{"id":375330,"date":"2025-11-13T06:26:19","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T06:26:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/375330\/"},"modified":"2025-11-13T06:26:19","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T06:26:19","slug":"who-mel-proposes-to-on-the-golden-bachelor-season-finale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/375330\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Mel Proposes to on the \u201cGolden Bachelor\u201d Season Finale"},"content":{"rendered":"

Warning: finale spoilers ahead! <\/strong><\/p>\n

We did it, everybody! We made it through 10 weeks of watching a 66-year-old man struggle to have an emotionally vulnerable conversation with numerous women, and we\u2019re finally down to our final two: Cindy and Peg. Last week\u2019s episode left us right in the middle of Fantasy Suites<\/a>, after both remaining contestants had expressed concerns about Mel\u2019s emotional availability.<\/p>\n

We pick up during Mel and Cindy\u2019s Fantasy Suites date, right in time for an awkward conversation between them. Cindy is trying to get any sort of straight answer from Mel about where he sees their relationship going \u2014 if anywhere \u2014 but he deflects. Cindy says something to the effect of, \u201cI want you to tell me what\u2019s holding you back,\u201d and Mel just says, \u201cIf there\u2019s a will, there\u2019s a way.\u201d We can recite quotes from inspirational posters all day, but that doesn\u2019t answer the question\u2026<\/p>\n

The finale cuts back and forth between Mel\u2019s final dates and a live studio audience in L.A., where we catch up with people from Bachelor Nation and basically juice time to make this thing last two hours. Don\u2019t they know this is the Golden Bachelor? A 10 p.m. end time is a young man\u2019s game.<\/p>\n

Joan and Chock are in the audience, as are Gerry and his fianc\u00e9e Lana. Joan has totally lost her voice, but other than that, everybody seems great. I\u2019ll be recapping this part sparingly, unless something super dramatic happens, because I\u2019m not trying to develop carpal tunnel syndrome.<\/p>\n

Does Cindy self-eliminate during the Golden Bachelor finale?<\/p>\n

Back to Mel\u2019s non-answer of \u201cif there\u2019s a will, there\u2019s a way.\u201d Cindy asks, \u201cSo, is there a will?\u201d He says, \u201cyeah, of course,\u201d in the exact same tone of voice that I use when I\u2019m leaving the dentist\u2019s office and they ask if I want to make my next appointment on the spot.<\/p>\n

Mel senses that wasn\u2019t enough, saying: \u201cIt\u2019s hard to find a partner, but it would be great if it happened here.\u201d What do you mean \u201cit would be great if\u2026\u201c? That\u2019s the whole point of this! Cindy asks Mel if he\u2019s not going to be ready for a proposal at the end of this, and at first he says \u201cno,\u201d but then he says something like, \u201cit might take two years\u201d before he makes that commitment. OK, maybe he really didn\u2019t understand the purpose of this experience\u2026<\/p>\n

Cindy might be ready to self-eliminate. She tells Mel that she wants her guy to feel like he\u2019s been struck by lightning and be so excited about her. Knowing this is not that, she then asks, \u201cIs it OK if I leave now?\u201d and Mel walks her out. Wow! We love a woman who knows what she wants.<\/p>\n

\"Gif<\/p>\n

Gif of Lucille Bluth saying “good for her”<\/p>\n

Cindy, my advice to you is: Hire someone to manage your DMs, because I can\u2019t even imagine how many men will be banging down your door. Maybe she and Debbie can be dual Golden Bachelorettes!<\/p>\n

Me, when Mel only has one person left, 15 minutes in, thinking of how we\u2019re going to fill the next hour and 45 minutes:<\/p>\n

Cindy is crying on the beach while Mel stares emotionless into space as poorly timed fireworks go off behind him.<\/p>\n

Mel right now:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Gif<\/p>\n

Gif of a confused white woman surrounded by math symbols<\/p>\n

Jesse comes to comfort Mel and debrief. Jesse\u2019s thinking what we\u2019re thinking, and says, \u201call 23 women show up to this hoping they\u2019ll be engaged at the end of this.\u201d Mel\u2019s answer is, \u201cThat\u2019s not true, not all of them.\u201d He\u2019s right; some of them (Nicolle) come to get Instagram followers and grow a yoga business.<\/p>\n

Mel is bewildered that Cindy didn\u2019t go through the process all the way to the end because \u201cthe game\u2019s not over \u2018til it\u2019s over.\u201d He says Cindy \u201cwasn\u2019t in it for the long run.\u201d \u2026Says the man who does not want to get engaged on the engagement show. I\u2019m trying not to be too hard on Mel, but wow, he is making that difficult right now.<\/p>\n

Before we can cut back to the action on the beach, Cindy greets us in the studio, and she looks amazing. I honestly love her commitment to a smokey eye \u2014 she needs to find a man who can be that committed to her.<\/p>\n

Anyway, she tells Jesse that Mel did not come to find her after she walked away on the dock, but she didn\u2019t want him to because her decision was made.<\/p>\n

Jesse asks Cindy why she walked away, knowing Mel could\u2019ve changed his mind.<\/p>\n

Cindy: <\/strong>I don\u2019t think I need to convince a man to love me.<\/p>\n

All of us: <\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Gif<\/p>\n

Gif of Meryl Streep applauding at the Oscars<\/p>\n

Jesse asks Cindy if there\u2019s any part of her that wishes she had stayed, and she hesitates just two seconds before saying, \u201cNo.\u201d She is my queen. Sorry, Debbie, Cindy might have Golden Bachelorette on lock now.<\/p>\n

