Is The Golden Bachelor season 2 happening? Renewal status explored

The Golden Bachelor season 2 is marking the return of the dating and relationship reality TV series. It is a spin-off of the show The Bachelor and features contestants 60 and over looking for a new partner. The first season of the show aired in 2023 and ended with 72-year-old Gerry Turner proposing to 70-year-old Theresa Nist.

On April 22, 2025, Deadline reported that The Golden Bachelor season 2 is in the making at ABC. Last year, The Golden Bachelorette was launched in the slot that The Golden Bachelor season 1 had been occupying in 2023. While a release date for season 2 has not been announced yet, it is expected that it will be released in the fall, like season 1.

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Who will be the leading man in The Golden Bachelor season 2?

The Golden Bachelor season 2 will see 66-year-old Mel Owens in the lead role. Born and raised in Detroit, Owens played college football at the University of Michigan from 1976 to 1980. In 1981, he was chosen as a linebacker for the Los Angeles Rams. He was the ninth overall pick in the first round of selection.

Owens played nine seasons for the Rams. After he retired from the NFL, he moved to Orange County, California. He has since become a lawyer and is a founding partner of Namanny, Byrne & Owens in Laguna Hills, California. He specializes in workers' compensation and sports law.

Owens' life took a turn when he lost his father and had to separate from his wife of 25 years. He has two children from his first marriage and is now willing to look for a new partner to spend the rest of his life with. As per the official ABC press release, his bio reads:

"Now, after several years as a devoted dad, Owens is ready to rediscover a love rooted in the simple joys of companionship – sharing life’s everyday moments, making plans for the future, and growing stronger together as a couple."

According to a USA Today article published on April 29, 2025, the NFL veteran revealed the kind of woman he wants, saying:

"Someone that's honest, charming, loving, fit, someone full of life."

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Former The Golden Bachelor star Gerry Turner split with Theresa Nist after 3 months of marriage

Gerry Turner proposed to Theresa Nist on The Golden Bachelor season 1 finale. The two got married in a televised ceremony. However, they decided to call it quits after just 3 months. In an interview with Good Morning America in April 2024, Turner said:

"Theresa and I have had a number of heart-to-heart conversations, and we’ve looked closely at our situation, our living situation, so forth and -- and we’ve kind of come to the conclusion mutually that it’s probably time for us to -- dissolve our marriage."

When the interviewer asked if they were planning to get a divorce, Turner confirmed that they were heading in that direction. At the time, Nist said that they were unable to find common ground about their living situation because they were from different states.

Even so, Nist and Turner claimed that they were still in love. In December 2024, Turner revealed to PEOPLE that he was diagnosed with bone marrow cancer weeks before they announced their divorce. So, his diagnosis was part of the reason why they decided to go their separate ways.