Peg Munson, a former contestant on The Golden Bachelor, has announced her breakup with Mel Owens, the man whose heart she won on last year’s reality series.
Owens, 67, a former Los Angeles Rams linebacker who played in the 1980s, faced controversy after becoming the star of the show’s 2025 season.
The backlash began before his episodes aired, after he said on a podcast that he was not interested in dating women older than 60, despite being 66 at the time.
Even so, Munson—who was 62 during filming—received the former NFL player’s final rose when the season ended last November.
Almost a year later, she revealed on Instagram Wednesday that she had made “the difficult decision to step away from the relationship.”
Munson, now 63 and a retired Las Vegas firefighter, apologized to fans for not “spoken out sooner,” explaining that “it’s been a really difficult 30 days for me.”
Golden Bachelor alumna Peg Munson has announced her split from Mel Owens, whose heart she won on last year’s reality show
Munson, 63, a retired Las Vegas firefighter, apologized to fans for not speaking out sooner, saying, “It’s been a really difficult 30 days for me”
Owens, 67, a former Los Angeles Rams linebacker, faced controversy while leading the 2025 season of the show
“As a lot of you guys know, I went on The Golden Bachelor hoping to find love, and I did,” Munson said. “For that, I’m grateful.”
Addressing the breakup, she said that “sometimes even when there’s love, it just doesn’t turn out the way we hoped.”
Munson said she is now “focusing on healing my heart” while prioritizing herself, her health and the next chapter of her life. She wished Owens “the best of luck” and said she remained grateful for the experience and the memories they shared.
In her caption, she thanked the public for its “kindness,” adding: “This is not the end of my story. It’s the beginning of a new chapter.”
Munson won last year’s season of The Golden Bachelor after fellow finalist Cindy Angelcyk Cullers ended her relationship with Owens because he was unwilling to propose promptly.
“He’s not interested in making any type of commitments for several years,” Cullers said. “I’m in my golden years. I’m 60 years old, and I’m not interested in being put on hold.”
Owens said he was “shocked” by Cullers’ departure. Soon afterward, he gave Munson his final rose along with a 3.5-carat Neil Lane diamond “commitment ring,” rather than an engagement ring.
The season had already begun amid controversy after Owens said on a podcast that his preferred dating range was “45 to 60, just being honest.”
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Meghan Markle Welcomed Back to Britain as Star Praises Nottingham Reception
Munson won last year’s season of The Golden Bachelor after fellow finalist Cindy Angelcyk Cullers ended her relationship with Owens; Owens and Munson are pictured on the series
Owens sparked an online backlash by saying he was not interested in dating anyone over 60, despite being 66 himself; he is pictured in 1988
Owens recalled telling an executive producer over lunch, “If they’re 60 or over, I’m cutting them. This is not The Silver Bachelor, this is The Golden Bachelor,” during an appearance on the MGo Blue podcast.
‘They’ve got to be fit, because I stay in shape and work out and stuff. And I told them to try to stay away from the artificial hips and the wigs,’ Owens added.
His remarks drew such furious opprobrium on social media that there were ultimately unheeded fan calls for his season to be scuttled altogether.
Owens was previously married to Fabiana Pimentel, 47, from 2002 until 2020 and welcomed two sons into the world with her, Lucas, 21, and Andre, 19.
When The Daily Mail approached Fabiana for comment on Owens being named The Golden Bachelor, she witheringly responded: ‘Good luck. I mean, it’s going to be bad. But anyway, I don’t want to be involved in this.’
Munson and Owens’ breakup comes two years after the sensational divorce of another couple from The Golden Bachelor, Gerry Turner and Teresa Nist.
Turner proposed to Nist at the end of the reality show’s inaugural season in 2023, only for their marriage to implode three months after they exchanged vows
Last year, Turner drew brickbats from fans over the blistering jibes he took at Nist while promoting his memoir The Golden Years to Us Weekly.
Munson and Owens’ breakup comes two years after the sensational divorce of another couple from The Golden Bachelor, Gerry Turner and Teresa Nist, who are pictured in 2024
Turner, who is now engaged to retired teacher Lana Sutton, intimated Nist had not gone on the show for ‘the right reasons.’
When he was asked whether he was nervous of her reading his autobiography, he replied: ‘I’m not worried; I think she should be worried.’
He also took issue with Nist for insisting on retaining her finance career, despite having previously told him she was willing to retire for the sake of a relationship.
‘On the show, I asked Theresa if she was ready to quit her job. She said: “When I meet the right guy, I’m ready to end my career.” What I heard was: “There is a woman who’s going to be willing to travel, to have some adventure to do, some things that I consider and that we should consider fun,”‘ said Turner.
‘And then after the show, she always went back to: “Well, I really want to keep working.” And that just pretty much makes it an impossible situation.’