Fete Lifestyle Magazine August 2025 - Empowerment & Expression Issue | Page 32

From Casting Call to Calling Myself Out

fter enjoying the first two

seasons of the Golden

Bachelor and Golden

Bachelorette, I applied in October 2024 for the upcoming ‘25 Golden Bachelor season. A casting director called me early February, at which point a five-month vetting process for cast selection began.

Never did I expect I would make it to the semi-finals – the top 40 out of 60,000 applicants, but I did! Three weeks before filming was to begin in LA, I was still a contender. Then everything changed. The cast bachelor, Mel Owens who is 66, made comments during an interview stating he would cut any women 60 and over because he prefers dating younger. This caused a major uproar with the public- after all the “Golden” years are 60+ and this is a time of our lives to celebrate making it this far and all the wisdom that comes with it!

A

BY TRACEY MAYER

Letting Go of Impossible Standards