Episode 2 of The Golden Bachelor was, dare I say, a good episode! Mel opened up a little bit, got roasted, and sadly sent a few women home.
Let’s get to the best and worst moments of episode 2!
Worst moment: Roast
For the first group date, our Golden Bachelor Mel Owens takes the ladies to a comedy club for a roast.
I don’t know who decided that roasts and The Bachelor went together, but this was one of many roasts we’ve seen on this franchise. This would be my nightmare: performing for a live audience, being evaluated for my comedy skills on national television.
They are blessed by the presence of comedian Jared Freid, who was the saving grace of this date. He was not only funny, but also acknowledged how hard it is to try out jokes in front of a live audience.
Nothing wrong with a good roast! My only critique: I wish they did these roasts later in the season. There’s a reason why they say, “we only roast the ones we love.” It’s hard to roast someone you don’t know! These women barely know Mel at this point, nor he them, and the jokes reflected that.
Most of the jokes centered around the whole podcast interview faux pas. The first one was funny, the rest were repetitive.
I have to say, though, kudos to the women for doing their best! It is not easy and even the awkward moments were better than I could have done.
Best moment: Nicole’s one on one
After the lovely roast, Nicole is chosen to accompany Mel on the first one on one date.
Before her date, Nicole says in an ITM:
“I really want to ask him some pointed questions about how he met his wife, how the marriage was, why did the marriage end and how did it end, and how did he feel about all of that?"
This! This is what we need more of on this show, and this is where The Bachelor really shines. When we can observe two people truly connecting and get to know them as real people (as much as is possible on screen), it feels like we’re actually participating in something magical.
I got to know Mel more in these two minutes than I have in the whole two episodes we’ve had so far. Mel kind of freezes up in front of the cameras, understandably, but under the guidance of Nicole, we broke through a bit.
Was Nicole a bit leading in her questions? Perhaps, but I think Mel needed a firm hand like this to help him open up.
Thank you, Nicole! She is a gem.