After eight emotional weeks, The Golden Bachelor’s Mel Owens finally narrowed down his pool of 23 women to one lucky lady.
In Wednesday’s explosive, two-hour finale of ABC’s dating franchise spinoff, the 66-year-old retired NFL linebacker proposed to (gasp) Peg Munsen, 62, after a shocking breakup with Cindy Cullers, 60.
Host Jesse Palmer opened the night in front of a studio audience filled with fan-favorite Bachelor franchise stars and former eliminated contestants.
Teasing a dramatic conclusion, Palmer played the end of Owens’ and Cullers’ final fantasy suite date in Antigua, which had been left on a cliffhanger the week before.
Sitting together on a dock, the two discussed their ideal future, with Cullers directly asking Owens if he felt ready to get engaged. After a brief hesitation, he admitted that he wasn’t ready to take “a leap of faith” and would instead prefer to continue dating for two more years before proposing to anyone.
Disappointed by his response, Cullers made the heartbreaking decision to walk away. Owens, visibly shocked by her response, was left alone to try and make sense of what had just happened.
Joining Owens on the dock, Palmer comforted him and asked him if he wanted to go after Cullers.
Instead of showing Owens’ answer, Palmer brought Cullers out for a sit-down interview in front of the studio audience, where she revealed: “He did not come find me, and I didn’t want him to.”
Meanwhile, back in Antigua, Owens showed up at Munsen’s room, where he shared that Cullers had called things off. Understandably, he worried that Munsen might feel like the default choice rather than someone he had truly chosen.
Despite telling Cullers he wasn’t ready to fully commit and get down on one knee, he ultimately made the decision to do just that with Munsen.
“We are perfect for each other. I love her. I love being around her,” Owens said of Munsen in a piece-to-camera. “So I’m saying yes to Peg. I hope she says yes to me.”
After trading poignant speeches about why they felt they were right for each other, Owens pulled out a ring and popped the question, with Munsen accepting.
Owens, a divorced father of two, kicked off his Golden Bachelor journey in late September. Ahead of his season, he faced backlash for comments he made about only wanting to date women under 60.
Ironically, during the premiere episode, he was introduced to 23 senior-aged women, all of whom, except for one, were over the age of 60. Several of the women humorously confronted him over his controversial comments, and by the end of the evening, Owens apologized to the group, acknowledging that his earlier remarks were “insensitive.”
Over the course of the season, he made connections with several of the women — but Cullers and Munsen quickly emerged as frontrunners.
