NEWSGolden Bachelorette's Gary Levingston Offers Heartfelt Advice to New 'Golden Bachelor' Lead Mel Owens: 'Be Vulnerable'
'Golden Bachelorette' fan-favorite Gary Levingston encouraged 'Golden Bachelor' lead Mel Owens to feel vulnerable throughout the process.
May 12 2025, Published 11:11 a.m. ET
Gary Levingston, 66, from Season 1 of The Golden Bachelorette, opened up about his heartfelt advice for Mel Owens, the new lead on The Golden Bachelor Season 2.
"Be vulnerable," Levingston advised Owens, who is also 66. He insisted that "allow[ing] [yourself] to be vulnerable and to feel safe" is key to finding real connections on the show.
Gary Levingston said vulnerability is the secret to finding love on 'The Golden Bachelor.'
"Be the genuine you, to be who you are. And the rest will fall in place," Levingston stated confidently.
He emphasized: "But I think the vulnerability part is so very, very important because that’s when the real you shows up."
After viewers watched Levingston's romantic pursuit of Joan Vassos on The Golden Bachelorette, things took a different turn — Vassos ended up engaged to Chock Chapple. However, Levingston assured fans, "We are in touch on a regular basis."
Gary Levingston urged new lead Mel Owens to 'be who you are.'
"Whenever she posts things, I’m always responding or she’s responding to mine. Both her and Chapple are near and dear to my heart. We are close and dear friends. So it’s been a fabulous relationship. It really has,” Levingston shared.
And it’s not just Vassos and Chapple keeping the connections alive! Levingston revealed he’s still tight with the other men from Season 1.
"We are all still in touch with each other. Just last week we went to an event in Beverly Hills,” he shared.
Want OK! each day? Sign up here!
The former contestants reunited recently at Hulu’s "Get Real" event and have plans for a heartwarming Zoom call to celebrate the one-year anniversary of their first meeting. "So the bromance continues and it’s absolutely fabulous," he beamed.
In addition to his Golden Bachelor duties, Levingston is stepping into a new role as the inaugural "senior advisor" for Talkspace.
Gary Levingston is still close with his 'The Golden Bachelorette' costars.
He passionately advocates for mental health awareness, particularly for seniors (or "Goldens" as he affectionately calls them) during May Mental Health Awareness Month.
"Talkspace has pulled me in to be their very first senior advisor," Levingston shared, adding that it’s essential to focus on mental health alongside physical health.
Gary Levingston wants to raise awareness about mental health.
"It’s important that we focus on more than just our physical health," he advised.
He added: "You see more of us drinking more water, you see us going and exercising and doing the whole workout thing and the pickleball versus tennis. But we forget a very important part of that health issue, and it’s associated with mental health."
