“The Golden Bachelor” season 2 saw a surprise self-elimination on the Oct. 15 episode when 63 year old Carol Freeman told Mel Owens that she believed she should go home. Freeman’s lack of private time with the former NFL athlete was a major reason why she decided to quit the show.
In a recent interview with People, Freeman spoke in depth about her decision to no longer move forward with a potential romance with Owens. It wasn’t an easy decision, but a necessary one for the California native.
Carol Freeman Opens up About Not Feeling ‘Chosen’ by Mel Owens
ABCIn an interview with People, “The Golden Bachelor” season 2 contestant Carol Freeman revealed that her decision to walk away ultimately came down to not getting enough alone time with Mel Owens.
“I had the least amount of time [out of] the women — the remaining women,” she began. “I thought, if I don’t get the one-on-one, because he already knew Cindy pretty well, so I thought she’s probably the only one that would, I thought it was between me and Cindy.”
She continued, “It was funny, because I love Cindy, so we looked at each other, and she saw that I was like, ‘Uh.’ So after that I’m like, ‘No. He’s not going to give me any time.'”
Unlike the other contestants that remained, Carol was the only one to never earn alone time with Owens, making it difficult to get to know him.
Before the women went on their group date, Cindy Cullers, 60, was given the final one-on-one date with Owens. She is now one of the final two women vying for his heart, alongside Peg Munson, 62. Would that have looked different if Carol received the date?
Freeman told People that she really admired Owens, but said her gut was telling her something different.
“It was hard, because I liked him. I really did. I said he was handsome how many times? So, that still stands. But anyway, I just knew. I had to protect my heart, too. So I kind of knew then, I wasn’t his girl. So I thought, ‘You know what? He’s not my guy,’ because I want someone to choose me. Even at 63, you want to be chosen,” she shared.
Owens Was ‘Shocked’ by Freeman’s Decision to Leave
On the Oct. 15 episode of “The Golden Bachelor,” Owens had the remaining women, except for Cullers, participate in spiritual one-on-one activities. After his activity with Freeman, she sat him down and they began speaking about what their hometown date would look like. While Freeman spoke about introducing Owens to her family, she couldn’t continue knowing that something was bothering her deeply.
“I wanted to connect with you. I’m very interested in you. I really am,” she shared. “But, I feel like we haven’t had a lot of conversation. I just feel like, you know, I got my family at home, and then, me not getting the one-on-one, I thought, you know what, I don’t feel like you don’t have that connection with me.”
“I don’t feel like I can continue this journey with you,” she added, with Owens telling the cameras that he was “sad” and “shocked” that Freeman decided to end her journey.
Despite leaving, Freeman shared that being on the show made her “hopeful” to find her perfect partner.