Cindy says that she wanted to be on the same page as Mel, and that they could have had one of the greatest love stories in the show\u2019s history, but \u201che wanted a comic book\u201d \u2014 something short and low-stakes. What a burn. Whoever prepped her for this did an amazing job.<\/p>\n

And Mel isn\u2019t getting off easy, because Jesse brings him out to talk to Cindy.<\/p>\n

Cindy confronts Mel in the studio<\/p>\n

Cindy asks Mel when he knew he wasn\u2019t ready. He says, \u201cI was ready.\u201d Was he on another show that we didn\u2019t watch? They\u2019re kind of talking past each other, with Mel saying they didn\u2019t have the time to get on the same page because she didn\u2019t get through Fantasy Suites, and Cindy saying that she wouldn\u2019t have continued without any reassurance from him.<\/p>\n

Mel\u2019s actual response: <\/strong>You know the saying, first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage.<\/p>\n

What does this playground rhyme have to do with anything?!<\/p>\n

\"\ufffd\ufffd\"<\/p>\n

\ufffd\ufffd<\/p>\n

So the issue is that Mel thinks Cindy wanted a proposal before the Fantasy Suites \u2014 which he wouldn\u2019t do with Peg still there \u2014 but Cindy says she didn\u2019t need an all-or-nothing commitment at that point. She just wanted confirmation that he could see himself committing to either of them in the end. Mel still seems salty about this, and I\u2019m wondering if he\u2019s happy with his choice.<\/p>\n

\"Cindy<\/p>\n

Disney\/John Fleenor<\/p>\n

Mel says, \u201cI don\u2019t just go from knowing a person to getting married.\u201d I\u2019m gonna tear my hair out. In any other setting than this series, that would be understandable. I feel like readiness to commit quickly should be addressed very early on in the casting process.<\/p>\n

Mel tells Peg about Cindy\u2019s self-elimination<\/p>\n

Back in Antigua, Peg is unknowingly all alone in this competition. Mel visits her in her hotel room to tell her that Cindy left. This is, understandably, a red flag for Peg. I understand that Mel doesn\u2019t know who he\u2019d propose to, but to be like, 24 hours from the end of the show and not even know if he wants to be engaged at the end of it is concerning.<\/p>\n

Peg meets Mel\u2019s family<\/p>\n

Mel gets to see his sons and his college friend, Diane. Peg plays a word association game with Mel\u2019s sons, asking them to choose the word out of a pair that better describes Mel: accountable or avoidant, emotional or analytical, serious or funny. It\u2019s a creative way to dig for information, I\u2019ll give her that. We bet you guessed that his sons chose emotional over analytical, but they did promise Peg that he could be emotional if she dug deep enough. They also tell Mel that Peg is perfect for him, which is an encouraging sign.<\/p>\n

\"Peg<\/p>\n

Disney\/John Fleenor<\/p>\n

Diane tells Mel she hopes he\u2019ll make this choice with his heart, not his head. I will say, to give Mel some credit, being reminded that he\u2019s a lawyer gives me some insight into why he\u2019s so averse to making any sort of definitive statements.<\/p>\n

Does Mel actually propose to anyone in the Golden Bachelor season 2 finale?<\/p>\n

And now, for the moment of truth! Peg and Mel meet on the beach. She kicks things off by reminiscing on their time on The Golden Bachelor, from slow dancing to KC and the Sunshine Band during their one-on-one date to taking Mel to Vegas to meet her kids.<\/p>\n

Mel\u2019s response to this whole speech is, \u201cThank you, that\u2019s sweet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mel says throughout the journey he\u2019s learned \u201ca lot of things: listening and loving.\u201d<\/p>\n

A man of few words\u2026<\/p>\n

He reaches into his pocket and says, \u201cI have something.\u201d He presents a ring! He says, \u201cThis ring represents a commitment of time to figuring out for ourselves what this future holds.\u201d Notably, he does not say, \u201cWill you marry me?\u201d or get on one knee.<\/p>\n

After they kiss, he says, \u201cOh, one more thing.\u201d I\u2019m thinking he\u2019s actually going to ask her to marry him\u2026and he instead reaches for the golden rose and says, \u201cWill you accept this rose?\u201d Peg says yes, and they cut to the happy couple talking to camera:<\/p>\n

Peg: <\/strong>I\u2019m not for everyone, Mel\u2019s not for everyone, but we\u2019re for each other.<\/p>\n

Well, that was\u2026something.<\/p>\n

\"Mel<\/p>\n

Disney\/John Fleenor<\/p>\n

After the Final Rose<\/p>\n

We reconnect with Mel and Peg in the studio, and they\u2019re making a show of their physical chemistry.<\/p>\n

Peg says of Mel, \u201cHe doesn\u2019t have integrity, he is integrity.\u201d<\/p>\n

The studio audience: <\/strong>*crickets*<\/p>\n

Peg: <\/strong>Let that one sink in.<\/p>\n

I think we might need a few more minutes to mull that one over.<\/p>\n

Notably, Jesse brings up the \u201ccommitment\u201d they made in Antigua but asks, \u201cIs there a proposal, or a marriage?\u201d and Peg\u2019s answer is essentially, no. Well, I guess Mel made the right choice because I don\u2019t think any of the other women (maybe Nicolle) would\u2019ve been chill with this outcome.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s it for The Golden Bachelor season 2. Thank you for joining me on this journey \u2014 but it\u2019s not over yet! I\u2019ll be interviewing Mel later this week (provided he doesn\u2019t read these recaps, LOL), so if you have any questions for him, DM me at @saralememe<\/a> on Instagram.<\/p>\n

The post Who Mel Proposes to on the \u201cGolden Bachelor\u201d Season Finale<\/a> appeared first on Katie Couric Media<\/a>.<\/p>\n