Mel Owens has explained why he wanted to star on The Bachelor when he doesn't need fame or help getting a date.
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Many Bachelor Nation alums and podcasters have commented on how Mel is very handsome and appears to be the whole package, so there is speculation as to why Mel chose to look for love on ABC's The Golden Bachelor.
"A guy from ABC... goes, 'I want to know why you're doing this,'" Mel recalled, referring to a conversation he had after the casting process.
"He goes, 'You look like Robert Redford, first-round draft pick. You're an attorney.' He goes, 'You don't need any of the fame.'"
Mel continued: "I go, 'I like to try new things. I like to be in the unknown.' And I go, 'You guys have been so wonderful to me. This is something I really want to do.' And, you know, it's tough, it's tedious, and it's remarkable."
Mel suggested he's the type of person who likes to live outside of his comfort zone, whether it be looking for an adventure or taking on a challenge.
"[The Golden Bachelor] is something that is the unknown. And I've always been a guy who's been sort of out there, not on the edge, but trying new things," Mel shared.
"So he said, 'Why do you want to do it?' And that was my answer, and really, it's been great."
Mel added how all of his friends pushed him to sign up for The Golden Bachelor opportunity.
"All of my friends, especially my former Michigan teammates, I called them up and I go, 'What do you think? Should I do it?' And everyone said, 'Yeah, man! Do it, do it, do it!'" Mel revealed with a laugh, proud of all the support he's received from the "Michigan guys."
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ABC had announced on April 22 that Mel will be starring on Season 2 of The Golden Bachelor.
The Golden Bachelor host Jesse Palmer provided some insight into why ABC had selected Mel for the leading role in late April.
"Mel is obviously super handsome. He's very charming, he's very intelligent, he's very successful," Jesse boasted of Mel to Us Weekly.
"He had this incredible pro football career and transitioned into becoming a successful warrior."
Jesse added, "I think while he's had a lot of success professionally, there have been some hills and valleys in his personal life."
Mel, who was born and raised in Detroit, MI, graduated from the University of Michigan and was drafted by the LA Rams in 1981. He went on to play nine seasons of professional football before retiring from the NFL and transitioning into a law career.
Mel, who now lives Orange County, CA, was married for 25 years to his "first love," with whom he shares two kids, before they divorced.
ABC shared that when Mel got divorced and had to grieve the death of his father, he channeled his energy into being a "devoted" father and coaching their extracurricular sports teams.
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"I think he's in this unique time now where he can finally focus a little bit more on it himself. His kids are getting ready to go off to college, and I think he really wants to find a special person," Jesse shared.
Jesse said he believes that Mel is looking for genuine and lasting love, but not necessarily a fairy-tale story.
"I don't think he's necessarily looking for anything heavily extravagant," Jesse noted.
"When you talk with him, what he misses most about being married and being in a relationship, it's just having and enjoying those simple everyday moments."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' COUPLES NOW: WHO DID 'THE BACHELOR' STARS AND THEIR BACHELORETTE PICKS ACTUALLY END UP MARRYING? (PHOTOS)
The Bachelor host insisted Mel is "just looking for companionship" in its purest state.
"And just listening to him talk about it is really moving," Jesse shared.
"So I think he's going to be a great lead. I think he's a great choice to be our next Golden Bachelor."
Mel will be following in the footsteps of Season 1 The Golden Bachelor star Gerry Turner.
Gerry had proposed marriage to his The Golden Bachelor winner, Theresa Nist, on the show's Season 1 finale in late 2023.
Gerry and Theresa, proudly showing off their love, rushed to the altar and got married in January 2024 for a televised wedding special on ABC.
Three months later, however, Gerry announced his split from Theresa and claimed distance was the problem.
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Since then, Theresa has said there's more to her breakup with Gerry than just the miles between them, and Gerry has claimed his early 2024 diagnosis with an incurable cancer had major influence over the pair's decision to part ways.
(Theresa, however, has denied that cancer had something to do with their split).
But Joan, the first star of The Golden Bachelorette, did, in fact, find her happily ever after.
Joan picked Chock Chapple as her The Golden Bachelorette winner on the show's finale in November 2024, and the pair is still happily engaged and making a long-distance relationship work.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
