The Golden Bachelor (2025) Episode 5 Recap & Review - Hometowns Disaster!

·54 min·5 clips

The hosts dissect why the Golden Bachelor seems like a low-energy automaton who doesn't want to be on the show.

The episode is a recap and review of The Golden Bachelor (2025) Episode 5, covering the hometowns round. Hosts Pace Case and Bachelor Clues open by criticizing the Golden Bachelor, Mel Owens, for his lack of energy and emotional expression, suggesting he seems 'kidnapped' or like a 'cardboard cutout'. They discuss the possibility that his subdued demeanor stems from backlash over prior podcast comments. The hosts then break down the three hometown dates. First, Peg's date in Las Vegas involves a firehouse visit and family meeting, where her daughter Dakota confronts Mel about his feelings, leading to vague responses. Second, Debbie's date in Denver at Red Rocks includes her sharing a tragic story about a past relationship that ended in suicide, which the hosts praise as a powerful play. Third, Cindy's date in Austin features family interactions and her expressing strong feelings for Mel, who remains emotionally blank. The hosts analyze Mel's poor performance throughout, noting his generic answers and lack of engagement. They reveal the show's low ratings, with a 0.17 rating placing it last among networks. The episode concludes with the rose ceremony where Mel eliminates Debbie, keeping Peg and Cindy. The hosts speculate on the franchise's future, mentioning new showrunners and upcoming seasons like Taylor Frankie Paul's, while awarding MVP to Cindy for her strategic gameplay.

As heard by us

A hometowns recap anchored by Debbie's devastating Red Rocks story.

Game of Roses reads this Golden Bachelor hometowns episode as a problem of presence: how much weight can the show put on intimate family stories when the lead is framed as emotionally absent?

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You get Golden Bachelor hometowns with a lead they find eerily checked out, a butterfly MVP, and one genuinely devastating Red Rocks story.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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