The season 2 finale of The Golden Bachelor brought a lot of twists and turns, but not a final engagement.
On Wednesday, Nov. 12, Mel Owens, 66, offered his final rose to Peg, 62, in Antigua after a dramatic turn of events when Cindy, 60, sent herself home before entering the Fantasy Suite. Although they had a connection from the beginning, Cindy struggled to gauge Mel’s true feelings about her and decided he wasn’t “my person” when he revealed he didn’t want to get engaged for a couple years.
“I cannot believe what I’m listening to,” she said. “I gave him every opportunity to say, ‘Just be patient with me. I’m falling for you.’ And he still could even go there. He’s like, ‘Just wait for two years. Let me see where I am in two years.’ I’m sorry, but if you find a person that makes a good partner, that’s your time to commit.”
Before parting ways, Cindy told Mel that she wanted to find a partner who felt like “he got got struck by lightening and can’t live without me,” which she didn’t think she could ever get from the former NFL player.
“I think you’re great, but I’m not sure I just want a free fall for that long,” she shared, later telling cameras, “He’s not interested in making any type of commitments for several years. I’m in my golden years. I’m 60 years old, and I’m not interested in being put on hold. He is just not my person.”
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Mel later went to Peg’s hotel room to let her know that she was the only woman remaining, and she admitted she had “no words.”
“All I know is Cindy asked him specific questions about possibly an engagement, possibly marriage, and he could not answer those questions,” Peg said in her confessional. “That makes me nervous. People want things, and they have the right to want things. She has a right to want to be engaged. She has a right to be wanted to be committed.”
“With Cindy leaving, there is a little bit of a concern,” she continued. “We’ve made it this far in this process. I’m here to really find somebody that knows how to commit, and now I’m nervous about what he’s looking for.”
Ultimately, Peg chose to stay and meet Mel’s family — including his sons.
“The boys are absolutely wonderful, and getting their stamp of approval means a lot to me,” she noted, and that was exactly what she got.
“I think you’re the perfect gal for my dad, because the energy, you bring him up, like the uplifting [energy] It’s great,” they said, adding, “I love Peg. She’s super fun, very personable. I can talk to her like my friend, she’s great. I really like her. Good vibe.”
At the final rose ceremony, Mel picked out a ring for Peg, but it wasn’t for a proposal, it was given as a sign of his commitment to their future together.
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“When I started this journey, I wasn’t looking for anybody to sweep me off my feet, nor take care of me — I’ve done that for myself for many, many years,” Peg told Mel. “I know meeting you, I met my match, and I know that you definitely are the man that I can trust to take the wheel, but I still get to drive the buggy. I really appreciate you showing me who you really are, and I honor that. And also for showing me that I definitely can love again, and for that, I’m very grateful.”
In his declaration of his feelings, Mel shared a similar sentiment.
“I reflect on our journey, and I’ve learned a lot of things, listening, and loving,” he began. “I listen to you talk about your family and what it means to you and all the sacrifices that you made. I know you would protect them at any cost. I wouldn’t invite your family into my family, you know? I trusted you. You trusted me, and you told me you had confidence in me that I’d make the right choice, and here you are.”
He then presented her with the ring: “This represents our commitment to love, to give us time to figure out together what our future holds.”
“He’s not for everybody, but we’re definitely for each other,” Peg gushed after accepting the gesture.
A retired firefighter and bomb tech from Las Vegas, Peg is also a single mother to daughter Dakota and a former professional dancer who used to perform with the High Rollers, according to her official bio. She and Mel built a strong connection throughout the season greatly due to their shared zest for life.
During Hometown dates, Peg even said that she could see herself getting engaged, although her daughter wasn’t convinced after Mel said he wasn’t yet in love with Peg.
After their Fantasy Suite date last week, however, Peg found reassurance and expressed optimism about her future with Mel.
“He makes me feel safe, he makes me feel seen, he makes me feel heard, and those are the things that definitely will deepen a connection with somebody,” she gushed. “This is a big step for me. It’s been a long time since I felt like this. You know, it’s been years.”
“Last night exceeded expectations,” Mel admitted. “Waking up this morning, you could see the sunrise. It’s a perfect morning with a perfect woman.”
During the finale, they explained they are still together today. “I am in love with her,” said Mel. “And I’m in love with him 100%,” added Peg.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey star Dolores Catania is engaged to boyfriend Paulie Connell after nearly five years together.
“I’m ecstatic!” Catania, 54, gushed to People in an interview published Wednesday, November 12. “You know when you feel that happiness down in your gut? That’s where this excitement stems from for me. I feel so blessed, I almost feel guilty! Like I don’t deserve to be loved this way.”
Connell, for his part, said Catania deserves “so much more” than she thinks. “She’s an incredible woman,” he added. “And when I was proposing to her, I was able to articulate to her everything I see that she is, and everything I see that she does, and the impact she has on everybody around her. She’s one in a million.”
The 51-year-old got down on one knee on Monday, November 10, at the Apple Store in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, where their love story began.
“I didn’t want anything over-the-top and staged because we’re a humble couple,” Connell explained. “I wanted it to feel grounded and natural and organic. Plus, I wanted the element of surprise. And believe me, I had the element of surprise.”
Catania confirmed she “had not a clue” that a proposal was coming. “In fact, I thought I was going to have to call an ambulance for him!” she teased. “He was sweating so bad, his T-shirt was soaked, his face was beet red. And you know how people say weird things when they’re having a stroke? He started saying these sweet, beautiful things to me out of nowhere, and I was like, ‘Paul, are you OK?’”
Bravo fans have long wondered when the couple would take the next step since Us Weekly broke the news of their relationship in 2021. According to Catania, the timing couldn’t be more perfect.
“I’ve never been so sure of something ever,” she told People. “You know, patience is a big thing for us. … As a couple, we were able to naturally progress. So this engagement means more to us than it would if it was just something we were doing just for the sake of doing it.”
The reality star was previously married to ex-husband Frank Catania, with whom she shares daughter Gabby and son Frankie. Her relationship with ex-boyfriend David Principe was well-documented on RHONJ from 2017 to 2021 before she moved on with Connell.
Dolores isn’t the only member of the family with wedding bells in her future. Frankie, 26, proposed to girlfriend Nicole Perricho in February.
“Can’t find the words to depict how much joy we are all feeling since yesterday,” Dolores gushed via Instagram at the time alongside photos from the romantic moment. “My little Frankie, with a heart full of love and a lifetime of memories ahead of him, proposed to his amazing girlfriend Nicole and we couldn’t be happier!! … Here’s to forever, Frankie and Nicole!”
As news of Dolores’ engagement made headlines on Wednesday, several fellow Housewives shared their well-wishes for the happy couple via Instagram.
RHONJ‘s Danielle Cabral commented “Yasssss! Our Dolo is getting married!!!!!” while Real Housewives of Orange County star