Peg Munson has claimed The Golden Bachelor viewers didn't see the real Mel Owens on the show's second season.
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Mel had selected Peg as his The Golden Bachelor winner on the Season 2 finale, which aired in November, and they're still going strong.
But while The Golden Bachelor was airing on ABC, Mel faced criticism for being guarded and unenthusiastic in his conversations with the bachelorettes.
Many fans complained that Mel failed to be vulnerable and fully express himself to the women. When Peg, for instance, asked Mel how he felt about her during Fantasy Suite Week, he reply, "Good."
Peg explained of her man, "He's very analytical, and he's an attorney. So you guys have to understand, attorneys, they are programmed and trained -- you only answer the questions that are being asked."
Peg said when people are asked questions in court, they should reply with "a minimal amount" of information or else "the courts are off to the races."
Peg clarified of Mel, "He's a cool dude! He talks a lot. He's a Chatty Cathy, and there's a lot to him. There really is. There are a lot of layers. But he's not going to be what everyone wants him to be."
"He's going to be authentic to who he is," the blonde beauty continued, "and if you don't like it, that's their problem. And I think you saw a lot of that on our season. He just stayed steadfast into who he was."
Mel's other finalist, Cindy Angelcyk Cullers, quit the show before the overnight portion of her Fantasy Suite date with Mel because he said he couldn't envision himself getting engaged for two more years. He also struggled to verbalize how he saw Cindy fitting into his life post-show.
"What you saw is the attorney [in him]. He's been an attorney for what? 25 years? So when a question was answered, he gave that answer with minimal words, and that's just who he was in his analytical brain," Peg said.
"And if you ask him what time it is, he'll tell you how to make a watch -- for days and days. I'm like, 'No dude, I just want to know what time it is.' So he's got that very masculine, analytical brain, and he doesn't wear his heart on his sleeve."
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Viewers were also disappointed in Mel for not saying "I love you" to Peg, his winner, at the Final Rose Ceremony in Antigua.
Mel also gave Peg a promise ring but didn't propose marriage.
"He's really a committed kind of guy, but he's only going to commit to the way it works for him. He's not going to commit to what you want him to be. Nobody is going to change him," Peg noted.
"And I don't want to change him! Look, I tried changing men for 40 fricking years. It doesn't work! It just doesn't work. You've just got to love them and accept them for who they are."
Peg revealed, however, that Mel told her that he loves her after filming wrapped.
"Yes he has. And have I told him that I love him? Yes, I have," the retired Las Vegas firefighter and bomb tech clarified.
"But that took time and it took respect and it took trust, especially for women. I'm not going to go in and tell somebody that I love them when I don't even know them! How can I love you when I don't even know you?!"
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Peg cut The Golden Bachelor star more slack by pointing out how he was married for almost two decades and didn't have much dating experience. (Mel's ex-wife, Fabiana Pimentel, filed for divorce from Mel in February 2020 but their divorce wasn't finalized until December 2024).
"He hasn't dated for 25 years. Trust me, he's not good at dating. He's a good husband, but he's not that good at dating -- and there is a difference. So I've kind of had to coach him on dating," Peg explained.
"He'll text me in the morning and he'll just start saying something, and I'm like oh no, no, no. [I told him], 'You say good morning, honey!' He's all business!"
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' COUPLES NOW: WHO DID 'THE BACHELOR' STARS AND THEIR BACHELORETTE PICKS ACTUALLY END UP MARRYING? (PHOTOS)
Peg reiterated how "nobody knows a lot of things about Mel," including why it was hard for the both of them to open up and trust on the show.
"I've been hurt. I'm divorced. My ex-husband stepped out on the marriage, and so that leaves a little bit of scarring, as well as with Mel," Peg explained.
"His wife stepped out on him. Everybody thinks it was the other way around, and it's not. His wife stepped out, and so we both have those little scars on our heart that I think sometimes it makes it a little bit harder to open up to somebody again -- until you can trust them."
While the former NFL player may be "all business," he and Peg have definitely been traveling and enjoying a lot of time together.
Peg revealed that she and Mel recently spent two weeks in Detroit, MI, together and they'll be spending three weeks in Rio together in December.
"Here's another thing I will tell you guys about him: he is super duper affectionate -- super affectionate," Peg gushed.
"He's always hugging and wants to hold hands and snuggle. You would never think that of this guy, seeing this big, jock dude, right? But he's extremely affectionate, he really is, which I really like. And he is [really cute]!"
On top of that, Peg boasted about how Mel is an excellent cook who took culinary classes and always cooks her "next-level" meals while she puts her feet up and drinks wine.
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Mel's girlfriend therefore concluded that "there's a lot more to him" than people know.
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
