The Golden Bachelor Recap: All’s Fair in Love and Lemon Bars

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Honestly, this season of *The Golden Bachelor* is just…nice. Like, *really* nice. It’s the kind of show you put on when you just want something easy to watch, something that doesn’t require any effort at all. It’s super soothing, almost like watching waves on the beach with Cindy and Mel. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not *bad*, but nothing really exciting is happening. It’s all just really safe and predictable. It reminds me of those sweet, but slightly cheesy, “Good morning!” messages my aunt sends – full of nice sentiments and pretty pictures. Seriously, someone needs to make a meme of Mel surrounded by sunflowers with one of those overly positive quotes! It’s just… a lot of pleasantness.

This season needs more drama! With only six contestants remaining, it feels like things are moving too quickly towards the finale, and so far, nothing exciting has happened. I’d love to see some conflict or even romantic connections develop between the women to spice things up.

Let’s get into it!

This week’s focus is on being genuine and the use of affiliate links. While Debbie leads a workout at the mansion, the women are all starting to develop feelings for Mel. They decide to be understanding about his recent behavior with other women. A date card then arrives, and it’s for Peg! The card reads, “Let’s get down tonight. Love, Mel,” which excites Peg. However, Nicolle tries to create drama by claiming she doesn’t see any connection between Mel and Peg. Peg is hoping to share her personal story – including her divorce and past infidelity – with Mel on their date.

Peg and Mel go to the fair, but it seems to be filled with shooting games! It’s almost like they’re preparing for a military operation. Peg consistently wins because of her background in law enforcement, and they playfully exchange stuffed animals, sweetly asking each other, “Will you accept this cow?” We don’t see it, but they get a caricature drawn. While imagining a silly version of it, the conversation turns serious when Peg shares her story about her divorce and how she focused on her career and daughter afterward. She then asks Mel about his divorce, but he doesn’t seem to have a clear answer – his ex is already getting remarried after only five years of separation, which Peg finds suspicious. Later, Peg reveals she has tattoos that Mel will see when they’re in the Fantasy Suites. It seems like one of the final four contestants is being eliminated, and the speaker is eager to find out who else is on the chopping block.

The group goes to a KC and the Sunshine Band concert, where Peg reveals she saw them perform when she was 18. It quickly becomes clear that they’re her absolute favorite band – she knows every word to every song, even the slower ones! It was great to see Peg really letting loose and dancing, while Mel moved more subtly. Mel is impressed by Peg’s youthful spirit and energy, and Peg receives the one-on-one date rose.

The women are chatting at the house about their goals for the season. Nicolle hopes to become a spokesperson and influencer, focusing on beauty and wellness for women in mid-life. She even has a five-step plan to become famous by the end of the season. She believes all the women can achieve a certain level of recognition, even if it’s not on a long-running TV show. But honestly, Nicolle, it’s unlikely any of them will reach “Real Housewives” status. After the season, she’ll be lucky to be known as the most stylish woman in her mother’s book club or someone who attends local animal charity events – and that’s being generous.

Okay, so the group date this week on *The Golden Bachelor* was… a lot. It felt like they were hitting every reality TV trope in the book, deliberately trying to get these women to open up. They had Debbie in a wedding dress – she’s never been married, which is sweet but also, come on! Carol was rocking a towel, clearly meant to push her out of her comfort zone. And the rest were in swimsuits, which honestly felt like Gerry just doesn’t believe women over 45 can still be sexy. Honestly, Gerry and Debbie looked really good together. There was definitely some chemistry! Cindy was getting sneaky kisses in during the photoshoot, and they even gave her and Gerry a little alone time rolling around in the waves – major sparks! Then came the evening portion, and poor Carol really struggled to flirt. Gerry asked her for a wild story, and the best she could come up with was a skinny-dipping dare! He was clearly hoping for something a little…spicier, like a mischievous story from her younger days. But she eventually found her courage and went in for a kiss – good for her! It was definitely a date designed to stir things up.

Okay, so there’s this scene where Mel meets all these women, and honestly, it’s a whirlwind. I really wanted to give equal attention to everyone, but Debbie just completely hijacked the conversation. She casually drops that she knows Mel’s from Detroit and that her father was Black, then *immediately* pivots to bragging about being at Berry Gordy’s wedding! Seriously, where did that come from? It was totally unpredictable. I was loving Mel’s attempt to keep up, throwing in a mention of Smokey Robinson, though. I’m genuinely rooting for those two – they’ve somehow invented a whole new, wonderfully bizarre way of talking to each other that’s just…unique.

Robin was venting to Mel about Nicolle, clearly frustrated with her. They were watching *The Golden Bachelor*, and Robin kept criticizing some of the contestants as being inauthentic because they didn’t seem to understand the show’s dynamics. Mel gently tried to point out that they might just be there for the wrong reasons, but he ultimately said he thought everyone was genuine and was enjoying the show. That’s good to hear!

The group date rose is awarded to Carol, not Cindy! Debbie is visibly upset about the decision.

Instead of a fancy cocktail party, the group decided to have a casual tailgate at the house since they all needed to get a good night’s sleep. The women decided to bake lemon bars for Mel, and Nicolle volunteered to oversee the baking project. Everyone took on a specific task, and feeling confident everything was going smoothly, Nicolle went to relax in the hot tub.

Okay, so the tailgate party was pretty tame overall, but there were definitely some sparks flying! Cheryl was totally feeling the romance with Mel, even calling him her prince – seriously cute, and they shared a sweet kiss. Then Geri confessed she liked Mel, and he admitted he felt the same, leading to *another* kiss. Honestly, that’s already starting to annoy me! Nicolle showed up with lemon bars and acted like she’d invented them, while Cindy was clearly getting increasingly frustrated with her. The drama! Nicolle even held the lemon bars hostage until she got another kiss from Mel. As they walked back, Mel casually mentioned wanting to go for a swim, and Nicolle’s response? She suggested they jump in *with their clothes on* for the cameras! Seriously? Her head is totally in the game for ratings, while Mel just wants to have some fun. Their priorities are *so* different, and it’s setting up for a mess, I can feel it.

Oh my gosh, the Rose Ceremony! It finally seemed to hit Mel that this was all really happening, which I wish we’d gotten to see! Thankfully, Debbie, Cindy, and Cheryl all got roses, but honestly, it’s heartbreaking to see so many amazing women go home – I’m not coping well! Nicolle received the last rose, and then we had to say goodbye to Roxane, Geri, and Robin. Honestly, the best part of this whole season isn’t the romance, it’s me desperately wanting to be best friends with all these incredible women and go to brunch with them!

After making a toast, Peg unexpectedly suggested everyone jump into the pool fully clothed! I don’t understand this group’s obsession with swimming in their clothes. Tune in next week – there might be some drama, and we even saw someone driving away in a black SUV!

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2025-10-09 16:56