Bachelor Nation
Mel Owens’ Ex-Wife Gives Blunt Opinion of His ‘Golden Bachelor’ Season 2 Gig
One person who won’t be tuning in to Mel Owens‘ season of The Golden Bachelor is his ex-wife.
Fabiana Owens reacted to her former spouse leading the upcoming second season of the ABC reality dating series in a Friday, July 4, statement to the Daily Mail. “Good luck. I mean, it’s going to be bad,” she told the outlet. “But anyway, I don’t want to be involved in this.”
Although Mel’s official Golden Bachelor bio does not mention Fabiana by name, he met his “first love” while beginning his law career after retiring from the NFL. The two went on to get married and have two sons together. “While life took an unexpected turn with the passing of his father and the end of his marriage, Owens channeled his energy into being the best father he could be, focusing on raising his sons and coaching their extracurricular sports teams,” his bio continues.
According to court documents obtained the Daily Mail, Fabiana filed for divorce from Mel in February 2020 and cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for their split. Their divorce wasn’t finalized until December 2024.
Fabiana’s comment about her ex-husband comes as Mel faces backlash from fans over comments made about his potential Golden Bachelor contestants. During an interview on the MGoBlue podcast last month, Mel said he preferred his contestants to be within the age range of 45 to 60 years old.
Disney/Maarten de Boer
“We had lunch with the executive producer. I said, ‘If they’re over 60, I’m cutting them,'” he stated. “[They said], ‘Oh, no, this is not The Silver Bachelor, this is The Golden Bachelor, but they’re going to be hot, don’t worry about it, don’t worry about it.’ He goes, ‘You can’t use the word cut,’ I go, ‘That’s an NFL term.'”
Mel went on to state that he wants his contestants to be “fit” to match his active lifestyle, and that he told producers to “stay away from the artificial hips and the wigs, that kind of stuff.”
His preferences have sparked mixed reactions from Bachelor Nation fans and celebrities alike. “[The Golden Bachelor] should recast Mel Owens immediately. We want Charles [Ling] for Golden Bachelor!” one user wrote via X on June 27. “But if that’s not possible, please at least give us someone who is actually interested in dating the cast of golden women who are 60+.”
Sharing a different opinion, another X user tweeted, “At least he’s honest about what he wants. Can’t fault him for that. Better than wasting everyone’s time and energy.”
Selling Sunset‘s Chrishell Stause weighed in on the drama via her Instagram Story on June 26. “We love the Golden Bachelor because of how wholesome it is,” she wrote over an article screenshot about Mel’s comments. “This type of energy will ruin it.”
The Golden Bachelor‘s Season 1 star Gerry Turner, meanwhile, told TMZ that his successor should be “open-minded” about his contestants’ age range and said that he would have “missed out on amazing connections and friendships” on the show if not for having contestants ages 60 to 75.
The Golden Bachelor, Season 2, Wednesdays, Fall 2025, 9/8c, ABC
