Former Los Angeles Rams linebacker Mel Owens reportedly tried to throw his weight around ahead of his stint as ABC’s “Golden Bachelor.”
Owens, 66, is slated to become the reality dating show’s second-ever Golden Bachelor. The series is marketed as an opportunity for older singles to find a partner to spend their “golden years” together.
The Michigan alum may not have gotten the memo. Owens made a podcast appearance earlier this month on Michigan athletics-based “MGoBlue Podcast” before his appearance on the Golden Bachelor, which is scheduled to shoot from June to August. He revealed to podcast host Jon Jansen that if any of the contestants are “over 60,” then they shouldn’t expect to stay on the show for very long.
Owens recounted the conversation he had with one of the show’s executives.
“We had lunch with the executive producer,” Owens told Jansen, via The Blast’s Kelly Coffey-Behrens. “I said, ‘If they’re 60 or over, I’m cutting them.’ [They said], ‘Oh no, you can’t. This is not ‘The Silver Bachelor,’ it’s ‘The Golden Bachelor.’ He goes, ‘But they’re gonna be hot, don’t worry about it.'”
There’s no real issue with someone wanting to date within a certain age range. However, the show’s entire premise is centered on helping senior-citizen-aged contestants find love.
During the show’s first run in 2023, none of the 22 contestants were younger than 60 at the time. The first-ever Golden Bachelor, Gerry Turner, was 72 when the debut season was filmed.
Owens spent nine seasons in the NFL. The Rams selected him ninth overall in the 1981 NFL Draft. He played in 122 games (91 starts) with career tallies of 26.5 sacks and 4 interceptions.
