After Mel Owens filmed the Golden Bachelor reunion special and sat down to chat with reporters, he had one request. “Be nice to me!” he asked, earnestly.

But really, Owens had already faced his toughest critics when, on the first night of the second season of ABC ‘s senior-aged spinoff series of The Bachelor , the 66-year-old former NFL player turned lawyer had to atone for some off-putting comments he made on a podcast shortly before filming began.

For the first time on the long-running reality TV dating competition, the classic first night — when the lead meets all of the women or men who will compete for their coveted final rose — was filled with more than just over-the-top limo entrances and awkward pull asides. There was also a lot of apologizing.

After Mel Owens filmed

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