Kathy Swarts is having the time of her life on Season 10 of Bachelor In Paradise. Viewers remember her from her time on the first Golden Bachelor season when she told Theresa Nist to “zip it” during a group date. Kathy, 72, shared her thoughts on the new Golden Bachelor, Mel Owens’ shocking comments that went viral.
Bachelor Fans Threaten To Boycott New Golden Bachelor Season
Bachelor Nation fans were disillusioned after the first Golden Bachelor season. Gerry Turner proposed to Theresa Nist during the season finale. The two seemed happy together and married in a TV wedding in January 2024, just two months after the proposal aired.
ABC even gifted the couple an all-expense-paid trip to Italy. Unfortunately, they never got to use it. Gerry and Theresa announced their divorce four months after the quickie wedding. Despite the bad outcome, the network announced in May that former NFL player Mel Owens would be the next Golden Bachelor.
Fans didn’t really know anything about him, and he did not make a great first impression. In his first interview after he was announced as the lead, he said that he refused to date women over 60.
The first Golden Bachelor featured women who were between the ages of 60 and 75. The interview went viral, with even people unfamiliar with the show calling Mel Owens out as sexist and misogynistic.
There were reports that ABC had fired Mel Owens, but those reports turned out to be false. Season 2 of The Golden Bachelor premieres on Wednesday, May 24, with Mel Owens as the lead.
Angry fans took to social media to react to ABC standing by Mel Owens after his distasteful comments.
- “Congrats producers! Way to kill a wholesome show!”
- “That’s disgusting! Their loss of viewers will Hopefully remind them the audience is a lot smarter than they realize”
- “Mel Owens is going to ruin The Golden Bachelor. The executive producers are digging their own graves by keeping him”
- “They already had a lot to prove with the franchise after the quick demise of Gerry and Theresa’s marriage. And now they’re sticking with this creep? It’s like they want to fail.”
Kathy Swarts Defends Mel Owens’ Controversial Comments
Kathy Swarts recently chatted with Entertainment Weekly about her time on BIP so far. She was also asked to share her reaction to what Mel Owens said. Surprisingly, she wasn’t offended at all by his comment. She actually defended what he said.
“I think Mel is a guy looking for love and I think he said something without really thinking about it. I don’t think he meant it. I think it’s going to be a great season. I personally can’t wait — unless I swoop in and take him away. In which case, show over!”
Did she just hint that she’s returning to Golden Bachelor as a contestant for Season 2? Viewers will have to tune in to see what happens with her romance with Keith Gordon on Bachelor In Paradise.
Jennifer Havener grew up in a small town in Upstate New York. She earned her B.A in Writing & Literature from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She always knew watching reality TV shows and soap operas, particularly ‘Days of Our Lives’, would come in handy someday. When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her dogs, Lola and Ruger