Mel Owens' journey to find love as the Golden Bachelor is underway.
The retired NFL player, 66, joins the "Bachelor" franchise as the second Golden Bachelor, following in season 1 star Gerry Turner's footsteps.
Ahead of his season, Owens opened up to "Good Morning America" about potentially finding love again.
"When I found out that I could be the Golden Bachelor, I asked my friends, 'What do you think?' And everybody said, 'Yes.' And so I dove in," Owens said on Sept. 24.
Even though Owens said he felt a little scared, he added, "I said, 'OK, let's do it.' It's like, I could find love."
Below, read everything you need to know about "The Golden Bachelor" season 2.
According to a press release earlier this year announcing Owens as the next Golden Bachelor, the Detroit native comes from a "close-knit Midwestern family."
He attended the University of Michigan and was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams as the ninth pick in the 1981 NFL Draft.
After his playing career, Owens moved to Orange County, California, where he pursued a career in law, representing clients in sports-related injuries, according to the press release.
He is also the father of two sons, whom he shares with his first wife.
The press release added that after his first marriage ended, Owens "channeled his energy into being the best father he could be, focusing on raising his sons and coaching their extracurricular sports teams."
There are 23 women competing for Owens' heart in season 2.
Ranging in age from 58 to 77, the contestants include a longevity nurse, a librarian, a retired biomedical engineer, a retired elementary school teacher, a flight attendant, a full-time mom and more.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Owens said the group of women exceeded his expectations "by far."
"They were accomplished, energetic, fun, just full of life, and had a lot of attitude and personality," he said. "They were great. I'm a guy who has a lot of energy, and I'm looking for energy all the time in someone and who can keep up and has a zest for life."
Ahead of the season 2 premiere of "The Golden Bachelor," Owens told "GMA" he had "fun" connecting with potential partners.
"You try to get the connection early on, in the energy and the frequency of who the person is, so it's quick and it's compressed," Owens said. "So you have to make decisions in real time."
"It's going to be incredible," he added. "There's a lot of twists and turns. And the women are great."
Season 2 of "The Golden Bachelor" airs Wednesdays on ABC at 8 p.m. ET/PT and is available to stream the next day on Hulu.
"The Golden Bachelor" season 2 premiered on Wed., Sept. 24.
Mel Owens met the 23 women competing for his heart in the show's premiere episode.
He also went on a "dazzling Queen Mary date" and a "cheerleading showdown" judged by Paula Abdul.
Owens also apologized on the show's premiere episode for comments he made in June about his preferred age range for the female contestants on his season.
At the time, Owens said he would be "cutting them" if they were over 60.
"I messed up," Owens said on the Sept. 24 episode. "I was wrong. I replay it in my head a lot. I have regrets and I'm sorry for all the things I said in the podcast."
He continued, "I know what a lot of people are thinking about me, but that's not who I am."
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