The Golden Bachelor frontrunner Cindy Angelcyk Cullers has explained how Mel Owens disappointed her during his season.

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Cindy, a 60-year-old retired biomedical engineer from Austin, TX, was shown enjoying a horseback riding one-on-one date with Mel on the latest Season 2 episode of The Golden Bachelor.

RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)

Cindy opened up to Mel about how she had come from a broken home with an "awful" father, only to then have a "miserable" marriage with a man.

Although Cindy welcomed three children with her now ex-husband -- whom she divorced about seven years ago -- she shared with Mel, "And then I found out that the marriage wasn't what I thought it was."

During a recent episode of the "Bachelor Happy Hour" podcast, guest host Joan Vassos complained to Cindy about how Mel has been "so stoic" and guarded on The Golden Bachelor.

While Cindy is successful, beautiful and athletic, Joan mentioned how Cindy just wants a stable family for her daughters.

"And you ended up with a marriage going bad. You talked about that on national TV to this man, and I really, so much, wanted him to give that back to you. We are all anxious to hear it... We want to love Mel," Joan explained.

Joan -- who had starred on Season 1 of The Golden Bachelorette and is engaged to her winner, Chock Chapple -- therefore asked Cindy, "He could've let us into his life. That was the perfect time. How did you feel when you opened up and then he didn't give it back to you?"

Cindy replied, "It was very disappointing, I'll be honest."

Cindy continued, "For me to be that vulnerable, I expected a little bit more back from him. And if he doesn't want to share with me perhaps about his history, maybe give me more reassurance as to where I am in his world."

And Cindy admitted to Joan, "I really honestly didn't get either."

RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW: WHOM DID 'THE BACHELORETTE' STARS AND THEIR BACHELOR PICKS ULTIMATELY END UP WITH?! (PHOTOS)  

Cindy pointed out how any The Bachelor spinoff is a two-way street, even though there is a leading man or woman every season.

"I know that people might look at this one-on-one date and, frankly, the whole show, and believe that we're trying to woo Mel. Well, that's only part of it!" Cindy insisted.

"I'm living my life; this is Cindy's life," she added.

Cindy acknowledged how she wanted Mel to work for her attention and affection as well.

"And he did woo me. He got on a horse; he had never been on a horse. And I don't know if you know it, but he's allergic to horses," Cindy shared.

"But he still thought that would be a fun date, and his feet were so big, he can't put his foot in the stirrup. So he just had his toe in the stirrup. So I could tell how much he was giving me in those things, but he wasn't verbalizing any vulnerability to me or giving me any emotion."

Cindy therefore confessed that the emotional side of their relationship was lacking.

"So I'm balancing between, 'Can one replace the other?' And I think you need both!" Cindy said.

Joan said Mel probably needed to be "coached a little bit" on how to express himself more.

"And a kiss cannot replace that verbal intimacy and getting to know each other," Cindy said.

"It just can't. A kiss cannot replace the vulnerability that you need in a relationship."

RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' COUPLES NOW: WHO DID 'THE BACHELOR' STARS AND THEIR BACHELORETTE PICKS ACTUALLY END UP MARRYING? (PHOTOS)

Cindy, however, said she tried to give Mel the benefit of the doubt during filming.

"A part of it is, I'm thinking, that he's waiting until we have time together, just the two of us, and that's what I'm reading at the moment," Cindy reasoned.

"And by the way, I keep giving him grace, don't I? You see a common theme; I keep letting him off the hook! But it's a difficult position for him to be in, too, but I'm having to make my decisions as well."

After Cindy told Mel more about her past during their solo date, he gifted her a star.

While naming a star after Cindy was clearly a sweet gesture, Joan called it a Bachelor "prop" used to propel conversation that Mel wasn't offering up on his own.

"Was that enough of a replacement [for his lack of communication] for you, or did that give you enough to take the next leap of faith?" Joan asked the bachelorette.

"I'll be honest, my first test with him was chemistry," Cindy responded.

"My second test with him was compatibility and comfort," she continued, "Could I be in his presence and not be nervous? And then there's a compatibility of, 'Can he integrate into my life and is he willing to let me integrate into his?'"

Cindy said that after seven years of being divorced and on her own the rubber was hitting the road.

"Or the hoofs are hitting the trail!" Cindy quipped.

Cindy said The Golden Bachelor journey was "real" for the both of them and also "really scary" for Mel. But she noted how it was the first time, in a long time, she had been "confronted with that choice" as well.

"Full vulnerability," Cindy concluded.

Cindy ultimately received a rose from Mel, so she will be one of three bachelorettes taking him home to meet her family during the upcoming episode of The Golden Bachelor, airing Wednesday, October 22 on ABC.

RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)

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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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