, the former NFL player turned lawyer sixty six,
(03:00):
touched on what he's looking for this season and what
he's not. He said, if they're sixty or over, I'm
cutting them. And that's in quotes, Owens said bluntly, recalling
a conversation he had with one of the show's exec producers.
This is not the Silver Bachelor, he said, this is
the Golden Bachelor. So in addition to being picky about
(03:26):
their age, Owen's said he also expressed to the exec
producer that he wants the women to look good. Quote,
They've got to be fit because I stay in shape
and work out and stuff, he shared quote. And I
told them to try to stay away from the artificial
hips and the wigs. Oh boy, this takes me back
(03:51):
to this moment just reading his quotes. I never listened
to the podcast itself, but of course I heard about
it because I am part of Bachelor Nation happily, proudly,
and oh gosh, when I heard those quotes, I am
fifty three years old, will probably at the time I
was fifty two and just being right around the corner
(04:14):
from being sixty and being someone who could probably be
on Golden Bachelor. If I wasn't married happily, I took
great offense to it. And I think, actually I know
that most people took great offense to it because he
(04:36):
is being chosen to be the Golden Bachelor, and that
is the age range. I don't I don't think it
was appropriate. I don't think those comments were kind. I'm
I think, much more invested in kind people than I
am with superficial people. Unfortunately, and you know I didn't
(04:58):
because I didn't hear it. I didn't know if I
was taking out of context, if they were joking, if
he was being sarcastic. It's just that is a slippery slope. People.
If you ever go on reality television, this is one
thing that I want you to know, try to keep
the sarcasm at bay, because sarcasm comes across as just
(05:25):
being cruel and mean with your comments, because people can't
tell if you're being sarcastic or not. So I feel
like I've always thought, just try to not be sarcastic
when you are on these shows, because they will record
you and they will use it against you. So I
(05:49):
have always felt like, and I'm really sarcastic actually, so
That's why I think I've always had a radar up
for that. But just be yourself, but try to not
be sarcastic. So I don't know if he was being sarcastic.
I'll give him the benefit of the doubt of that,
But I think coming into the season, as you saw
when all of the ladies got out of the limo
(06:12):
and pretty much every single one of them mentioned in
some shape, way, shape or form that they were not
so happy about his comments. I mean, I think he
got slapped so good on the women for calling him
out for that. Not long after these comments went viral,
(06:39):
Bachelor Nation fans demanded that Mel be recast and not
hold the title of the Golden Bachelor. Even reality Steve
tweeted that he heard Mel was fired and being recast,
So who knows if he actually had been considered for
being pulled off of the lead or you know, getting
(07:02):
his title revoked. He did, in fact stay as our
second Golden Bachelor, and the show began. It premiered in
the end of September of twenty twenty five. Of course,
because these are these are twenty twenty five most shocking moments.
In the premiere episode, they addressed Mel's podcast comments, and
(07:24):
Mel apologized to all of the women on night one
about his comments, you know, And it seemed like the
ladies on the show were feeling like he was being
genuine in his apology, and I hope that's the case,
and they weren't influenced because the cameras were around. The
(07:44):
women on the show constantly defended him throughout the season
and said he was a nice guy, even at the
Women Tell All. So I believe it to be a
truthful and genuine apology, But it's sad to me that
he would even have to make an apology the first night,
you know. I always go back to Jones' comments on
(08:05):
the first season of Golden Bachelor and how women at
her age she had begun to feel invisible, And I
feel that that's a very very common feeling for women
who are I mean, I'm starting to feel it a
(08:26):
little bit in their fifties, sixties, seventies, where you feel invisible,
you don't feel like you're worthy enough for people's concerns,
that you're not part of a group. And I feel
like what was beautiful about the first season of Golden
Bachelor is they really made these women and men feel
(08:50):
like they are still worthy, They're not invisible, And I
felt like Mel's comments just hit right at the core
of that argument or discussion or concept. Is that he
basically just said, you know, if they're sixty and under,
they're great, but if they're sixty and older, then they're
(09:10):
invisible to me. Is kind of how I took his comments,
and that really, I think was very hurtful for a
lot of people. We watched Mel's season where he ultimately
chose contestant Peg and gave her a promise ring instead
of getting down on one knee and proposing. Of course,
that was very controversial and shocking, I feel like to
a lot of Bachelor Nation people, But I am so
(09:33):
happy for them. They seem very, very genuinely happy, and
I'm so happy that they found each other and happiness
in their relationship. With lower ratings than season one, Bachelor
Nation fans wonder if there will be another season of
the Golden franchise. I have to guess that after Taylor's season,
(09:57):
because Taylor Frankie Paul of course, is our next bat
Clarette and her season will begin airing in either February
or March next year. I feel like this that Bachelor
Nation is going to get a whole new bevy of
fans because of all of her following that I believe
(10:21):
are going to be very invested in her season. So
I'm hoping with that insurgence of people to watch the
show that they definitely will want to do another Golden
and potentially bring back the wholesomeness of the Golden franchise.
