Maria Georgas Disney/John Fleenor
Maria Georgas signed on to become the next Bachelorette, backing out after the role was “set in stone.”
“I was offered the role. It was mine until I said it wasn’t,” Maria, 29, confirmed during her “Call Her Daddy” podcast appearance on Wednesday, May 1. “It became very overwhelming to the point where I had to decline.”
Maria explained that she’s “been trying my hardest to stay silent” about what happened with the Bachelorette role as an effort to support Jenn Tran, but wanted to “be honest” going forward. She told Alex Cooper that she was “doing fittings” for the show before backing out.
“It was set in stone. I was in it,” Maria continued. “When everyone around me was so supportive of me being in this position and everyone wanted this for me, I took a second. I’m like, why am I not happy? Why am I not excited about this? It took me realizing that it’s just not my time where I was like, respectfully, I need to decline. I need to take a step back.”
Courtesy of Maria Georgas/Instagram Maria Georgas has been making waves since she first stepped out of the limo during season 28 of The Bachelor. When Joey Graziadei was introduced to Maria, she gave him a miniature Canadian flag in honor of her home country. Maria grew up in Ontario, Canada. Her parents separated when she […]
The reality star said she was “not in the right headspace” to be The Bachelorette star.
“I know the extensive process it was to be on the show. So having a bunch of guys do the exact same thing — and they’re there for me — I didn’t want to waste anyone’s time,” Maria added. “It was hard for me to kind of jump right back into it, honestly.”
Joey Graziadei and Maria Georgas on ‘The Bachelor.’ Disney/John Fleenor
Maria became a fan-favorite member of Bachelor Nation during Joey Graziadei’s season of The Bachelor, which came to an end earlier this year. She made it to the final four and was eliminated following hometown dates. Once the season came to an end, fans expected Maria to nab the Bachelorette title, but it went to Jenn instead.
During Wednesday’s podcast episode, “ Cooper revealed that Georgas was scheduled to make an appearance on the podcast in March to announce Maria as the Bachelorette.
While some roses stand the test of time, others wilt before the Neil Lane engagement ring can be resized. The Bachelor premiered on ABC in March 2002 with Alex Michel dubbed the world’s most eligible Bachelor. More than 20 women competed for his heart and one of the most successful reality TV franchises was born. […]
“Everyone was so excited, and I know what this season could have been like, and it would’ve been great,” Maria said. “I just was not ready.”
She said that the show’s producers were “so supportive” of her decision, and made sure that Maria put her mental health first.
“I just wanted to come back home, back to reality and just take time off from all of this, I meant it,” she concluded. “I think people saw that and recognized that I wasn’t posting as much, and I was not speaking on things. As much as I wanted my time off, I also wanted Jenn to have her moment, and she is the most perfect Bachelorette in my eyes. I couldn’t think of anyone better to do this. She was so ready for it, and that was enough for me to say, yeah, it’s not my time.”
Jenn’s season of The Bachelorette is currently filming and is expected to premiere on ABC in July.
