The Golden Bachelor featured Nicolle admitting she was on the show to "date America" and promote her personal brand, Mel Owens furthering his connections with Peg and Cindy, and Mel choosing his Final 6 bachelorettes during the Season 2 episode that aired Wednesday night on ABC.
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"I'm surprised a little bit, honestly. I'm just surprised," Gerri said in her final words.
"I opened up my heart and I thought I was going to get a rose, so that hurts. But you know what? The experience has been amazing, and I wouldn't trade that for nothing in the world. He has empowered me to put ME first and find love, and that's exactly what I'm going to do."
Gerry went on to thank Mel for their journey on the show together.
The Golden Bachelor broadcast began with nine women left on Mel's journey to find love.
Carol, a 63-year-old family manager for baseball all-star Freddie Freeman from Villa Park, CA, admitted she was having a "really, really hard" time watching Mel give attention to other ladies, but Cindy, a 60-year-old retired biomedical engineer from Austin, TX, told her that she needed to give Mel some grace for that.
Just as Mel revealed the process was "working" for him, a Date Card arrived for Peg, a 62-year-old retired firefighter and bomb tech from Las Vegas, NV.
"I was surprised it was Peg. Happy for her, beyond, but I genuinely don't see the chemistry between Peg and Mel. I don't think they go together, so that's interesting," Nicolle, a 64-year-old yoga instructor from Miami Beach, FL, told the cameras.
Peg accompanied Mel to the Orange County Fair, where they could embrace their inner kids.
Mel and Peg played games, ate carnival food and went on rides, and he gushed in a confessional, "Peg is my style... She makes me happy."
Mel called Peg an energetic "badass," proving "spirit has no age," but she had a lot of pain behind her joyful eyes.
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Peg told the cameras it's hard for her to let her guard down and be vulnerable but she thought Mel was worth the risk.
Peg revealed to Mel during their date that her ex-husband, who was in law enforcement, had cheated on her and broken her heart. After the pair got divorced in 2003, Peg said her daughter became her whole world and they even got tattoos together.
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When Mel asked Peg about all of her tattoos while they were drinking beer, she quipped that they could "talk about that in the Fantasy Suite," to which Mel replied, "Cheers to that!"
Peg said Mel seemed authentic and made her feel safe, and then the couple capped off their date by attending a KC and The Sunshine Band concert.
Peg and Mel danced the night away, and Mel said Peg's energy was "captivating" and "infectious."
Mel called Peg special, loving and compassionate, adding, "I've never met anyone like her."
Mel gave Peg a rose onstage at the concert, and she said she felt like she had been dating Mel forever.
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Meanwhile, Nicolle was shown talking to Roxanne and sharing, "I told myself from the beginning I'm not dating Mel, I'm dating America. I'm dating everybody watching, and not watching. That gives you exposure like you've never had."
Carol overheard the conversation and said it rubbed her the wrong way.
Nicole was then shown telling the other women that they were going to have "Housewives" status after their appearance on The Golden Bachelor. Nicole talked about wanting publicity post-show and promoting her recipes and brand on social media.
"I'd love to be a spokeswoman for mid-life beauty products or healthy products... so I would become more and more of an influencer," Nicole explained to the other women.
Robin vented to Cindy about how she couldn't believe anyone was on the show for something other than love, and Cindy complained about how Nicolle was also "taking up a lot of oxygen."
It then became time for Mel's group date which featured Mel and the ladies posing for a People spread titled "Sexy at Every Age: The Golden Era Edition."
Each woman dressed for a particular theme, such as sexy time in the bedroom or beach patrol.
While Carol got stuck wearing nothing but a towel, Debbie, a 65-year-old fitness professional from Denver, CO, got to wear a beautiful white slip dress with lace on it.
"I've never put on a wedding dress. I've been engaged but it's just never worked out, and the fact that I get to wear [a dress] and be The Beach Bride, it means so much to me," Debbie gushed in a confessional.
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The photographer believed that Mel had the most on-camera chemistry with Cindy, whom he kissed many times during the photo shoot, and so the pair had their own special photos taken.
For the photos, Mel and Cindy rolled in the sand and kissed as the ocean waves splashed over them. The other women watched with jealousy from afar as Cindy definitely grew her connection with Mel.
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When Nicolle had her turn to talk to Mel, she reminded him about how they had "a ton of chemistry," and they made out in front of the group again.
Since Robin had joined the show for love, and love only, she decided to warn Mel about some other bachelorettes' intentions.
"I say things how they are... I think there are people here that, I don't think they're being completely authentic with you, and it's hard for me to watch," Robin told Mel.
"Not being authentic means what, that they're not here for the right reasons?" Mel asked.
"Yes, I think people are self-serving because they potentially have an opportunity to promote whatever they're trying to promote," Robin explained.
Robin's accusation initially gave Mel "pause," but he said he didn't think her claim was true and he trusted the ladies who were competing for his heart.
The date ended with Mel giving a rose to Carol, who called it a very important day in her journey with Mel.
"The towel worked!" a few ladies quipped in unison.
Later on, Nicolle and several ladies were shown making Mel lemon bars since they're his favorite dessert. The plan was for everyone to enjoy these lemon bars with Mel.
After Cheryl, a 66-year-old retired IRS employee from Englewood, CO, was shown telling Mel that he was her "prince," Nicole stole the lemon bars and fed Mel one.
"It says, 'Pucker up, Mel, with lemon love from all of us, even though I made them... The secret ingredient was love," Nicolle told Mel, adding how she had gone to culinary school.
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"It was a joint effort," Cindy lamented to the cameras.
At the fourth Rose Ceremony of the season, Mel said he felt "things change" this week and he had some tough choices to make.
Mel proceeded to hand out roses to Debbie, Cindy, Cheryl, and Nicolle.
Robin, Roxanne and Gerri were therefore eliminated, but the women spoke about how they had a wonderful time on the show and developed a sisterhood with the other ladies.
Mel asked Gerri if he could walk her out, and he insisted that if he could hand out the First Impression Rose all over again, it would still go to her.
"You've made a big impression on me," Mel told Gerri.
"You've got this!" Gerri replied.
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