(10:42):
That's what I loved so much about the first season
of Golden and with Jones season, I feel like it
was just people were wholesome. They were wholesome relationships. They
were you know, when you get older, I feel like
you realize what truly matters in life. And they were
honest about the fact that they wanted relationships. They wanted
(11:06):
to be able to share their lives with someone instead
of feeling invisible and alone. So anyway, uh, yes, there
were lower ratings for the second season of Golden Bachelor,
but I am very hopeful that after Taylor Frankie Paul's
season of Bachelorette that we are going to be able
(11:28):
to bring back Golden because there will be lots there
will be much better ratings, I am predicting with Bachelorette
and so therefore, hopefully they'll bring back another Golden all right.
Because of this long saga of drama with mel Owens
as the Golden Bachelor number two, this was our number
(11:48):
four most shocking moment of the year.
Speaker 1 (11:53):
Follow the Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous podcast on
iHeartRadio or subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.
This is the Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous podcast
with iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Okay, hello everybody, This is Trista on the Almost Famous
podcast and I am just here solo. I'm bringing you
the fourth most shocking or should I say number four
in the most shocking Bachelor Nation moments of twenty twenty five.
(00:27):
So we've been counting down the most shocking Bachelor Nation
moments and this is number four. This moment was not
only shocking, but I feel like we talked about it
forever afterwards, like months and months and months afterwards. And
if you haven't guessed by that, because I guess there
are a lot of shocking moments this year, but the
(00:48):
number four most shocking moment this year was Golden Bachelor
mel Owens podcast comments before his season even started. Okay,
on April twenty second, mel Owens was announced as the
lead of season two of The Golden Bachelor. Right off
the bat, we didn't know a whole lot about mel
(01:10):
because he wasn't from Jones season. But he was a
professional athlete, so people may have connected with him over that,
but we didn't know him as a as someone who
had already been in Bachelor Nation. And of course that's
how most of us get to know each of the leads.
(01:32):
Most of course, of Bachelor Nation fans were expecting for
it to be somebody from previous season, because, like I said,
it's that's usually the case. We usually pull somebody from
I say we, it's not we, the casting department and
the producers usually pull someone from the previous season so
(01:53):
that we all have a vested interest in their love
story and their continued love story. And Mel just wasn't
that person. So we learned that he is a sixty
six year old former NFL linebacker. He played for the
Los Angeles Rams. He was divorced and a single dad
of two sons, And actually I kind of connected with
(02:16):
that bart because his sons are around the same age
as my kids. Actually, Mel is obviously very attractive, So
even though he wasn't from Bachelor Nation, I think overall
fans were intrigued to get to know him until he
was a guest on a podcast. So by June, clips
(02:39):
went viral of Mel talking on a podcast about what
he told producers of the show what kind of women
he wasn't interested in dating. As a refresher, he said
during an appearance on the m Go Blue podcast with
John Jansen, the former NFL player turned lawyer sixty six,
(03:00):
touched on what he's looking for this season and what
he's not. He said, if they're sixty or over, I'm
cutting them. And that's in quotes, Owens said bluntly, recalling
a conversation he had with one of the show's exec producers.
This is not the Silver Bachelor, he said, this is
the Golden Bachelor. So in addition to being picky about
(03:26):
their age, Owen's said he also expressed to the exec
producer that he wants the women to look good. Quote,
They've got to be fit because I stay in shape
and work out and stuff, he shared quote. And I
told them to try to stay away from the artificial
hips and the wigs. Oh boy, this takes me back
(03:51):
to this moment just reading his quotes. I never listened
to the podcast itself, but of course I heard about
it because I am part of Bachelor Nation happily, proudly,
and oh gosh, when I heard those quotes, I am
fifty three years old, will probably at the time I
was fifty two and just being right around the corner
(04:14):
from being sixty and being someone who could probably be
on Golden Bachelor. If I wasn't married happily, I took
great offense to it. And I think, actually I know
that most people took great offense to it because he
(04:36):
is being chosen to be the Golden Bachelor, and that
is the age range. I don't I don't think it
was appropriate. I don't think those comments were kind. I'm
I think, much more invested in kind people than I
am with superficial people. Unfortunately, and you know I didn't
(04:58):
because I didn't hear it. I didn't know if I
was taking out of context, if they were joking, if
he was being sarcastic. It's just that is a slippery slope. People.
