In a surprising turn of events, the second season of The Golden Bachelor concluded with 66-year-old Mel Owens presenting his final rose to his chosen partner along with a commitment ring, rather than an engagement ring.

During the show’s grand finale and the After the Final Rose segment, both the audience and Owens’ final two contenders discovered that the leading man was not ready to propose. Owens had always felt that an engagement required more time. Given that the show’s typical conclusion involves a proposal, some, including runner-up Cindy Cullers—who withdrew after learning this—felt Owens should have been more upfront about his intentions. Despite facing criticism, Owens expressed to Decider that he stands by his decisions without regret.

“I was always upfront, 100% of the time. I didn’t mislead anyone. I was genuine and never made promises I wasn’t prepared to keep. I was honest from the start,” Owens stated in a Zoom interview.

Joined by his partner, 62-year-old Peg Munson, Mel Owens sat down with Decider to discuss life post-The Golden Bachelor, the pivotal moment he knew Peg was the one, their pick for the next Golden Bachelorette (Hint: It’s not Cindy!), and more.

DECIDER: Before we delve into your relationship, Mel, considering these shows usually culminate in an engagement, you’ve faced some criticism for not being upfront about your hesitance to propose at the end. Do you wish you had communicated that sooner to the women involved?

MEL OWENS: I was very clear, all the time. 100%. I didn’t mislead anybody. I wasn’t disingenuous. I didn’t promise anything that I didn’t want to keep. I was straightforward. And not one woman said, “Oh, Mel, you deceived me” or “You misled me.” I was honest with them. So whatever the feedback people are getting, it was different from what the women were feeling. They’ve all told me how respectful I was with them. Nobody wants to be misled. And there’s people that come on the show and go, “I love you, I love you, I love you.” And there’s a mess afterwards. That didn’t happen. So I was transparent, because I was truthful, honest, sincere, and that’s what I am. I’m not gonna mislead anybody. Now, just because someone doesn’t like it, because I wasn’t gonna tell everyone that I loved them? That’s not who I am. I was honest. So, I’m good.

During the finale, you got to see Cindy again and gain some additional closure. She told Jesse that her heart is wide open to finding love, so after getting to know her throughout the season, do you think she’d make a good Golden Bachelorette lead?

PEG MUNSON: Actually, I just have to say this. I think Debbie would make a good Golden Bachelorette. I think Debbie is authentic. I think she’s genuine, and I think she doesn’t hide who she really is — the good, the bad, and the ugly. She puts all of it out there. And I think for that she is so genuine, and she’s so real, and she deserves it. She’s done TV and film and press for a long time. She’s 65 years old. She deserves it. I love Cindy. She’s beautiful, and gorgeous, and articulate, and smart, but my vote definitely goes for Debbie.

OWENS: Yeah. And one thing, you can’t campaign to be on the next Golden Bachelorette. That’s disingenuous, right? You’ve got to be sincere and honest. And Debbie is someone who’s sincere and honest. I had a chance to be with her and ask her questions and go on dates with her, and she opened up to me. That’s the person I would vote for. I’d love Debbie to be the next Golden Bachelorette. Debbie doesn’t have any secrets. She said, “This is who I am. I am who I am.”

On the Bachelor Happy Hour podcast, Peg said she knew you two were meant to be together when she got out of that mud bath on your date. Was there a moment when you sensed she could be the one for you as well?

OWENS: When she re-appeared after her bomb suit, because I didn’t know. It was like a sleight of hand, because they got her out of the suit into her dress, and I didn’t know who it was, because I didn’t see the person in the bomb suit. I knew it was the bomb girl, because she had the bomb in her hand. I go, “Is this the same girl?!” I was like, “Wow.” And I had a crush on her from that second. Later on, I spoke with her, and she goes, “Tell me what kind of person you’re looking for?” And I go, “You.” And it grew from there. I knew early on that I had a connection with her, and it just grew, and grew, and grew till the very end, and I go, “This is the girl I’m gonna be with.”

After the finale films, you have to go into hiding for a while. In the past, leads and final rose recipients have used aliases in each other’s phones to avoid spoiling the season. Joan actually told me that she saved Chock as Kevin Costner. Was that the case for you, too?

MUNSON: Yeah, it is the case. He’s Donut. He’s Donut, because that was our code name during the show. And mine for her, they tried a lot of them. They go, “Hey, about this? What about that?” So, hers was “Goldie.” Anybody can copy it afterwards, if you want to use the alias, but it’s appropriate, because she’s the Golden Bachelorette, plus she has gold hair. So, Goldie.

During the finale, we got a glimpse of your Happy Couple House Era. What’s a favorite memory or date night you can share with Bachelor Nation?

MUNSON: We spent a lot of time together, and we barbecued. He cooks breakfast, lunch, and dinner for me. I just love it. He’s like, “What would you like to eat tonight?” And he’s such a great cook. I love that. That’s something that I value highly value in a man, because I don’t like to cook. And we were able to hang out at the pool. We swam, we worked out, and watched movies.

OWENS: Because we couldn’t leave, right? We couldn’t leave together. So we were sequestered in undisclosed location. We had to make the best of being inside. They had a great house for us with a pool, and barbecue, and kitchen. So we took advantage of it. We both love football, so we got to be able to just watch a lot of football.

Now that your relationship is public, what are the plans? I know you’re not putting pressure on an engagement, but have you discussed moving in together or doing long distance?

MUNSON: Well, in our 60s, we get to do the “and.” We don’t have to do the “or” anymore. We’ve done all that, and it’s nice, because that gives you a lot of freedom just to live life and this and that. So for Christmas, we have plans to go to Rio for a couple of weeks Thanksgiving. We’re going to Detroit, Michigan. We’re going back to Vegas to take him to the sphere to see the Wizard of Oz for his birthday.

OWENS: We’re going to San Francisco for the Super Bowl. So we’re just living life. And we got a couple dates in Canada. Toronto into Montreal, because Detroit is so close to Toronto and Montreal. Instead of going back to to Southern California or Vegas, we’re gonna go to Canada and then come back and go to the University of Michigan/Ohio State game.

Before we wrap, what have you learned about yourselves from this journey?

MUNSON: I learned a lot going through this journey, and I stayed open to the things that I needed to learn, because I have a saying in my life: “Whatever ceases to grow begins to die.” And I believe that with with everything in this universe. So I just tried to stay open and just learn as much as I could to become a better person.

This interview was edited for length and clarity.

The Golden Bachelor Season 2 is now streaming on Hulu.