The Bachelor season 28 star Maria Gorgas recently appeared on a podcast and addressed why she wasn’t cast as The Bachelorette. The season started by reintroducing tennis pro Joey Graziadei, the runner-up from The Bachelorette season 20. Though he couldn’t win Charity Lawson’s final rose, Joey was offered a second chance at finding love on national television. This season of The Bachelor was historic in that it included 32 women, the largest number of women competing in any season.

Among the hopeful single women vying to win Joey’s heart on The Bachelor season 28 was Maria, a quirky, witty, and well-dressed brunette. Joey and Maria hit it off right away, and she made it to the hometown dates before being eliminated. Though the fan favorite was expected by many to be the next Bachelorette, the role was given to Jenn Tran. Now, for the first time, Maria has addressed not being The Bachelorette.

What We Know About Maria Georgas

Sassy Canadian

Born on August 27, 1994, 29-year-old Maria is a Virgo. Virgo women are known for being loving, but can also be difficult perfectionists. Maria hails from Kleinburg, Ontario, Canada, where she works as an executive assistant. Maria also has an IMDb page, which lists her as an actress. However, her only acting credit is from The Pacifier, a 2005 Vin Diesel film, which was released when Maria was 11 years old. Maria posted a still shot from the movie on her Instagram page, in which she was dressed as a Girl Scout.

Maria’s Journey On The Show

An Emotional Rollercoaster

From the moment Maria stepped out of the limo on night one, Joey was instantly attracted to her. She was one of the women Joey kissed on night one. As the season progressed, Maria found herself embroiled in a bizarre drama with Sydney, Leah, and Jess, who were clearly jealous of Maria’s connection with Joey. The Bachelor season 28 lead tacitly took Maria’s side when he sent Sydney, Leah, and Jess home, but Maria changed in later episodes.

Despite all that, Joey gave Maria one of his final four roses. He visited her hometown in Canada, where he met Nick Georgas, Maria’s father. Though the date went well, Maria was insecure about it, so she interrupted the rose ceremony to pull Joey aside and tell him how she felt. Either Maria sensed Joey was leaning towards eliminating her and freaked out, or her freak-out convinced him to eliminate her. Either way, Maria did not receive one of Joey’s final three roses.

” I was offered the role. It was mine until I said it wasn’t .”

Why Maria Turned Down The Bachelorette

She Has Addressed The Matter Publicly

After weeks of speculation, Maria finally addressed the rumor that she had been offered the role of The Bachelorette but revealed she turned the offer down. Appearing on her first podcast since The Bachelor season 28 finished airing, Maria sat down with Alex Cooper of the Call Her Daddy podcast. She opened up about her journey, her love life, and her experience on The Bachelor. “I was offered the role. It was mine until I said it wasn’t,” Maria said, adding, “It became very overwhelming to the point where I had to decline.”

Maria went on to explain why she decided to turn down being The Bachelorette. Though she was initially excited about the prospect, she realized it wasn’t making her happy. She admitted her mental health wasn’t where it needed to be. “Jenn, though, was the perfect pick,” Maria told the podcast audience. “She is the most perfect Bachelorette in my eyes. I couldn’t think of anyone better to do this,” she added, Addressing her future with the franchise, Maria was firm that, though she is single, there was no plan for her to appear in Bachelor In Paradise.