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Bachelor Nation, The Golden Bachelor <\/em>Season 2 is almost here. The second season of the hit ABC reality dating series premieres on Wednesday evening and will follow Mel Owens, a 66-year-old former NFL player, in his search for love.<\/p>\n Owens\u2019s turn as the leading man comes two years after Gerry Turner, then 72, served as the inaugural Golden Bachelor in 2023. Joan Vassos, then 61, meanwhile, took her turn at finding love as the first Golden Bachelorette in 2024.<\/p>\n ABC first unveiled Owens as the upcoming Golden Bachelor in April, while the 23 seniors vying for his heart<\/a> were revealed earlier this month. The months leading up to Owens\u2019s season, however, have been rife with controversy due to comments he made regarding his expectations about the ages and physical appearance of the show\u2019s female contestants.<\/p>\n Despite calls from fans to replace Owens as the Golden Bachelor, ABC has decided to stick with him as the Season 2 lead. Owens, who has since apologized for his remarks, is still hoping to find lasting love on the show.<\/p>\n Ahead of Wednesday night\u2019s season premiere, we\u2019re taking a closer look at everything there is to know about Owens.<\/p>\n Owens is a 66-year-old NFL player turned lawyer. The former professional athlete, who previously played for the Los Angeles Rams from 1981 to 1989, was born and raised in Detroit and attended the University of Michigan. Following his retirement from the NFL, Owens relocated to Orange County in California, where he became a sports lawyer specializing in workers’ compensation.<\/p>\n He was married to his \u201cfirst love,\u201d Fabiana Pimentel, from 2002 to 2020. Pimentel, with whom Owens has two sons, Lucas, 20, and Andre, 18, filed for divorce in 2020.<\/p>\n While he isn\u2019t a fan of the Bachelor franchise himself, a friend of Owens urged him to apply for The Golden Bachelor<\/em>. He did and was cast as the Season 2 lead.<\/p>\n “It’s this fortuitous other route. It’s not something I would have done entirely on my own,” Owens told USA Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n The controversy surrounding Owens began in June, when he appeared on the MGoBlue<\/em> podcast for his alma mater, the University of Michigan. It was during this conversation that Owens specified what he wanted in a partner \u2014 and how old he wanted her to be.<\/p>\n \u201cThey ask me, \u2018What\u2019s your preference?\u2019 So I just said 45 to 60, just being honest,\u201d he said on the podcast. \u201cAnd then we had lunch with the executive producer. I said, \u2018You know, if they\u2019re 60 or over, I\u2019m cutting them.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Owens was also less forgiving about his ideal partner\u2019s physical attributes. When asked about his physical \u201ctype,\u201d the former NFLer said he\u2019s interested in women who are into fitness and who don\u2019t have any artificial body parts.<\/p>\n Owens said of his ideal woman, \u201cThey asked me, \u2018What is my profile?\u2019 Well, [the women] got to be fit, because I\u2019m staying in shape and working out and stuff. And I told them, \u2018Try to stay away from the artificial hips and the wigs, you know, that kind of stuff, right?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Yes. Owens spoke with Entertainment Tonight<\/em><\/a> last week, at which point he acknowledged that his comments were in poor taste.<\/p>\n \u201cThe comments I made were unfair and insensitive, but I apologized to them collectively,\u201d Owens said. \u201cLooking back on it, it was wrong to say, and I shouldn\u2019t have said it.\u201d<\/p>\nWho is Mel Owens?<\/h2>\n
How did Owens end up on \u2018The Golden Bachelor\u2019?<\/h2>\n
What\u2019s the controversy?<\/h2>\n
Has Owens addressed the controversy?<\/h2>\n