If you ever go on reality television, this is one
thing that I want you to know, try to keep
the sarcasm at bay, because sarcasm comes across as just
(05:25):
being cruel and mean with your comments, because people can't
tell if you're being sarcastic or not. So I feel
like I've always thought, just try to not be sarcastic
when you are on these shows, because they will record
you and they will use it against you. So I
(05:49):
have always felt like, and I'm really sarcastic actually, so
That's why I think I've always had a radar up
for that. But just be yourself, but try to not
be sarcastic. So I don't know if he was being sarcastic.
I'll give him the benefit of the doubt of that,
But I think coming into the season, as you saw
when all of the ladies got out of the limo
(06:12):
and pretty much every single one of them mentioned in
some shape, way, shape or form that they were not
so happy about his comments. I mean, I think he
got slapped so good on the women for calling him
out for that. Not long after these comments went viral,
(06:39):
Bachelor Nation fans demanded that Mel be recast and not
hold the title of the Golden Bachelor. Even reality Steve
tweeted that he heard Mel was fired and being recast,
So who knows if he actually had been considered for
being pulled off of the lead or you know, getting
(07:02):
his title revoked. He did, in fact stay as our
second Golden Bachelor, and the show began. It premiered in
the end of September of twenty twenty five. Of course,
because these are these are twenty twenty five most shocking moments.
In the premiere episode, they addressed Mel's podcast comments, and
(07:24):
Mel apologized to all of the women on night one
about his comments, you know, And it seemed like the
ladies on the show were feeling like he was being
genuine in his apology, and I hope that's the case,
and they weren't influenced because the cameras were around. The
(07:44):
women on the show constantly defended him throughout the season
and said he was a nice guy, even at the
Women Tell All. So I believe it to be a
truthful and genuine apology, But it's sad to me that
he would even have to make an apology the first night,
you know. I always go back to Jones' comments on
(08:05):
the first season of Golden Bachelor and how women at
her age she had begun to feel invisible, And I
feel that that's a very very common feeling for women
who are I mean, I'm starting to feel it a
(08:26):
little bit in their fifties, sixties, seventies, where you feel invisible,
you don't feel like you're worthy enough for people's concerns,
that you're not part of a group. And I feel
like what was beautiful about the first season of Golden
Bachelor is they really made these women and men feel
(08:50):
like they are still worthy, They're not invisible, And I
felt like Mel's comments just hit right at the core
of that argument or discussion or concept. Is that he
basically just said, you know, if they're sixty and under,
they're great, but if they're sixty and older, then they're
(09:10):
invisible to me. Is kind of how I took his comments,
and that really, I think was very hurtful for a
lot of people. We watched Mel's season where he ultimately
chose contestant Peg and gave her a promise ring instead
of getting down on one knee and proposing. Of course,
that was very controversial and shocking, I feel like to
a lot of Bachelor Nation people, But I am so
(09:33):
happy for them. They seem very, very genuinely happy, and
I'm so happy that they found each other and happiness
in their relationship. With lower ratings than season one, Bachelor
Nation fans wonder if there will be another season of
the Golden franchise. I have to guess that after Taylor's season,
(09:57):
because Taylor Frankie Paul of course, is our next bat
Clarette and her season will begin airing in either February
or March next year. I feel like this that Bachelor
Nation is going to get a whole new bevy of
fans because of all of her following that I believe
(10:21):
are going to be very invested in her season. So
I'm hoping with that insurgence of people to watch the
show that they definitely will want to do another Golden
and potentially bring back the wholesomeness of the Golden franchise.
(10:42):
That's what I loved so much about the first season
of Golden and with Jones season, I feel like it
was just people were wholesome. They were wholesome relationships. They
were you know, when you get older, I feel like
you realize what truly matters in life. And they were
honest about the fact that they wanted relationships. They wanted
(11:06):
to be able to share their lives with someone instead
of feeling invisible and alone. So anyway, uh, yes, there
were lower ratings for the second season of Golden Bachelor,
but I am very hopeful that after Taylor Frankie Paul's
season of Bachelorette that we are going to be able
(11:28):
to bring back Golden because there will be lots there
will be much better ratings, I am predicting with Bachelorette
and so therefore, hopefully they'll bring back another Golden all right.
Because of this long saga of drama with mel Owens
as the Golden Bachelor number two, this was our number
(11:48):
four most shocking moment of the year.
Speaker 1 (11:53):
Follow the Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous podcast on
iHeartRadio or subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.
Hosts And Creators
Lauren Zima
Chris Harrison
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