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The Golden Bachelor season 2 lead Mel Owens has spoken out following his split from final rose recipient Peg Munson.
“Stay positive. Stay strong. Stay golden,” Mel, 67, wrote via Instagram on Wednesday, October 28, while snapping a selfie at the gym. “And Stay Bizzy…#bachelornation #fyp #fypage #workouts #inshape.”
In the comments section, one fan addressed his recent breakup from Peg, 63, by writing, “Mel doesn’t owe anyone an explanation of every detail of his breakup. ❤️ Just because someone is in the public eye doesn’t mean they surrender their right to privacy.”
Mel replied, “Amen. Thank you.” In another comment, he added, “Thank you for the kind words” and said his gym trip is not a “breakup diet.”
The pair first crossed paths on The Golden Bachelor season 2 in 2025, where Mel opted to give Peg a 3.5-carat diamond “commitment ring” designed by Neil Lane instead of popping the question.
“I trusted you, you trusted me and you told me you had confidence in me that I’d make the right choice,” Mel told Peg in the episode, “and here you are.”
After the finale, Peg exclusively told Us that she and Mel wanted to get to know each other more before considering an engagement. From Peg’s perspective, she and Mel were both “looking for something that lasts.”
“We’re not looking to go into a marriage or an engagement and then three months later, say, ‘Nope, I’m sorry. You know, it didn’t work out,’” she said. “We want something that has a firm foundation that we can build on and build on for the rest of our lives.”
Peg later shared that she and Mel had talked about taking the next step in their relationship.
“Have we talked about marriage? Yeah, we have! Because guess what? We’ve dated now and we really have that special connection,” she said on a December 2025 episode of the “She’s All Bach” podcast. “So that connection is there, we just didn’t want to rush it. Just because someone is telling us to get engaged or somebody is telling us to do it the way it’s supposed to be done, we had to be authentic and true to ourselves.”
Less than one year after the finale, Peg shared that she made the decision to “step away” from her relationship with Mel.
“Right now, I’m just focusing on healing my heart and focusing on myself, my health and looking forward to the next chapter,” she said in an Instagram video. “I really do just wish Mel the best of luck and I’m very grateful for the experience.”
In the clip, Peg explained that the pair’s separation is “not the end of [her] story,” but was instead “the beginning of a new chapter.”
“I really want to thank everybody for being on this journey with me for the past year,” she said. “I’m really sorry that I haven’t spoken out sooner, but it’s been a really difficult 30 days for me. As a lot of you guys know, I went on The Golden Bachelor hoping to find love and I did. For that, I’m grateful.”
She later added in the video, “I’m grateful for the memories. And, most of all, I’m grateful for you all [the fans] along this journey and all the wonderful DMs I’ve been getting, all the messages I’ve been getting, just all the kind words, love and support.”
