Golden Bachelor runner-up Cindy Cullers knows what she wants in a man. The minute she knew it wasn’t Mel Owens, she left the ABC dating show. But did she have an ulterior motive for quitting? She answers if she knew Mel had already chosen Peg before she quit the show.

Golden Bachelor Winner Defends Mel Owens For Not Proposing

In one of the first episodes of the second Golden Bachelor season, Mel Owens told the ladies that his wife was in the room. He lied. During the explosive season finale, he handed Peg Munson his final rose but chose not to propose to her. He did, however, offer her an expensive diamond promise ring. 

And that’s fine by Peg. She spent the days after the season finale aired defending her boyfriend’s lack of commitment. “The heavy lifting is done, so we have the right and the prerogative to write our love story the way that we want to live it, and that love story is up to us to write,” she said in one interview.
‘Golden Bachelor’ Mel Owens/Credit: YouTube
But Mel’s other finalist, Cindy Cullers, chose to leave the show instead of tolerating what she said were Mel’s commitment issues.

Cindy Cullers Answers If She Knew Mel Chose Peg Before Her Exit

Cindy Cullers returned to her home in Austin, Texas, after quitting The Golden Bachelor. While she was sad to say goodbye to Mel Owens, she knew it was the right thing to do for herself. After calling the former NFL player out for refusing to address his feelings, Cindy quit the show.
‘Golden Bachelor’ final two Peg Munson and Cindy Cullers/Credit: YouTube
Some fans wonder if she already knew at that point that she wasn’t Mel’s final pick. Regular Bachelor Nation viewers may recall that Daisy Kent self-eliminated from the final rose ceremony on Season 28 of The Bachelor after realizing that Joey Graziadei was going to choose Kelsey Anderson.

Cindy Cullers joined the Bachelor Happy Hour podcast earlier this week to reflect on her decision to leave. The hosts asked her if she knew Mel was going to choose Peg, and that’s why she left.

Cindy Cullers denied knowing that Mel had already decided that Peg was the one for him. “No. I mean, if it was Peg all along, he wouldn’t have behaved with me the way he did. You know, twirls me on the dock and if you know you’re going to be with someone else, you refrain from those things,” she said.

The Golden Bachelor runner-up added, “I think a man or a woman, if you’ve already made your mind up, you behave differently. You’re not continuing to kiss and hold and hug and have those intimate moments if you’ve already made your decision.”

If she had gone to the Fantasy Suite with Mel Owens, she believes he would have told her about his feelings for Peg if she had asked. “He really was very upfront with me, and I felt I could trust him for sure,” she said about Mel Owens.

In hindsight, Cindy Cullers has accepted that he wasn’t the one for her. “He’s not really in the same place that I am,” she said about her desire to marry again. Tell us in the comments if you think Mel made the right choice.