ABC Reality TV Star Pays Ex-Wife $1 Million

Golden Bachelor star Mel Owens paid off the nearly $1 million he owed his ex-wife, Fabiana Owens, under their divorce settlement, per TMZ’s report. The divorce settlement was finalized in December 2024.

The divorce became contentious in 2025, when Fabiana told the court Mel had yet to pay the money owed to her, despite him appearing on the ABC reality dating series. At the time, she asked for Mel’s 5-bedroom, 3-bathroom home to be sold off in order for him to settle the debt.

He was then ordered to pay the money before November 7, 2025. The court noted that Mel would have to vacate the home immediately if he failed to pay the settlement.

Mel obtained a $1.1 million loan against the property in December, and the judgment lien for the amount under the divorce settlement was subsequently released. He used the loan to pay his ex.

Mel was the leading guy for Season 2 of the popular dating series with 23 women vying for his heart. The 66-year-old retired NFL player-turned-lawyer said he wanted a partner who was “honest, charming, loving, fit and full of life.” He was previously married, saying at the time of press junkets, “I was married for 25 years. I’ve missed that companionship,” PEOPLE reports.

The Michigan native played in the NFL for eight years before switching careers. He and Fabiana share two adult sons.

He made controversial statements about his age preferences during the dating show. “[The producers] asked me, ‘What [are] your preferences?’ So I just said [ages] 45 to 60, just being honest,” he recalled, PEOPLE reports. “And then we had lunch with the executive producer. I said, ‘You know, if they’re 60 or over, I’m cutting them.’ ”

In the Season 2 finale of The Golden Bachelor, Mel chose Peg Munson, a 62-year-old retired firefighter and bomb tech from Las Vegas. He gave her a commitment ring, instead of a formal engagement proposal, on the beach in Antigua. They split just weeks after the season concluded in late 2025.