Mel Owens, the new face of “The Golden Bachelor,” is doing damage control.
The former NFL linebacker turned reality star found himself in hot water after he revealed he asked the people behind the reality show to present him with female contestants between the ages of 45 and 60.
After his comment sparked backlash, Owens, 66, addressed the controversy surrounding his remarks about dating preferences.
‘GOLDEN BACHELOR’ MEL OWENS SETS STRICT AGE LIMIT FOR CONTESTANTS DESPITE PRODUCER PUSHBACK
When asked why he made the comments, Owens replied in an interview with Glamour, “Because I didn’t know anything about The Golden Bachelor ages. I didn’t.”
He explained, “I had watched the first show when I was younger, when it first launched or something in 2002, until my son was born. But then when he was born, I didn’t watch it anymore. So when these people talk about, ‘Hey, this season and that season,’ I didn’t know the age range because I wasn’t watching it.”
Instead, Owens said his idea of the “golden” years was based on his personal frame of reference — not the show’s legacy.
“I’m thinking, to me, the age range was 45 to 60. That’s my age range. I’m thinking that’s the gold years for me. My reference, again, was when I was dating at 39, 40. I hadn’t dated in 26 years, so I had no clue. And that’s why I said that comment,” he admitted. “I didn’t know. I didn’t know. And I didn’t know that [Gerry Turner, the original Golden Bachelor] got married and then divorced. I didn’t know any of it.”
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Owens, who’s currently filming the upcoming season set to premiere in September, said he faced the issue head-on the moment cameras rolled.
“When I first walked in, I addressed it. I apologized to them. I said, ‘It was unfair, insensitive. I want to earn it back. Just give me the chance,’” he continued to explain. “And hopefully, these last two weeks I earned some of that back.”
However, not everyone was quick to forgive — especially during one particular group date.
“One of the dates was a roast. It was brutal. They were killing me,” Owens confessed. “They’re brilliant. It’s shocking how brilliant they are.”
Reps for Owens did not immediately respond back to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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The drama comes after Owens faced criticism for opening up about his strict criteria when it came to choosing a life partner.
While speaking on the “In the Trenches” podcast, Owens didn’t hold back, sharing that he had no interest in dating women “60 and over” and made it clear to producers he didn’t want anyone cast with “artificial hips” or “wigs.”
“It’s blind up until they get out of the limo. But they asked me, ‘What’s your preferences?’ So, I just said 45 to 60, just being honest,” Owens said. “And then the process went, and I was selected, right? And then we had lunch with the executive producer. I said, ‘You know, if they’re 60 or over, I’m cutting them.’ ‘Oh Mel, you can’t, you know, this is not the ‘Silver Bachelor.’ It’s the ‘Golden Bachelor.’ He goes, ‘but they’re going to be hot, don’t worry about it. Don’t worry about it.'”
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Owens added that he expected the contestants to all be in good shape.
“I had no resume, but they asked me, what is my, like, my profile?” Owens said. “Well, they got to be fit because I stay in shape, should work out and stuff. And I told them, you know, try to stay away from the artificial hips and the wigs, you know, that kind of stuff, right.”
In a press release for the show, producers revealed that Owens was previously married for 25 years and is a proud father of two sons.
He hopes to find a love “rooted in the simple joys of companionship — sharing life’s everyday moments, making plans for the future and growing stronger together as a couple.”
