Zelta bakalaurs Star Mel Owens nespēja pārspēt savus iepriekšējos komentārus par savām iepazīšanās preferencēm otrajā sezonā.
Owens, 66 gadi, bijušais Losandželosas aunu NFL līnijas spēlētājs, tika paziņots par jauno zelta bakalauru aprīlī. Drīz pēc tam viņš saskārās ar reakciju, sakot, ka viņš atsakās datēt sievietes, kas vecākas par 60 gadiem.
“If they’re 60 or older, I cut them,” the retired NFL player-turned-contributor said on the In the Trenches podcast in June, while adding that he specifically told producers of the ABC reality dating show he only wanted women who were between 45 and 60. “Just being honest,” he admitted.
“This isn’t the Silver Bachelor, this is the Golden Bachelor ,” he said. “They have to be fit because I stay in shape and work out and stuff. And I told [producers] to try to stay away from the fake hips and wigs.”
Owens opened the second season premiere on Wednesday by directly addressing his controversial remarks, saying in a voiceover that he hopes, “These women don’t judge me for what they’ve heard. But I’m sure they will. I just hope I can redeem myself.”
Over the course of the two-hour episode, he met 23 senior women, all competing for his heart and their second chance at love. Of the contestants, 22 are over 60, and one contestant is in her 50s.
As they stepped out of their limos to greet Owens, many women openly confronted him about his previous remarks.
Diana, a 71-year-old librarian and avid hockey player, jokingly asked him, “What was that interview about on this podcast?”
He immediately apologized when Diana added a voiceover to the video: “I’m here to prove the appeal and spunk don’t end at 60.”
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Carla, 62, a former model, shared a similar sentiment. “I’m here to break your stereotype about women over 60,” she told Owens.
He was later introduced to Peg, 62, a retired firefighter and bomb tech. In her introductory video, she showed off her roller skating skills. “Hey Mel, no fake hips here,” she teased.
After connecting with each woman, Owens entered the villa to address the group as a whole.
“I sincerely apologize,” he said, acknowledging that his previous remarks were “insensitive.”
His apology resonated with the women, and one praised him. “He not only owned it,” they said on camera, “he owned it before.”
New episodes of the second season of Bachelor Golden air Wednesdays on ABC at 9 p.m. ET.
