The Bachelor’s Maria Georgas Reveals She Backed Out of Bachelorette Role: ‘I Wasn’t Mentally Prepared’

Bachelor Nation got a shock in March when The Bachelorette announced Jenn Tran as the star of Season 21, instead of fan favorite and presumed top candidate Maria Georgas.

But in a new interview, Georgas has confirmed that not only was she offered the role of Bachelorette lead, but her participation was “set in stone” until she backed out of the gig at the last minute.

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“It was mine until I said it wasn’t, to the point where I was doing fittings,” Georgas revealed on the Call Her Daddy podcast on Tuesday. But whereas Tran had been vocally enthusiastic about the prospect of becoming the Bachelorette star, even during her time on Joey Graziadei’s season of The Bachelor, Georgas realized she didn’t share that level of excitement to see herself in the role.

“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 and was like, ‘Why am I not happy? Why am I not excited about this?'” she shared. “And it took me realizing that it’s just not my time. I was like, ‘Guys, respectfully, I need to decline. I need to take a step back.'”

Georgas went on to say that she “wasn’t mentally prepared” to lead her own season of The Bachelorette. Although she knew she’d have “more control” as a leading lady, she said her time on The Bachelor had been filled with anxiety.

“It’s so isolating being in there,” she continued. “Having to be alone in that — I wasn’t comfortable.”

Georgas also reiterated her support of Tran, who she called “the most perfect Bachelorette in my eyes. I couldn’t think of anyone better to do this.”

Tran and Georgas were two of 32 women vying for Graziadei’s heart on The Bachelor Season 28; Tran made it to the final six, and Georgas finished in fourth place. After some early conflict with fellow contestant Sydney Gordon, Georgas emerged triumphant from the dreaded two-on-one date and went on to become a fan favorite.

Would you have liked to see Georgas as The Bachelorette? Hit the comments.

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