The Golden Bachelor star Mel Owens’ fear of commitment to Cindy Cullers at the end of season two has left viewers outraged.
During Wednesday’s explosive two-hour finale, the 66-year-old former Los Angeles Rams linebacker was torn between his final two women: Cullers, 60, and Peg Munsen, 62.
He ultimately proposed to Munsen — but only after a tense breakup with Cullers, who ended things when Owens admitted he wasn’t ready to “take a leap of faith.”
Sitting together on a dock in Antigua, Cullers pointedly asked if he felt ready to get engaged. After a brief hesitation, Owens said that he wasn’t and instead shared his preference to date for two more years before committing to any sort of proposal.
Disappointed by his response, Cullers broke things off and left. Later, joining host Jesse Palmer in front of a live studio audience, she revealed: “He did not come find me, and I didn’t want him to.”
Owens then joined Cullers in the studio for the first time since their breakup. Further clarifying what he meant about not being ready, he said: “I’m not the kind of guy to go from friends immediately to marriage.”
While Cullers acknowledged his feelings, she insisted that it wasn’t a wedding she was looking for at the end of their eight weeks, but a verbal commitment and proposal.
Fans have since reacted to Owens’ remarks, expressing frustration with his aversion to commitment to Cullers despite ultimately proposing to Munsen.
“Why sign up to be the Golden Bachelor if you’re not ready to make a commitment?” one questioned on X.
“So far The Golden Bachelor has demonstrated older men aren’t interested in a commitment,” a second agreed, while a third asked: “Why did Mel agree to be the Golden Bachelor when he had no intention of getting married? Does he know how this show works?”
Why did Mel agree to be the Golden Bachelor when he had no intention of getting married? Does he know how this show works? I hope he finds his 30 yr old. #GoldenBachelor #Bachelor #ABCGoldenBachelor pic.twitter.com/KnluwLB3DD
— Sam Jones (@SamJone10514) November 13, 2025
“Mel Owens is a nice enough guy but he was not a great choice to be the golden bachelor,” a fourth argued.
“After what mel said on the podcast, abc and golden bachelor should’ve pulled the plug on his season,” another insisted, referring to his controversial age-related remarks ahead of his season. “What a waste of time.”
Shortly after he was announced as the season two lead, Owens appeared on the In the Trenches podcast, where he candidly confessed that he would cut any women over the age of 60.
“This is not The Silver Bachelor, this is The Golden Bachelor,” he said. “They’ve got to be fit, because I stay in shape and work out and stuff. And I told [producers] to try to stay away from the artificial hips and the wigs.”
He later apologized to the women for his “insensitive” remarks.
