Another Golden Bachelor love story has come to an end. Peg Munson, 63, announced in an Instagram video on Wednesday, Oct. 21 that she has split from Mel Owens, 67 — the former NFL linebacker who gave her his final rose on season 2 of The Golden Bachelor — ending a relationship that lasted about a year after the show.
Munson began by thanking the fans who had followed the journey, and apologizing for her silence. “…I just want to take a moment, and I really want to thank everybody for being there on this journey with me this past year. And I’m really sorry that I haven’t spoken out sooner, but it’s been a really difficult 30 days for me,” she shared.
Then came the decision itself. “And as a lot of you guys know I went on The Golden Bachelor hoping to find love and I did. And you know for that, I’m grateful,” she continued. “I did have to make the difficult decision to step away from the relationship and you know sometimes even when there’s love, it just doesn’t turn out the way that we hoped.”
(David Adam Kess / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0))“Healing My Heart”
Munson did not share what led to the split, and she offered no criticism of Owens. Instead, she said she was focusing on “healing my heart” and prioritizing herself and her health. “… I really do just really wish Mel the best of luck, and I’m very grateful for the experience,” she said.
“I’m grateful for the memories and most of all, I’m grateful for you guys along this journey with me and all the wonderful DMs that I’ve been getting, and all the messages that I’ve been getting and just all the kind words of love and support. So thanks and stay tuned,” she said before concluding her video. As breakup announcements go, it was notable for what it refused to do: no blame, no specifics, no score-settling — just gratitude and a closed door.
Her caption reiterated the message, adding a note to fans: “Thank you for standing beside me this past year . Your kindness means more than you know.🌹” And she framed the split as a transition rather than an ending: “This is not the end of my story. It’s the beginning of a new chapter. ✨”
(allen watkin from London, UK / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0))How They Got Here
Munson, a retired firefighter and bomb tech, was one of the 25 single women who sought to win Owens’ heart on the second season of The Golden Bachelor, which aired between September and November of last year. Owens, who played as linebacker for the Los Angeles Rams, handed his final rose to Munson and even selected a 3.5-carat ring for her. During the finale, however, he did not propose — he chose instead to express his commitment to her, giving the pair a commitment ring rather than an engagement.
At the final rose ceremony last year, Owens told the audience, “I am in love with her,” while she added, “And I’m in love with him 100%.” The pair said their relationship “grew” both during and after the season 2 finale, and Owens reiterated that their connection had progressed “very, very well.”
(Maimaid / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0))A Year in the Open — Then a Quiet End
Over the past year, the couple offered glimpses into their relationship through social media. Munson shared videos of Owens cooking for her, and of the pair shopping over the summer. In their last Instagram post together on Munson’s page in September, she shared a video of the two of them debating what to call a faucet, captioned: “The conversations we have when it’s just me & Mel… these are the random moments that make the best memories. 🤣”
Weeks later, the reality TV romance was over. Munson has not said what changed, and Owens had not publicly addressed the split in her announcement. What she made clear is where her attention is now: her heart, her health, and whatever chapter comes next.
A Finale That Broke the Franchise Pattern
Context makes the split easier to understand. The November finale of their season marked the first time the senior edition of the franchise had not ended with an engagement — the first Golden Bachelor lead had proposed in his 2023 finale and married his choice, while the first Golden Bachelorette accepted a proposal in 2024. Owens and Munson were the exception from the start: a couple who publicly chose commitment over a proposal, on the stated logic that a real foundation takes time. Munson echoed that patience as recently as September, when she described the pair as still getting to know each other and noted that relationships take time.
In August, the couple had celebrated a year together, marking the anniversary of the chapter that began on the show. That timeline is part of what made the Oct. 21 video land so hard for fans: the public milestones were still warm, and nothing in the couple’s recent posts — cooking videos, shopping trips, a laughing debate about a faucet — hinted at a difficult 30 days unfolding underneath.
Munson’s video also quietly closed the loop on the choice the couple made in the finale. They had declined to rush; she has now declined to pretend. “This is not the end of my story,” she wrote. “It’s the beginning of a new chapter.” For Bachelor Nation, it is the end of one of the franchise’s most closely watched experiments in taking things slow.