Note: The following story contains spoilers from “The Golden Bachelor” Season 2, Episode 8.
“The Golden Bachelor” Mel Owens closed out his journey for love by giving Peg Munson an engagement ring, but the ring didn’t exactly translate into an engagement for the happy couple, but more so a commitment to their love and their future together.
“I don’t try to be the trendsetter — it just happens,” Owens jokingly told TheWrap on Thursday, the day after Owens and Munson’s relationship status was revealed on “The Golden Bachelor” Season 2 finale.
“Peg and I discussed the ring — I didn’t want to surprise her with something that she wasn’t expecting,” Owens clarified, noting that he discussed the idea with her during their fantasy suite date and got her thoughts on it. “We [were] on the same page, and we had an understanding of what was going to be meant by that … We’re doing it our way. I know it’s a bit unconventional, but it feels natural for us, and we went with it.”
Munson added that during their fantasy suite date, which included 12-14 hours of off-camera time, they talked through just about anything and everything, including marriage and a proposal, kids and family life, travel, holidays and previous marriages.
“That’s what we came up with, something that works for our love story, not necessarily what works for everybody else’s love story, because everybody has a right to their own definition of love, as we do, and we have that right as well,” Munson said. “That’s our love story, and we get to write it.”
TheWrap: When do you think you’ll be ready to call it an engagement? Will that require another ring?
Peg Munson: Don’t know. Stay tuned, man. We got lots of things planned. We have a lot of fun things going on, and we’re just gonna take it a day at a time and … write our own love story.
What’s life been like since leaving the show? How have you deepened your relationship?
Mel Owens: [ABC] provided us with some some days that we can get away, and Peg can come in from Vegas, I’d come up from Orange County, spend three, four or five days together, just secluded, but still a lot of fun. And sometimes that’s the best part — that you can’t leave. You’re in [there] together, and you find out about each other, and you get to know each other quick … because you’re not leaving, you’re face-to-face with them, you eat, sleep and breathe with each other. It’s been great. I love it.
What have you learned about each other since the show?
Munson: I love his cooking. I love that he loves to cook, and he’s a great cook. I learned that if you ask him what time it is, he’ll tell you how to make a watch. So, He’s very analytical, but he’s also very emotionally available. He loves commitment. He loves marriage. He loves to chat. He’s emotionally intelligent — all the things that I am growing to know about him as our relationship just deepens.
Owens: One thing I enjoy is we talk about some offbeat stuff. We go like, “Oh, I didn’t know you’re into the universe … [and] other beings out there.” What about life after death? We talked about the Bible. It’s really varied, and I get goosebumps thinking about it, because it’s hard to find someone who even has that interest … she’s like, “Oh, I didn’t know about that — tell me,” and me too, I go, “I didn’t know about that. Tell me about that.” Or we have a common understanding, and we hash it out and talk about it. And I’ve given her books. She’s given me books to read. It’s really special when you get that type of relationship, when you can share a bunch of things.
What’s next for you two? Will you be making Las Vegas your home?
Munson: Being 60, we get to live in the “and,” it’s not the “or.” When you’re younger, you live in the “or” — This or that — and when you’re in your 60s, and you’ve done the kids and the car and the college and the marriages and the dogs and the cats, you get to live in the “and.” It’s his house and my house, and Rio for Christmas, and Detroit for Thanksgiving, and San Francisco for New Year’s and then back to Vegas for his birthday, taking him into the sphere to see “The Wizard of Oz.” We’re just living life. That’s why we worked so hard for all these decades — we worked our butts off.
Owens: Just by virtue of having a really fruitful, adventurous life, you get to meet people, and they become friends, and you can share their experiences too. They want to share ours, we want to share theirs, so we have a lot to do in a lot of different places, so it’s going to be fun.
Who would you nominate to become the “Golden Bachelorette” next season?
Munson: Debbie, 1000%. No secrets. She’s authentic, she’s sweet, she’s kind, she’s real, and she deserves it, she really does. She’s kind of like [a] little bit of an underdog when it comes to marriage. I think Bachelor nation is really behind Debbie, because we would love to see that for her.
Owens: She’s not campaigning for it … That’s why I would personally pick her. You’re gonna have someone who’s honest, sincere, no agendas, actually looking for love and not posturing and posing and campaign for it.
Munson: She’s got a lot of humility. She does not lead with arrogance or any egotistical attitude. She’s very humble.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
“The Golden Bachelor” is now streaming on Hulu.
