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Ever since Jenn was announced as the Season 21 lead, Bachelor Nation fans have been dying to know the real answer as to why Maria is not the Bachelorette and if she turned down the role before it was offered to Jenn. So what happened? Keep reading for what we know about why Maria is not the Bachelorette.
Maria Georgas was a contestant on The Bachelor Season 28 with Joey Graziadei. Maria, who was sent home in fourth place, was a fan favorite to be the next Bachelorette, along with Daisy Kent, another contestant who was the runner-up on Joey’s season. Reality Steve confirmed on his podcast in March 2024 that the next Bachelorette was likely between Maria and Daisy Kent, who made it to the finale of The Bachelor Season 28. “This is probably a situation where it’s between Maria and Daisy,” Steve said. “I think the show is very well aware that they are deciding between Maria and Daisy, I do not think they have made a decision yet.”
He continued, “ABC can do whatever they want because they’ve got us all over a barrel just dissecting everything. They’ve told people in the past they are the lead, and all of a sudden they weren’t. Because they changed their mind at the last minute… It’s a 50/50 shot, it’s not like, oh my gosh, someone’s gonna come out of left field,” Steve said. “No, it’s more than likely, based on everything I’ve heard, going to be between Daisy or Maria.”
However, that turned out to be wrong when Jenn Tran, another contestant from The Bachelor Season 28 who was sent home in Week 7, was announced as the Season 21 Bachelorette during the “After the Final Rose” special. The announcement made Jenn the first Bachelor Nation lead of Asian descent in the franchise’s 22-year history. “It’s crazy. It feels so surreal to be sitting here,” Jenn told host Jesse Palmer. “I hope I find my person, someone that I truly feel like is 100 percent my perfect match and someone that I’m compatible with. Someone I can have fun and also just like feel like we are each other’s person.”
The news was a shock to fans who thought that Maria or Daisy would be the next Bachelorette instead. So why is Maria not the Bachelorette and did she turn down the role? Read on for what we know about why Maria is not the Bachelorette and what happened after filming ended.
Why is Maria not the Bachelorette and did she turn it down?
Why is Maria not the Bachelorette and did she turn it down? Lauren Hollinger, a contestant on The Bachelor Season 28 with Maria, confirmed in an apparent Instagram DM to a fan that Maria turned down the role as the Season 21 Bachelorette. “I’m disappointed as fuck in who bachelorette is UGH I wanted you or Maria lol. Happy for Jenn and all but still sad,” the fan wrote in a direct message to Lauren, who responded, “she turned it down. but still happy for Jenn!!”
During her “Call Her Daddy” podcast appearance on May 1, Maria revealed: “I was offered the role. It was mine until I said it wasn’t. It became very overwhelming to the point where I had to decline.”
She continued: “It was set in stone. I was in it. 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.”
She concluded: “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. It was hard for me to kind of jump right back into it, honestly.”
Maria’s dad, Nick Georgas, also confirmed that Maria turned down the role of the Bachelorette in a TikTok comment after The Bachelor Season 28 finale. “Maybe she said no?” Nick commented on a TikTok video titled “Maria and Daisy are NOT THE NEXT BACHELORETTE.”
Season 21 Bachelor Nick Viall also revealed on his podcast “The Viall Files” that Maria was originally chosen as the next Bachelorette, however, things changed in the week before the announcement due to unforeseen circumstances. “They didn’t do Jenn any favors by not focusing on her story. Now, I was told by someone who was told that as a week ago Maria was the Bachelorette,” Nick said. “Now this person could have been definitely strong—they clearly were. But I thought it was. Two hours before we’re recording this, I called a friend and they were like, ‘Yeah, so it’s not her. It’s Jenn.’ I was surprised. But I heard Maria was the choice and they couldn’t make it work for reasons that are unclear. But I could be wrong. I’m sure Maria will be asked about the process.”
After Jenn was announced as the next Bachelorette at The Bachelor Season 28 finale, Maria supported Jenn from the audience, telling viewers how excited she was to see her as the new lead. “Jenn! Listen, I love you so much and I got to know you inside and out. I want you to know how amazing you are,” Maria said.
Maria also gave her support to Jenn as the next Bachelorette in an Instagram Story after The Bachelor Season 28 finale, where she shared a photo of them at a rose ceremony. “When I tell you how happy I am for her you best believe it. We were there for each other. Always. So I’ll be cheering her on every step of the way. She deserves this moment. and it’s HERS,” Maria wrote. “The representation alone is doing so many little girls proud who can look up and see a beautiful Asian woman bless our screens. You go Jenn!!! Go get your man!!!”
Before Jenn was announced as the next Bachelorette, fans suspected that Maria would be the new lead based on clues during The Bachelor Season 28. Fans believed that The Bachelor teased Maria as the next Bachelorette in a casting promo for The Bachelorette Season 21 in Episode 6 of The Bachelor Season 28, which used the word “slap shot,” a term viewers believed to be a clue that the next Bachelorette is Canadian. Slap shot is a term in ice hockey that refers to “a hard, fast, and often wild shot executed with a powerful downward swing, and with the blade of the stick brushing firmly against the ice prior to striking the puck,” according to Collins Dictionary.
Given that Canada’s official national sport is ice hockey, viewers thought that the promo was a clue that the next Bachelorette is from Canada. There were two contestants The Bachelor Season 28 who are from Canada: Maria and Lexi Young, a 30-year-old Digital Strategist who is originally from Toronto. Lexi was sent home in Week 7.
“Ok so for the two ads I’ve seen for the casting of men for the new bachelorette they’ve made two Canada references ( something about slap shot which is hockey lingo and they asked in French in the second one ) MARIA THE BACHELORETTE!????? #thebachelor,” a user tweeted after the promo. Another user wrote, “From that promo I think Maria is the next Bachelorette. I mean I love hockey and I’m not from Canada. It is strongly associated with Cananda though. Slapshot at love #TheBachelor.” One more user tweeted, “Be on the next season of Bachelorette… slapshot…hockey…Canada…. #TheBachelor#TheBachelor.”
A source also claimed to DeuxMoi in March 2024 that Maria was the next Bachelorette. “Also, Maria is the next Bachelorette unless something goes seriously awry. Was decided a long time ago,” the source said. Maria also responded to rumors she was the next Bachelorette in an interview with E! News after she was sent home on The Bachelor Season 28. “I’m in awe of it,” Maria said. “I always wanted to be on the show, but not once did I ever think I could get the opportunity to be the Bachelorette.” She continued, “Maybe the second time I’d do it better. And I would get my head in the game. Well, actually, I’d get out of my head.”
Maria also explained what she learned from her time on The Bachelor Season 28, telling E! News that she wished she “took a second to myself to take a couple deep breaths and [tell myself], ‘Don’t do anything that’s going to jeopardize this.’ Hindsight is 20/20.”
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To get more of an inside scoop, check out Los Angeles Times writer Amy Kaufman’s book, Bachelor Nation: Inside the World of America’s Favorite Guilty Pleasure, for a deep dive into the Bachelor franchise. The book uncovers the secrets of Bachelor Nation, from how much the Bachelor and the Bachelorette are paid to the rules contestants have to follow, that producers don’t want fans to know. It’s a must-read for any Bachelor Nation member.
