On Wednesday night, Mel Owens and Peg Munson sealed their journey on The Golden Bachelor Season 2 with a kiss.
And also with a diamond ring.
Not an engagement ring, however, but a “commitment” ring that Owens presented to Munson to prove that he was committed to… whatever future the pair might have together.
Fast forward all the months since this finale was filmed and, well, do Owens and Munson still have a future? Are they still together?
“We’re feeling great. We’re feeling really good,” Munson told Us Weekly one day after the finale and the After the Final Rose special aired on ABC. “We’re feeling relieved and excited that we’re at this point in the journey and now we’re able to move forward.”
In a surprising moment on this concluding episode, Cindy Cullers chose to self-eliminate ahead of the fantasy suites because Owens wasn’t prepared to get engaged.
“If we had written a book, if we had gotten on the same page, it would’ve been, like, the best fairy tale. It was a start of something remarkable. It could have been amazing,” Cullers told host Jesse Palmer on the After the Finale Rose special, adding:
“He wanted a comic book. He wanted something shorter and lighter and no commitment. And I’m ready for everything.”
Owens was asked by Us Weekly to respond to this remark.
“I’m not gonna comment on her frivolous, you know, trite little comment because it’s just not worth commenting on,” he said. “But, like I told her, me, personally, I know that I’m not gonna take a leap of faith like that. My life doesn’t work that way.”
For her part, Munson said that she wasn’t looking for “a knight in shining armor to rescue and save” and that it makes perfect sense to make sure they’re ready for marriage… if that day ever comes.
“Like Peg said, there’s more to it than just going through the journey and then at the end, just because the show says you’re supposed to get married or propose, [you do]. That’s just not real,” Owens explained to this tabloid.
“[Cindy] wanted to have the ending before the journey was over. And that’s just not how the journey goes. She didn’t want to go through the entire journey to see what happened. She wanted the answers to the test before the test was given. So, I’m not worried about it at all.”
Peg emphasized just how much “integrity” her boyfriend possesses, while Owens made a strong point in the interview.
“I’ve seen The Bachelor enough where the person told the other contestants or the other people that, ‘I love you. I love you. I love you.’ So you got three ‘I love yous’ out there and they’re all misled.
“And then there’s panic and heartbreak. I didn’t do that because that’s not who I am. I’d never do it outside of the show and I wouldn’t do it inside of this show. I just stay true to myself and that’s what happened.”
We sort of dig it.
After all, how many Bachelor Nation engagements that started on the show actually ended with the couple walking down the aisle?!?