Golden Bachelor’s Mel Owens and Peg Munson were open about taking the next step in their relationship before announcing their split.
Mel and Peg met on season 2 of the spinoff series, which aired in 2025 and saw the pair leaving in a committed relationship. Instead of a proposal, Mel offered Peg a 3.5-carat diamond “commitment” ring designed by Neil Lane and the coveted final rose.
One year later, Peg shared that she made the decision to “step away” from their relationship.
“Right now, I’m just focusing on healing my heart and focusing on myself, my health and looking forward to the next chapter,” she said in an October 2026 Instagram video. “I really do just wish Mel the best of luck and I’m very grateful for the experience.”
Scroll down to see what the pair said about an engagement — and marriage — before their split:
Receiving a Promise Ring
In The Golden Bachelor’s season 2 finale, Mel handed Peg a promise ring that represented their “commitment” to each other — rather than popping the question.
“I trusted you, you trusted me and you told me you had confidence in me that I’d make the right choice and here you are. I have something for you,” Mel told Peg in the episode.
Talk of Engagement in Fantasy Suite
After The Golden Bachelor season 2 finale, Peg confirmed in an exclusive interview with Us that the couple discussed potentially getting engaged while in the fantasy suite together.
“We really sat down and talked about it,” Peg said. “‘How does this look for us going, moving forward? What does this relationship look like?’ You know, in real time, not in fantasy land, but in real time. ‘How are we going to merge our lives? And what does that look like?’ And we were basically on the same page.”
Peg added that she and Mel were hoping to get to know each more before considering an engagement, noting that the pair were both “looking for something that lasts.”
“We’re not looking to go into a marriage or an engagement and then three months later, say, ‘Nope, I’m sorry. You know, it didn’t work out,’” she said. “We want something that has a firm foundation that we can build on and build on for the rest of our lives.”
Not in a Rush to Get Engaged
While making an appearance for After the Final Rose in 2025, Mel and Peg confirmed they were still together but shared that they were not in a rush to get engaged.
“You know what’s nice about being in your 60s and going through life, you get to write your own love story — and we’re on the same page,” Peg explained to host Jesse Palmer. “That’s a love story the way that we get to do it, and to continue to grow our love, continue to spend time with our families and that’s the nice part about being in your 60s in your golden years is being able to do what you want to with that connection you have with someone.”
Discussing Their Dream Wedding
During a December 2025 interview on the “She’s All Bach” podcast, Peg confirmed that she and Mel had discussed marriage.
“Have we talked about marriage? Yeah, we have! Because guess what? We’ve dated now and we really have that special connection,” she said. “So that connection is there, we just didn’t want to rush it. Just because someone is telling us to get engaged or somebody is telling us to do it the way it’s supposed to be done, we had to be authentic and true to ourselves.”
According to Peg, the couple had also discussed whether they would be open to televising their nuptials.
“We’ve been talking about that — if and when that comes, you know, what does that look like to us? … We’re open to [televising] it,” she said. “But you know what? It’s going to be small. We’re not big — we’re not the big show people. If we do, we’ve been talking about maybe the beach, just having a really nice [day] with friends and family.”
Peg shared that she envisioned keeping the ring Mel gave her on The Golden Bachelor when he proposed, rather than getting new engagement jewelry.
“No, we’re going to keep this ring,” she said, “and we’ll probably just get another band — just, like, a wedding band.”
