Gerry Turner commented on the contentious demands shared by ABC’s new Golden Bachelor, Mel Owens, stating it’s “fair game” to critique the bachelor, as pursuing this strategy would be a “huge mistake.”
Owens is receiving criticism after disclosing during MGoBlue’s In the Trenches podcast that he made his preferences for the Golden Bachelor participants clear when discussing with the show’s producers.
“[Producers] ask me, ‘What’s your preferences?’ So I just said, ’45-60,’… just being honest, right?” the 66-year-old former NFL player recounted, adding, “‘If they’re 60 or over, I’m cutting them.’”
He said he “know[s] they’re going to be beautiful,” but noted that he had “no say in them.” But Owens made it clear that he is looking for someone “fit” and asked producers to “try to stay away from the artificial hips and the wigs.”
Turner reflected on his own experience as the inaugural Golden Bachelor as he urged Owens to stay “open-minded” about the age ranges, according to TMZ.
He revealed that he specifically asked for woman over the age of 65, but the producers asked him to “stay receptive.”
“Having an age cutoff would’ve been a huge mistake,” he told TMZ, adding that “age shouldn’t be a dealbreaker.”
Owens was announced as the new Season 2 lead in April. He played as a Los Angeles Rams linebacker for nine years before retiring and becoming a lawyer. Now, he is taking a stab at reality television as the second-ever Golden Bachelor.
Hopefully, Owns will have more luck than Turner. Turner and The Golden Bachelor finalist Theresa Nist divorced last spring after just months together.
A premiere date for The Golden Bachelor Season 2 has not been announced yet.
Season 1 of The Golden Bachelor is streaming now on Hulu.
