Maria Gheorghe,
Maria Georgas, a fan favorite from Joey Graziadei’s season of The Bachelor, is opening up about her decision to turn down the opportunity to become the next Bachelorette. In a candid conversation with Alex Cooper on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast, the 29-year-old reality star revealed that she was initially offered the coveted role but ultimately declined.
“Yeah, I was offered the role,” Maria Georgas admitted. “I mean, um, it was mine until I said it wasn’t.”
The decision to pass on the opportunity was not an easy one for Maria Georgas, who shared that the casting process had progressed to the point where she had even done fittings. However, as the realization set in, she found herself feeling increasingly overwhelmed by the prospect of handing out roses.
“It became very overwhelming to the point where I had to decline,” Maria Georgas explained.
Ultimately, Jen Tran was announced as the lead for the upcoming season of The Bachelorette, a decision that Maria Georgas suggests was due to her reluctance to take on the role at the time.
“She was one of my closest girls in the house, and she was always verbalizing how badly she wanted this,” Maria Georgas said of Tran. “When everyone around me was so supportive of me being in this position and everyone wanted this for me, I kind of took a second. I’m like, ‘Why am I not happy? Why am I not excited about this?’ And it took me like realizing that it’s just not my time.“
Having made it to the final four of The Bachelor, Maria Georgas understood the demands and expectations that come with being the Bachelorette. Ultimately, she felt she wasn’t in the right headspace to embark on that journey.
“I was not in the right headspace for this, especially knowing the extent of the process,” she explained. “Having a bunch of guys do the same thing and they’re there for me, I didn’t want to waste anyone’s time.”
While the decision was difficult, Maria Georgas expressed her confidence in Tran’s readiness for the role. “She is the most perfect Bachelorette in my eyes,” Maria Georgas said. “If like, I couldn’t think of anyone better to do this, and um, she was so ready for it, and that was enough for me to kind of say, ‘Yeah, this is not my time.'”
As Maria Maria Georgas steps back from the spotlight, she remains grateful for the opportunity and the support she received, even if she ultimately chose a different path for herself at this time.
