The next ‘Golden Bachelor’ dissed women over 60, and fans are furious

Many viewers didn’t like the reality show’s next star making fun of women over 60 since they believe that genuine love may find you at any age.

Earlier this month, Mel Owens, 66, a former NFL linebacker, stated on MGoBlue Podcasts With Jon Jansen that he is exclusively interested in women between the ages of 45 and 60.

Owens declared, “I’m cutting them if they’re sixty or older.” It’s The Golden Bachelor, not The Silver Bachelor.

A producer for the show told Owens, who was named the next Golden Bachelor in April, that the women in his future season would be attractive regardless of their age. Additionally, he remembered that the producer had warned him against using the word “cut” to describe the elimination of candidates.

“Well,” Owens continued, “that’s an NFL term.”

Owens reminded the producers of The Golden Bachelor that age isn’t the primary preference. Additionally, he requested that all competitors be in good physical condition, as I maintain my fitness through exercise and other activities.

He said, “And I told them [to] try and stay away from the wigs and the artificial hips.”

A post that ABC (@abc) shared

ABC has been contacted by NJ.com for comment.

The dating style of the franchise’s next leading man disappointed a lot of Golden Bachelor fans.

One fan said on Reddit that the producers totally failed on this one, pointing out that the Bachelor spinoff is meant to be about people being real.

The fan went on to say that this was what captivated viewers in season 1 and that it was a welcome break from all the shallow young influencer types [on the original program]. They’re wasting that with a lead like this.

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Nobody wants a Golden Bachelor with this mindset, according to another individual.

[Someone] who believes he’s a good match for a 45-year-old but considers women his own age and five years younger to be old and deteriorating. The fan sarcastically said, “Just what an audience of mostly women want to see.”

The Golden Bachelor’s Owens season will debut on ABC in the fall.

In 2023, The Golden Bachelor made its debut. Three months after their January 2024 marriage on ABC’s Golden Wedding special, Gerry Turner, the first star of the Bachelor Nation series, announced his divorce from Theresa Nist.

Chock Chapple, whom Joan Vassos met on the reality show, is still engaged to her, the first Golden Bachelorette.