SPOILER ALERT! This post contains details from the Season 2 premiere of ABC‘s The Golden Bachelor.
Mel Owens has officially embarked on his journey to find love. The former Rams linebacker welcomed 23 women to the Bachelor mansion on Wednesday night’s Season 2 premiere, hoping that one might be the key to his long-awaited happily ever after.
But, before he dives into the season, he needs to address a few misconceptions first. Literally less than a minute into the episode, Mel addresses his controversial comments about his casting preferences prior to filming the show, including the assertion that he would immediately cut anyone 60 or over. He’s since apologized, but these women are going to need a little more assurance that they aren’t wasting their time.
“I know what a lot of people are thinking of me. That’s not who I am,” he insists.
Audiences quickly learn that Mel has gone through quite a lot in the last several years with the death of his father, Walter Owens, and his divorce. After being single for the past five years, Mel is ready to try again.
Before long, it’s time to meet the women. There are several women who jump straight to the point, confronting him about those ageist comments as soon as they step out of the limo. To his credit, he’s continuously apologetic, and the women seem willing to accept his promise to do better.
But just in case anyone didn’t hear him the first time, or the second time, he repeats his apology once more upon entering the mansion to mingle with the ladies.
“Every one of you ladies is wonderful,” he said. “I sincerely apologize. It was insensitive, unfair…I hope you forgive me and let me earn it back.”
Now that they’ve gotten that out of the way, it’s time to get things rolling. He pulls Cindy for a chat first, and clearly there’s already quite a bit of chemistry between the two. They bond over sharing stories about raising their kids.
Despite any preconceived ideas he might’ve had, Mel seems to be quickly won over by this group of golden women. The more they goof around, the more he seems to come out of his shell and loosen up in his conversations. Before long, though, Jesse Palmer appears with the first impression rose, and the energy in the room shifts just a bit.
Naturally, many of the women have their sights set on that rose, so this is when they really start to understand the competition is on.
Mel decides to give the first impression rose to Gerri. He tells her that he appreciated her opening up about her family, and he felt like they bonded over the fact that they haven’t gotten to do much for themselves in the last 10+ years in service of their kids. Gerri is quite thrilled, and she says in confessional that she really feels a spark.
It’s been quite a long night, but the rose ceremony arrives before anyone knows it. Mel hands roses to Peg, Carla, Terri, Cheryl, Nicole, Cindy, Amy, Alexandra, Monica P., Mylene, Carol, Roxeanne, Monica B., Robin, Diane, and Debbie.
That means six women go home — Andra, Maia, Lisa, Lily, Susie, and Tracy.
The fun doesn’t end there, though. There’s still 40 minutes left in the episode at this point.
You know what that means…dates! The next day, the ladies settle into the mansion as they await Mel’s first date card. The first one-on-one goes to Cheryl.
After finding out she’d been chosen for the first date of the season, Cheryl finds racks full of dresses, shoes and accessories in the other room — looks like she needs to pick an outfit! She does a few try-ons for the other ladies before settling on a strapless red dress complete with a stunning diamond necklace.
Mel picks her up wearing a suit and sweeps her away in a Rolls Royce to a romantic, candlelit dinner. At the end of the date, Mel offers Cheryl a rose.
The next day, the rest of the women embark on a group date at the LA Memorial Coliseum. Mel says he’s looking for someone who can always cheer him on, so their goal today will be to become the best cheer squad he’s ever seen. In order to put their best foot forward, ABC recruited Paula Abdul and the Los Angeles Rams cheerleaders to help out.
The winning squad gets extra time with Mel at the stadium’s 1923 club, where they get to deepen their connections a bit and vie for a rose. At the end of the night, Cindy gets the group date rose.
The episode ends with a pool party, where all the women will get to mingle with Mel a bit more. But, just like the pool parties of seasons past, it also sparks some drama when some of the women get irritated with Nicole’s public displays of affection in the pool. That’ll surely come back around as the season progresses but, for now, it’s time for another rose ceremony.
They sure are moving things along quite quickly this season. Viewers don’t even have to wait another week for the next rose ceremony. Mel sends home Carla, Diane, Alexandra, and Mylene.
In addition to Cindy and Cheryl, that keeps Roxeanne, Debbie, Gerri, Monica P., Monica B., Carol, Peg, Nicole, Robin, Amy, and Terri around for another week.
The Golden Bachelor airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
