Mel Owens A Different Type of Bachelor

He came through a scandal better for it. He wanted a 'contemplative' night in the fantasy suites. He embraces calm logic, not fiery emotion. And he's upending all our ideas of what makes a (Golden) Bachelor

- by SARAH HEARON

Of all the inflammatory isms out there, the most shocking one for a Golden Bachelor to be accused of is ageism. That's what happened to Mel Owens, 66, in a preseason controversy, so you might expect him to be a little defensive on the subject. But when the former NFL player sat down with Us, he was remarkably relaxed, maintaining the off-the-cuff energy that may have gotten him in hot water in the first place.

For context: Over the summer, the divorced Owens guested on a University of Michigan (his alma mater) football podcast called In the Trenches and mentioned some of the specifics he'd requested from producers of The Golden Bachelor: He wanted the women of his senior season to be between 45 and 60 and "fit," with no "artificial hips" or "wigs." And he added that anyone 60 and up would be cut.

The comments — a far cry from the "It's never too late for a second chance at love" vibe of OG Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner's season — spread quickly, with some members of Bachelor Nation calling for Owens to be fired immediately over his disrespectful remarks. Longtime Bachelor spoiler guru Reality Steve even falsely reported that Owens had been replaced.

"I'm not really on social media, so I didn't even know. People were sending me screenshots and saying, 'Oh, my God, are you still there?' And I go, 'I am,' because I didn't hear anything to the contrary," Owens tells Us of the replacement chatter. "But I really didn't give it too much thought, because that's noise in the background. ABC and Warner Bros. believed in me, and I'm glad they did."