One of The Golden Bachelor season 2 lead Mel Owens' hometown dates has been revealed, and his choice proves that he meant every word that he said on the In the Trenches podcast. Before The Golden Bachelor season 2 premiered, Mel, a 66-year-old NFL player-turned-lawyer and divorced dad of two sons, appeared on the podcast and revealed that he'd told producers that he only wanted women aged 45 to 60 in his cast, and that he'd cut anyone over 60.

Mel also stated that he didn't want anyone with artificial hips or wigs, and that he expected the women to be fit because he stays in shape. After fierce backlash with some fans even calling for his firing, Mel later said that he was sorry for his comments, stating that he never saw the show, and the age range that he mentioned was what he considered to be golden. He also apologized to the women during premiere night.

The Golden Bachelor season 2 cast began with 23 women aged 58 to 77, with most of them in their 60s. Maia Dreyer was the youngest at 58, while Andra Wicks was the youngest at 77. Now, a new spoiler revealing one of his hometown dates has proven that Mel meant every word that he said on the podcast.

The Golden Bachelor Season 2 Contestant Debbie Siebers Received A Hometown Date

Debbie & Mel Were Spotted In Her Home State Of Colorado

Image via ABC

On the October 3 episode of the Daily Roundup podcast, Reality Steve revealed that Debbie Siebers received a hometown date during which she did yoga at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado. Debbie is from Denver, Colorado, so the date took place in her hometown.

In addition, Reality Steve pointed out that Debbie had already received a one-on-one date from Mel this season, so he doubted that anyone would get two one-on-ones before the hometown dates. Therefore, it seems that Debbie was one of Mel's choices for a hometown date.

 

Debbie Checks Most Of Mel’s Boxes

Debbie & Mel Have So Much In Common

Image via ABC

Debbie, a 65-year-old fitness professional, caught Mel's attention from The Golden Bachelor premiere night. She's the creator of a program for Beach Body called Slimin6, and she's helped many people get in shape and live better lives.

However, Debbie also shared that, because she put all of her energy into her career, she's never been married. Mel and Debbie spoke about this during their one-on-one date, during which they participated in a cooking lesson at Petite Trois in Hollywood, guided by Chef Ludo Lefebvre.

Although Debbie is older than 60, she checks all of Mel's other boxes, proving that he meant every word that he said on the podcast. She's into fitness, and even made it her career, which was something that was very important to Mel.

In addition, although she's five years older than the upper limit in his preferred age range, the fact that she's never been married might've been appealing to him because it's something that would've been more likely in a younger woman. Mel has already sent home every woman over 70, including Andra, Lily Reeves (72), Terri Alani (71), and Diane Firmani (71), proving that he wanted women in the younger golden age range.

Mel and Debbie have a strong bond, and they seem to really like each other. However, the entire season of The Golden Bachelor is tainted by Mel's ageist comments from the podcast. No matter how deep his relationship actually is with his final choice, his superficial and offensive comments will always make it seem as though he made his decision based on looks and fitness.

Of course, just because Debbie received a hometown date doesn't mean that he'll choose her in the end because he'll meet the families of two or three other women as well. However, they do seem to be building a strong connection, and Debbie seems to be truly sincere about her feelings for him. Hopefully, Mel really meant his apology, and he selected his The Golden Bachelor hometown date recipients based on something real, rather than his ageist demands.