NEED TO KNOW<\/p>\n
The competition is becoming serious in the latest episode of The Golden Bachelor.\n<\/p>\n
After 66-year-old Mel Owens<\/a> shared a steamy kiss with Nicolle, 64, during a group pool day last week, tension began to brew at the mansion. However, when some of the ladies shared their feelings with Nicolle, she didn\u2019t see any reason to apologize.\n<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, I\u2019m attracted to him,\u201d she said. \u201cWe were half-naked in the pool. We kissed.\u201d\n<\/p>\n While Amy, 63, was able to understand Nicolle\u2019s perspective \u2014 saying \u201cmaybe she got caught up in the moment and forgot\u201d \u2014 Cindy, 60, was having a harder time moving past it.\n<\/p>\n \u201cI have some concerns about what I saw at the pool party,\u201d she admitted in her confessional. \u201cI am not okay with Mel trying to explore things with other women. I\u2019ve had people cheat on me before, and I don\u2019t share men very well.\u201d\n<\/p>\n From left: Cindy, Mel Owens and Nicolle.<\/p>\n Disney\/Ricky Middlesworth (2); Disney\/Maarten de Boer<\/p>\n Terri, 71, agreed and told Nicolle that it was \u201cdisrespectful\u201d to pull Mel in for a kiss when the rest of the women were watching.\n<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a little surprised at how prim and proper the women seem to be,\u201d Nicolle explained. \u201cBut I suspect, like other things, I\u2019ll be the pioneer here and they\u2019ll just follow.\u201d\n<\/p>\n The topic continued to come up throughout the episode, and even became the punchline of Monica B.\u2019s joke at the group date \u201croast.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re going to need a helmet and a mouth guard to keep Nicolle\u2019s tongue from going down your throat,\u201d she quipped as Mel and Nicolle both laughed.\n<\/p>\n When it was Nicolle\u2019s turn to take the stage, she kept it going as she stated, \u201cI am the one who kissed Mel! Amy was so appalled, she had no words, and you can all thank me for that,\u201d she added, poking fun at Amy\u2019s chattiness.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Nicolle closed out her routine with a rhyme that won her the one-on-one date that night.\n<\/p>\n \u201cRoses are red, violets are blue, I want all the women to love me, but especially you,\u201d she said, pointing at Mel before teasing about the other men in the audience: \u201cAnd you, and you.\u201d\n<\/p>\n The pair had a heart-to-heart at their dinner later, and Mel acknowledged that they have a strong connection.\n<\/p>\n \u201cThe time that I spend with Nicolle is very meaningful,\u201d he noted. \u201cThe chemistry between us is good. You can\u2019t manufacture the chemistry and you can\u2019t fight it. And she\u2019s definitely a person I can see in my life.\u201d\n<\/p>\n His next one-on-one was with Debbie, 65. While they were gone, the rest of the women got a visit from two surprise guests: Kathy Swarts<\/a> and Susan Noles<\/a> from The Golden Bachelor’s debut season.\n<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re here to give some advice, and we\u2019re here to get some dirt,\u201d Susan exclaimed.\n<\/p>\n Susan Noles (left) and Kathy Swarts.<\/p>\n Maarten de Boer\/WBTV via Getty<\/p>\n After changing into pajamas with Mel\u2019s face on them and playing \u201csleepover\u201d games, Cindy took the opportunity to open up to Kathy privately.\n<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know if what I feel with Mel is reciprocated,\u201d she shared. \u201cI\u2019m struggling a little bit. What\u2019s been hard is seeing other people spend time with him and truly develop connections and I can see that those connections are real.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Kathy suggested Cindy \u201cput that aside\u201d and \u201cfocus on what you and he have.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \u201cTell him how you\u2019re feeling,\u201d she said, although Cindy remained uneasy.\n<\/p>\n \u201cI have feelings for Mel, but I’m seeing him have more time with other people, not choosing me, and I\u2019m wondering, \u2018How do I navigate this?\u2019\u201d she said.\n<\/p>\n The next night was the week 3 rose ceremony, which started off with the women \u201cin line to kiss Mel\u201d as others worried about their status with him. When it was her turn to have a conversation with the leading man, Cindy decided to tap into her vulnerability.\n<\/p>\n \u201cAt the beginning of the week, it was really hard for me to see him connect with other women, especially physically,\u201d she explained. \u201cI’ve been betrayed in my past and it makes it really difficult for me to be vulnerable. Tonight I’m gonna trust in Kathy’s advice, just be present and see where this goes.\u201d\n<\/p>\n She went on to tell Mel how appreciative she was of the experience and thanked him for \u201call the things that you\u2019ve treated me to.\u201d She also confessed that their makeout session in the previous episode reminded her of \u201cthat old part of Cindy\u201d that she had forgotten about.\n<\/p>\n \u201cOne life, it should be fun,\u201d Mel said, before telling her that he liked her hair.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Cindy and Mel Owens on ‘The Golden Bachelor’.<\/p>\n John Fleenor\/Disney via Getty<\/p>\n Talking to cameras, Cindy called herself \u201ca smitten kitten\u201d and gushed over Mel \u201cchecking all the boxes\u201d of what she\u2019s looking for in a partner: \u201cHe is handsome, he is intelligent. And I like a man who can toss me a compliment.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \u201cYou do something for me that\u2019s exciting,\u201d she shared with him. \u201cI haven\u2019t felt this way in a long time.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \u201cI had the connection right off the bat,\u201d Mel responded. \u201cIt was nice.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Hearing this brought up emotions within Cindy, who said that she \u201cdid not expect to have this type of connection\u201d or \u201cthis feeling\u201d so soon.\n<\/p>\n At the rose ceremony, Cindy received a rose and made it her goal to spend more time with Mel next week.\u00a0Four women ultimately went home \u2014 Monica B., Amy, Monica P. and Terri.\n<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s getting real,\u201d Cindy declared.\n<\/p>\n