Bachelor Happy Hour
Episode: Mel & Peg: Happily Ever After — Part 1! | Happy Hour
Date: November 13, 2025
Hosts: Joe Amabile & Serena Pitt
Guests: Mel & Peg (from “The Bachelor”)
Episode Overview
This episode of Bachelor Happy Hour welcomes the franchise’s latest couple, Mel and Peg, for an open and spirited discussion fresh off their televised finale. Hosted by Joe Amabile and Serena Pitt, the conversation dives into the couple’s journey – from their first limo introductions to keeping their romance a secret, defining their commitment, reflections on love in their 60s, and intimacy with each other's families. The episode is rich with candid insights, emotional recounting of pivotal moments, and some humorous self-awareness about aging, realism, and the nature of love.
Key Topics & Discussion Points
1. The Couple's Reveal and Early Dynamics
- Hosts’ Excitement: Joe and Serena greet Mel and Peg playfully, riffing on couple nicknames (“Melan, Peg… Meg… or Pal?”) and expressing genuine happiness for having them on. (04:23)
- Joe’s Prediction: Joe proudly confesses he predicted Peg would be Mel’s final choice “right out of the limo.”
- Peg: “I picked you at the beginning.” — Joe (05:03)
- Peg: “From the beginning.”
- Keeping Secrets: Peg and Mel discuss the challenge and commitment of keeping their relationship secret until the finale.
- Peg: “I haven’t told a soul.” (06:03)
- Peg shared that only Mel’s sons knew, since they participated at the end.
- Peg teasingly admits, “My friends are upset with me…”
- Serena: “Peg, did you tell anyone?”
- Peg: “No. Okay. No.” (06:27)
2. Commitment Ring vs. Engagement (07:09)
- The Commitment Ring: Mel gave Peg a commitment ring instead of an engagement ring. Serena presses on what this symbolizes.
- Mel: “We’re committed to each other right now. That’s what it means.” (07:32)
- Serena: “So it’s almost like a promise ring?”
- Peg: “I love this ring. Are you kidding me? This is absolutely gorgeous.” (07:50)
- Mel suggests a future official engagement might call for something new, but for now, they’re content with their current commitment.
3. Recognizing the Connection
- Peg’s “Mud Bath” Epiphany: Peg describes how, after a group mud bath, she felt an intuitive certainty she would be Mel’s final pick.
- Peg: “As soon as I got out of that mud bath…I felt it at a very deep level…actually, I wrote it in my journal. I just said, it’s going to be me. I was taken back because I didn’t expect it at all.” (08:18–08:25)
- Expectations Coming In: Peg did not arrive expecting to fall in love, just to have a good experience and see if Mel was “dateable.”
4. Handling Doubt and Navigating Competition
- Peg’s Doubts: The only time doubt crept in was in Antigua, when Mel knocked on her door while she was very sick. She worried he might be ending things.
- Peg: “I thought that knock on the door was him coming to tell me, ‘Hey look, I have a better connection with this other person.’” (10:26)
- She explains that everyone who joins the show accepts it may or may not work out—and that’s okay.
- Mel’s Dramatic Delivery: Mel admits he intentionally dragged out the suspense when telling Peg, for dramatic effect.
- Mel: “I wanted to make it seem like…‘Hey, I made a decision already. I gotta let you in on it.’ So I wanted to make sure it came across that way.” (11:49)
- Peg: “I was very stoic, and…I was shocked. Shocked.” (12:24, 12:58)
5. Reflections on Connection, Love, and Authenticity
- Slower Burn vs. Fast Flames: Both Peg and Mel describe themselves as realists who don’t believe in rapidly-declared love.
- Peg: “It’s about the fireplace, not the fireworks, because the fireplace, you can continually refuel it.” (13:28)
- Mel: “…Cindy was saying, ‘Oh I love you, I love you.’ And Peg was saying, 'We’re working on this.’ And that was my mindset too…I gotta check myself…and see if my brain and my heart can catch up with my hormones.” (14:22)
- Navigating Perceptions: Peg purposely avoided pre-judgment based on media or social media portrayals.
- Peg: “I needed to get to know who he was as a human being.” (16:34)
6. Post-Show Realization
- Did It Feel Real After the Show?
- Mel: “I knew it earlier on, right? That’s why when it came down to it, I chose Peg. I had a crush on her from the first time I saw her…I knew.” (23:02)
- Peg: “I think the first time that I really knew is right out of the limo when we sat down for a couple of minutes…It’s like, electric. It really was.” (23:37)
- Both stress that love at their age is about a lot more than instant chemistry—it’s about friendship, mutual values, and shared commitment.
7. Relating to “The Bachelor” Format in Later Life
- The couple details their limited prior exposure to the show (Mel followed early seasons, Peg watched Trista and Ryan), and how this age and experience let them set their own terms.
