A BACHELOR ONCE MORE

Controversial ‘Golden Bachelor’ Dumped by Woman He Chose

Peg Munson, 63, announced her split from one-time NFL star Mel Owens, 67.

The Golden Bachelor stars Mel Owens and Peg Munson have called it quits.

Owens, 67, and Munson, 63, met on the second season of the series, which concluded last year. Munson, a retired firefighter, announced in an Instagram video post that she “made the difficult decision to step away from the relationship.”

Without getting specific about why, Munson told fans, “You know, sometimes even when there’s love, it just doesn’t turn out the way that we hoped. So right now I’m just focusing on healing my heart and just focusing on myself, my health, and looking forward to the next chapter.

She added, “I really do wish Mel the best of luck. And I’m very grateful for the experience.”

Owens has not publicly addressed their breakup.

The former NFL star started the season off on the wrong foot after declaring in a pre-season interview that he wouldn’t date women over 60 on the reality show.

During an appearance on the In the Trenches With Jon Jansen podcast last June, he said, “[Producers] asked me, ‘What’s your preferences?’ So I just said, ‘45 to 60,’ just being honest.” He went on, “The process ended, and I was selected, and then we had lunch with the executive producer. I said, ‘If they’re 60 or over, I’m cutting them.’”

The lawyer and divorced father of two said he was told he couldn’t do that, but agreed to move forward after he was assured that the contestants would be “hot.”

The comments drew immediate backlash from fans, some of whom demand that he be recast. The season forged ahead anyway, with Owens telling Glamour he addressed the comments with the women cast on the first night of filming.

“When I first walked in, I addressed it. I apologized to them. I said, ‘It was unfair, insensitive. I want to earn it back. Just give me the chance,’” he told the magazine.

The season moved on, and Owens gave Munson the final rose and a custom 3.5-carat diamond commitment ring after runner-up Cindy Cullers, 60, self-eliminated because he wanted to put off proposing.

“This represents our commitment to love, to give us time to figure out together what our future holds,” he told Munson at the time. She declared, “He’s not for everybody, but we’re definitely for each other.”

The couple said they were still going strong four months after filming ended, during the After the Final Rose special in November 2025, before things took a turn for the worse.

In her announcement video, Munson hinted that the relationship ended about a month ago. “I’m really sorry that I haven’t spoken out sooner,” she told fans, “but it’s been a really difficult 30 days for me… I went on The Golden Bachelor hoping to find love, and I did, and for that I’m grateful.”

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Eboni Boykin-PattersonEntertainment Reporter

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