The Golden Bachelor was fairly the phenomenon when it premiered in 2023, with Gerry Turner successful over even those that aren’t followers of actuality relationship reveals along with his healthful but tragic story of looking for love once more after his spouse’s loss of life. Now, with a brand new season hitting the 2025 TV schedule this month, we’ll see Mel Owens on his personal, very totally different journey. To that time, there’s one huge distinction between the 2 leads, and I’m excited to see Season 2 sort out this subject.
Former NFL linebacker Mel Owens was named the lead of The Golden Bachelor Season 2, however in contrast to Gerry Turner within the first go-round, Owens isn’t a widower. The 66-year-old and his ex-wife, Fabiana Owens, 46, had been married for 17 years earlier than splitting in 2020. Their divorce was reportedly finalized in December 2024. Showrunner Jess Castro informed EW this is a chance to discover new floor within the second season, saying:
He’s a terrific selection as a result of he isn’t Gerry 2.0. The experiences which have led him to this a part of his life are very totally different than from what Gerry’s are. In season 1, there was a variety of dialog round loss. However that is not the one factor that occurs to you later in life. In season 2, we’re going to see what occurs after divorce. We’re going to go on a totally totally different journey with Mel than we had been with Gerry.
I, like a lot of America, was actually moved by the primary season’s highly effective conversations about grief and loss, with Gerry Turner bonding instantly with Theresa Nist over their shared expertise. That theme continued into Season 2, the place each Joan Vassos and her eventual fiancé Chock Chapple had been each widowed as effectively.
Some solid members on each seasons, naturally, had gone by means of divorces, however The Golden Bachelor/Bachelorette didn’t delve too deeply into how that affected their relationship lives, or the similarities and variations between how they grieved their marriages. I believe it’s a sound dialog, as a result of because the showrunner identified, there’s multiple cause you might be single in your golden years.
Religion Martin broached the subject in in all probability essentially the most susceptible manner we’ve seen on any of The Bachelor reveals when, on an episode of Bachelor in Paradise, she admitted to Kim Buike that it wasn’t till her ex-husband died that she realized she’d by no means grieved the top of their marriage.
A part of Mel Owens’ story going into the season is that he was too busy elevating his sons — now 18 and 20 — to concentrate on relationship, so I’m trying ahead to digging deeper into that, because it’s probably not a standard dialog on any relationship present. You’ll be able to see a peek of who we’ll be assembly under:
Whereas some in Bachelor Nation are cautious of The Golden Bachelor Season 2 (myself included) as a consequence of Mel Owens’ controversial feedback about relationship ladies over 60, I believe the subject of discovering love in your golden years after divorce is a crucial one which hasn’t been really explored but. Speaking about this might very effectively present the relatability that introduced so many viewers hope by means of Gerry Turner’s story.
If you wish to tune in to see how Mel Owens’ season will differ from Gerry Turner’s, The Golden Bachelor Season 2 premieres at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, September 24, on ABC and streaming the following day with a Hulu subscription.