The Golden Bachelor Season 2 Filming Timeline Includes A Surprising Change

For most Bachelor Nation journeys, the drama unfolds on air. But Mel Owens’ Golden Bachelor journey was steeped in controversy well before filming began.

The divorced father of two didn’t make a rosy impression on viewers, as he said in a pre-season podcast that he planned to “cut” contestants aged 60 and above — despite being 66 himself. He also asked the show to “try to stay away from the artificial hips and the wigs,” he shared on MGoBlue Podcasts with Jon Jansen in June.

Despite rumors that claimed Mel would be replaced, he did indeed proceed as the show’s Season 2 lead. However, the backlash prompted an unusual change to his production schedule. Here’s everything to know about The Golden Bachelor Season 2’s filming timeline and locations.

A Thorny Start

According to Reality Steve, filming was underway as of the week of July 22. While leads don’t typically do press during production, Mel did a Glamour interview to address criticism of his age comments.

As the magazine noted, the chat — Mel’s first official response to the scandal — took place over coffee in Los Angeles, the day after a rose ceremony that went into the wee hours of the morning. Here, Mel said he was trying to “earn back the trust” of the women, and shared that one of the dates included a “brutal” roast about him.

Only weeks into filming, it seemed that Mel had identified his most promising prospects. “There are five [right now] that I really connect with and I got to find out that they’re connecting with me,” he said. “That’s the important part. So, my partner could be there.”

Where Did Mel Film?

Reality Steve reports that Mel’s dates included trips to the Orange County Fair and the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado.

As of writing, the blogger and podcaster hasn’t shared spoilers about the full extent of Mel’s journey. But if it follows previous Golden Bachelor/ette seasons, you can likely count on things being fairly local — in contrast to the flagship franchise’s globe-trotting — before hometowns and fantasy suites in a gorgeous international locale. (Gerry Turner’s season wrapped in Costa Rica, and Joan Vassos’ in Tahiti.)

A Post-Filming Update

Mel confirmed that filming wrapped “a couple weeks” before he sat down with Bachelor Happy Hour on Sept. 23. At the time, he said he felt “very good” after the experience.