- Peg: “Being in your 60s is really cool because you get to do what you want to do when you want to do it, and you get to write your own story.”
- “We get to write our own love story, and that’s fun. It’s not going to be like anybody else’s love story.” (26:35)
8. Integration with Family
- Meeting Mel’s Sons:
- Peg: “I adore his boys. They are hilarious, they’re great….I’m really comfortable with the guys…working in the fire department…for 25 years with all the guys, it’s just like, yes. I’m with my people.” (27:35)
- The Word Association Game: Peg’s clever tactic to learn about Mel through his sons.
- Peg: “I knew by doing that little word association game with them, I was going to learn more about him…Whatever came to their mind right away was telling me a little more about how they view their father." (28:16)
- She discovered Mel’s close, respectful bond with his sons.
9. Peg’s Perspective on the Women's House and Female Camaraderie
- Life in the Women's House:
- Peg: “It was hard…So hard, you guys. And I love these women…but it was hard for me…25 years working with guys, and then I’m thrusted into a house of all these women. Just the opposite.” (37:09)
- She confesses it was tough to adapt, as “women can be catty…and I wasn’t used to that.”
- Peg became “very protective” of the other women, even acting as an advocate unbeknownst to some.
- Peg: “Cindy at one time told me I needed to have more feathers…She’s very soft. I’m a prickly little porcupine.”
- Mel: “Softer.”
- Peg: “Yeah, softer. And I raised my daughter that way [direct]. As you guys could tell, at hometowns, we’re very direct, we’re very honest.”
10. Directness, Honesty, and Strong Family Ties
- Conversations with Peg's Daughter: Mel describes the tough but honest Q&A with Peg’s daughter.
- Mel: “I was just being truthful with her. I’m not in love with your mother. We’re like a month into it.” (41:16)
- Both Mel and Peg agree on the importance of honesty, even if the answers are tough to hear.
- Peg: “She’s fearless and I’m proud to be that mom that raised her that way, because…she’s always going to be okay.” (42:59)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- Peg: “I just came here, it’s like, you know, let me check this out. Let me see what kind of a person he is. And I had to suspend judgment because we all know that podcast…wasn’t the greatest podcast out there, but—if you understood it, it was okay.” (15:22)
- Peg: “It’s about the fireplace, not the fireworks, because the fireplace, you can continually refuel it.” (13:28)
- Mel: “You can love somebody and not like them…Your crazy uncle—you go, I love the guy, but I really don’t like the guy.” (24:29)
- Peg: “Being in your 60s is really cool because you get to do what you want to do when you want to do it, and you get to write your own story.” (26:35)
- Peg (on the women’s house): “I became very protective of the women in the house and they don’t even know it. I was advocating for them as a whole and they didn’t even know it. And that’s okay.” (37:35)
- Mel (on tough questions): “If they’re coming on to you, tough, okay, I’m okay with it. You just answer the question that’s posed, you don't add anything else…Just be honest." (40:20)
Timestamps for Key Segments
- 04:19: Introduction of Mel and Peg to the podcast, origin of their couple name banter.
- 06:03–06:38: Keeping it a secret: how Peg and Mel handled post-show secrecy.
- 07:09–08:09: Commitment ring discussion; will there be a re-proposal?
- 08:18: Peg’s pivotal mud bath moment of realization.
- 10:26: Peg faces doubt in Antigua, expects possible breakup.
- 11:49: Mel explains his dramatic delivery of the news, intentionally building suspense.
- 13:28–14:22: On “fireplace not fireworks” and developing love slowly, not declaratively.
- 16:34: Peg on suspending judgment about Mel based on outside perceptions.
- 23:02–24:34: When Mel and Peg “knew” it was each other—early connection and slow build-up.
- 26:35: Reflections on writing their own story in their 60s, contrast to Bachelor norms.
- 27:27: Peg meets Mel’s sons—her comfort in male company, word association game.
Tone & Style of the Conversation
- Warm, playful, and honest—the hosts and guests joke, tease, reflect, and don’t shy away from emotional or vulnerable moments.
- Direct and thoughtful, especially from Peg and Mel, whose life outlook fosters practical wisdom about relationships, family, growth, and commitment at any age.
- Supportive and respectful—Joe and Serena draw out the couple while affirming their approach.
Conclusion
This episode offers a genuine, thoughtful exploration of love after 60, the realities of joining a dating show later in life, and the value of honesty and measured devotion. Mel and Peg’s approach—slow-burning, rooted in realism and self-knowledge—contrasts markedly with traditional Bachelor narratives, offering listeners both sage advice and uplifting moments. Family dynamics, the challenge of female camaraderie for “one of the guys,” and the hilarity and heart that come with aging make this a worthwhile listen for Bachelor Nation and beyond.
Stay tuned for Part 2, where the story continues!