Jesse Palmer Shares Latest News on Golden Bachelor Mel Owens
There’s always something exciting happening in Bachelor Nation.
As franchise host Jesse Palmer prepared for the return of Bachelor in Paradise (with assistance from bartender Wells Adams and “Paradise Relations” Hannah Brown), Us Weekly inquired about the soon-to-debut Golden Bachelor star Mel Owens, who stirred discussions with his remarks about “cutting” women over 60 when he starts distributing roses.
“I’ve seen the headlines, obviously, since I’m active on social media. I haven’t listened to the podcast,” Jesse shared with Us on Wednesday, July 2. “We haven’t begun filming Golden yet, so I haven’t had much time with Mel. The short time I have spent with him, he seems like a decent guy. But I know I’ll be spending significantly more time with him soon. I’m sure we’ll discuss that.”
ABC introduced Mel, 66, as the next senior lead back in April. Season 1 of The Golden Bachelor (featuring Gerry Turner) and season 1 of The Golden Bachelorette (featuring Joan Vassos) both aired in the autumn, indicating Mel’s season is likely set to start filming shortly and will be broadcast later this year.
The network also confirmed the renewal of The Bachelor, which generally debuts in January, for its 30th season.
“It makes me feel old because I was Bachelor 5!” Jesse joked with Us. “The only thing I’m asking for is Bachelor 30 — I’ve already discussed with executives about this — we must make this monumental. For Bachelor 30, we should be going to locales that ooze romance. I want Paris. I want Venice, Italy. I envision an introduction on a gondola ride. I want rose ceremonies on gondolas in the Venice canals! I’m going all out!”
In the meantime, fans should brace themselves for a fresh take on Paradise when the beach spinoff (now located in Costa Rica) returns on Monday, July 7.
“We’ve been using the same cameras to film Paradise since the stone age. With the new cameras, everything looks so sharp and polished — it’s like I’m watching a movie,” Wells told Us on Wednesday. “When they announced this upgrade, I was really thrilled. Mainly because the show is naturally sexy — everyone’s so attractive — we should have the highest quality cameras capturing the allure of these individuals.”
Jesse also highlighted the “very fresh and new look” of the show. “I think viewers will notice that within seconds of the very first episode. I thought it looked fantastic,” he shared with Us.
Bachelor in Paradise premieres on ABC Monday, July 7, at 8 p.m. ET.
