Mel Owens is the 66-year-old retired NFL linebacker who starred in Season 2 of The Golden Bachelor (US version), which concluded on November 12, 2025.
Mel Owens did NOT get engaged to Jo Kinghorn.
He chose Peg Munson in the finale, but did not propose to her. Instead, he offered her a promise ring, and they began dating without being engaged. Meanwhile, Barry “Bear” Myrden is the 61-year-old Canadian star of The Golden Bachelor Australia, whose engagement to Jo Kinghorn and now, breakup are extremely controversial given the recent developments.
Jo Kinghorn’s Controversial Relationship and Breakup
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Barry Myrden met Jo Kinghorn at a friend’s Christmas barbecue in Palm Beach in December 2012, just 14 months after his wife Audrey passed away from brain cancer. Within four months of meeting, they became a serious couple, with Jo effectively taking on a stepmum role to Barry’s three sons.
Four years into their relationship, Barry proposed to Jo, presenting her with a large diamond solitaire engagement ring. According to friends who spoke to Woman’s Day, Jo financially supported the family extensively during their relationship, almost paying for everything in the last three years, because Barry had quit his job.
Jo ended the engagement in December 2018 after approximately six years together. Barry asked Jo to return the diamond engagement ring he had given her, while Jo was completely heartbroken.
The Golden Bachelor's Barry 'Bear' Myrden makes shock admission about his love life after claims he was single for 14 years following his wife's death https://t.co/De1nH8szwq
When Barry appeared on The Golden Bachelor Australia in 2025, he claimed on the show that he had been single since his wife Audrey’s death in 2011. This statement shocked Jo’s friends, who were all gobsmacked to hear him say that, given his six-year relationship and engagement to Jo from 2012 to 2018.
The Golden Bachelor: Where is Mel Owens Now?
Mel Owens, the star of Season 2 of The Golden Bachelor (2025), is currently in a relationship with Peg Munson, the woman he chose in the season finale. Although he did not propose marriage, he gave Peg a Neil Lane diamond ring (via USA Today):
I trusted you, you trusted me. You told me you had confidence in me that I’d make the right choice. And here you are. I have a ring, and this represents a commitment to love. To give us time together to figure out what our future holds.
Here are details of the show.
In summary, Mel Owens is happily dating Peg Munson after the show’s finale and is focusing on building the relationship at his own pace rather than immediately getting engaged or married.
What did you think of the controversy?
The Golden Bachelor is currently streaming on Hulu in the US.
