‘The Golden Bachelor’ Recap: Mel’s Fantasy Suite Week With Peg And Cindy Ends On A Cliffhanger

The Golden Bachelor Season 2 officially headed to Antigua, where 66-year-old Mel Owens will introduce his final two women — Peg Munson and Cindy Angelcyk Cullers — to his family, go on the last romantic one-on-one dates of his journey, and potentially pop a big question. But first, he’s headed to Fantasy Suites!

With a potential engagement right around the corner, Mel kicks off the make-it-or-break-it week by tossing the football, drinking a beer, and having a heart-to-heart with his pal Jesse Palmer, who thankfully pressed Mel about why he’s been so guarded and reluctant to tell his remaining women how he feels about them.

“I don’t want to use the word loosely… It’s a big deal. You can’t use it and then not mean it, right?” Mel told Jesse. “I’m not messing around with that… I’m not gonna push it. I’m just gonna let it happen naturally. This is the way I am. Love is not a word I use often. It’s heavy, and loaded, and it has tons of meaning, and it can be misinterpreted. I’ve only been in love one time. We got married, and I got my heart broken. So I won’t tell someone I love them again just to say it. But my feelings for both women are on a very emotional and deeper level. I know having those feelings and showing them are two different things. I know I have to show them this week. It’s now or never.”

So did Mel head to Fantasy Suites with Peg and Cindy? And what’s Mel’s relationship with the ladies looking like ahead of next week’s finale? Decider’s Golden Bachelor Season 2 Fantasy Suite recap has answers.

Peg And Mel’s Fantasy Suite Date Recap: “I’m All In On Peg”

Though Peg hadn’t told Mel she was falling for him ahead of Fantasy Suites, she admitted her feelings to the camera and said, “If Mel has the same feeling for me that I have for him, yes. I would love to be engaged by the end of the week.” And with that, Mel picked Peg up in a dune buggy for their adventurous Antigua date, then proceeded to drive…as slowly as possible. Once Peg took the keys and put the pedal to the metal, the date switched into high gear and after getting some wind in his hair, Mel told cameras, “I’m all in on Peg.”

After the two reminisced about their Hometown Date and chatted over champagne, they met up later for a candlelit dinner and dancing on the beach, where Peg finally heard Mel express his deep interest in her. “I really like you a lot. It’s almost too good to be true. I love being around you, and I love the way you talk to me, and what you make me feel. You’re beautiful, and I like your energy and your spirit. I really do,” Mel shared before offering Peg a Fantasy Suite invite. She happily accepted!

After watching Peg place the traditional “DO NOT DISTURB” sign on the suite’s door, we checked back in with the happy couple in the morning. Bachelor Nation, I don’t know how to say this, but Mel Owens was an entirely new man. I’ve never looked at someone and thought, “That person just had sex!” so fast in my life. After a season of Frankenstein jokes and stiff Mel impressions, this man was shirtless in bed, smiling, joking, laughing, and being generally easy breezy. The man was smitten by Peg! She changed him! And though the two recapped some “great conversations” and didn’t explicitly confirm they knocked boots or got physically intimate, Mel said, “Peg and I connected on a whole bunch of different levels, and knowing her a little bit better, obviously brings me a little bit closer to her. I have an even better understanding who she is, and we’re quite compatible.”

Their morning chemistry was palpable, and Peg said she got everything she needed from their night together, too. “All of my concerns definitely got answered. Last night, Mel showed me that he can be open, that he has that capacity to be vulnerable, and to be emotionally intelligent. He makes me feel safe, he makes me feel seen, he makes me feel heard,” she explained. But Peg isn’t the only woman in the picture…

Cindy And Mel’s Fantasy Suite Date Recap: “Is There A Will?”

Unlike Peg, Cindy told Mel she was falling for him ahead of Fantasy Suite week. But she also had a candid chat with him about fears that his feelings weren’t as strong as hers. “Last week at Hometowns, Mel wouldn’t open up. It’s scary not knowing exactly how he feels this week, I hope he and I can just being present with each other. The day that Mel can drop all of his walls and tell me how he feels every bit of him will be such a great day,” she explained ahead of their boat date.

When Mel revealed that the two would be swimming with stingrays, Cindy was thrilled and recounted the first time she had the aquatic adventure. This time, she fully embraced the stingray swim again — or she tried to, at least. Most of her energy seemed to go towards comforting and encouraging Mel, who was terrified of the rays and reluctant to face his fears on the once-in-a-lifetime date. After he finally touched one, he loosened up a bit, and the two started smooching ahead of their romantic dinner date on a candlelit pier. While Mel was likely hoping for a drama-free evening, Cindy set out to get deep and learn more about Mel’s intentions and plans for the future.

Very quickly, the two brought up Peg and Cindy interrogated Mel about deciding factors, where his heart was leaning, and what he wanted at the end of the journey. “I think that no matter what, a relationship would have to develop over time. There’s still moving parts, right? So who knows,” he said, which didn’t impress Cindy, nor did the fact that he didn’t seem to have any questions for her. As the two went back and forth, Cindy tried to get an accurate read on Mel ahead of a potential Fantasy Suite, but he kept his cards close to the vest. “I’m wondering, is it me? Is it maybe because he has a tighter relationship with Peg, or maybe that’s just who he is?” Cindy asked. “I’ve been vulnerable, and I want to feel that my partner is excited to move forward with me and to share their life with me.”

Before the episode concluded, Mel told Cindy, “If there’s a will, there’s a way,” and Cindy replied, “So that begs the question: Is there a will?” In a twist, we’ll have to wait until the finale to get an answer, as The Golden Bachelor Season 2’s penultimate episode ended without a second Fantasy Suite… Is that a bad sign for Cindy? Or will the two make up for the uncomfortable communication at the top of next week’s finale? Only time will tell but if you’re asking “Who does Mel end up with on The Golden Bachelor?” Here’s everything we know.

The Golden Bachelor Season 2 finale premieres Wednesday, November 12 on ABC with next-day streaming on Hulu.