‘Golden Bachelor’: Cindy Grills Mel About Why He ‘Took So Long’ to Marry First Wife
What To Know
- Cindy Cullers pressed Mel Owens during the November 5 episode of The Golden Bachelor, seeking clarity about his feelings and intentions for their relationship.
- Cindy found the conversation insightful but was left uncertain about Mel’s willingness to move forward.
- Mel’s been hesitant about his feelings because there’s another finalist, Peg Munson, in the mix.
Cindy Cullers tried to have a candid conversation with Mel Owens during their Fantasy Suite date on The Golden Bachelor, but getting him to open up was like pulling teeth. During the nighttime portion of the date, Cindy tried to get a feel for where Mel stood with their relationship, but he wasn’t able to give her an answer.
Instead, he sort of beat around the bush. “I like you a lot, so that’s not the problem,” he said. “However, there’s another person. So I can’t sit here and tell you that we’re going to be happily ever after if there’s another person.” As Cindy tried to pull more out of him, she eventually started asking tough questions about the former NFL star’s first marriage.
Before getting into that, Cindy opened up to Mel about her frustrations. “You don’t really have questions for me, and I’ve grappled with that more than I’ve shared with you,” Cindy said. “It’s just like, I don’t know, I feel like you haven’t felt free to maybe share with me where you are. What’s holding you back? I hate to push you because it’s unfair, but I really would like to know.”
Specifically, Cindy wanted to know, “Do you see a future with us? How are you feeling about us? How do you feel about me? For me, the chemistry with you is off the charts.” Mel reiterated that it’s “difficult” for him because there’s another woman, Peg Munson, in the picture, and he wasn’t just going to make a “leap of faith” decision.
Cindy pointed out that Mel was already taking a leap of faith when he agreed to be the Golden Bachelor because he knew that there was a potential proposal at the end, and then flat-out asked him, “Why did you wait to get married [the first time]?” Mel was married to ex-wife Fabiana Pimentel for 18 years before their 2020 split.
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “It wasn’t the right time. Timing was everything for me. That’s not something I do casually, like, oh, say I love you, get married, oh that didn’t work out, five years [later], I’ll do another one, that works out for 10 years … all of a sudden you’re 15 years in and you got two marriages.”
Disney/John Fleenor
Cindy calmly argued that both she and Mel “put a lot of thought and effort and used intuition and wisdom” in their first marriages, but it still didn’t work out.
“But for 25 years it did,” Mel explained. “It’s not like you propose and six months later go, ‘Guys, I really didn’t mean it.’ That’s why I got married. I meant it.”
Cindy questioned whether Mel was planning to wait a long time to get married again. “I don’t know. It has to develop over time,” he explained. Cindy called the conversation “very insightful,” and while Mel reiterated that he “likes” her a lot, he also said he still doesn’t know where things are heading.
“Maybe this hesitancy that I’m seeing is just a shadow of what he experienced earlier in his life,” Cindy said in a confessional. “Maybe he doesn’t want to get hurt. Mel is a reserved man. He keeps things close to his chest. But it’s not the time to seize up. I’m wondering, is it me? Is it maybe he has a tighter relationship with Peg? Or if, maybe, that’s just who he is. I’ve been vulnerable, and I want to feel that my partner is excited to move forward with me and share their life with me. I just don’t know what’s holding him back.”
The Golden Bachelor, Season 2 Finale, Wednesday, November 12, 8/7c, ABC
