Why Maria Georgas backed out of being the next 'Bachelorette' — plus everything else we learned from the 'Bachelor' star's 'Call Her Daddy' episode

While Maria Georgas might not have been a finalist during the most recent season of "The Bachelor," the Canadian reality TV star won over the hearts of thousands — and fans are excited to hear what she has to say now. As the latest guest on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast, hosted by Alex Cooper, Georgas opened up about her time on the long-running dating series, what her love life currently looks like and the reason behind her rejecting a second chance as a "Bachelorette" lead.

📺 Recap: How was Georgas's time on 'The Bachelor'?

On the 28th season of "The Bachelor," Georgas was amongst the 32 contestants vying for Joey Graziadei, a 28-year-old tennis pro who was the runner-up on season 20 of "The Bachelorette." Making it into the final four, Georgas's time on the series came to a surprising end after she brought Graziadei to meet her family near Niagara Falls.

Georgas was bold and outgoing, aiming to come on the show being an accurate representation of herself. But within the Bachelor Masion, the Kleinburg, Ont.-native wasn't entirely received in the best light by a few of the other women.

"The last thing I thought I was going to have problems with were the girls," she said on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast, noting she had also brought this up to Graziadei. "I thought I was going to be like them. I thought the only problem I would have is if I liked him (Graziadei) or not, or if we can really see each other becoming something."

👵 She was worried she would be an older contestant on the show

She recalled one moment on the show when fellow contestant Madina Alam, 31, had been talking about feeling insecure about her age. Georgas, 29, had later been recapping the night with a friend afterwards, until she said Sydney Gordon, 28, was listening in on the conversation and confronted them.

"I can get insecure with my age, too, 100 per cent. I have felt insecure about it," Georgas noted. "But going into 'The Bachelor' knowing that sometimes they cast 23 year olds, I knew going into it I was like, 'I probably am going to be the oldest one in the house.' I was trying to think positively so I didn't get into that mindset."

🫂 Georgas wanted to support her peers in the house

Georgas said she went into the "Bachelor" experience "humble," explaining that she finds it weird to believe other people could be jealous of her since she's not necessarily the best of the best.

"I don't look at things like that," she shared. "I went into this 'Bachelor' world being like, 'I'm not going to be the prettiest girl in the room, I'm not going to be the best dressed, I'm not going to be the most exciting to look at or be with.' I said, 'I'm going to be myself and if it works, it works.' I was so self-aware going into it, so it's funny that people see it as confidence.

"I genuinely went in there being like, 'I'm going to be supportive of everyone around me. I'm also not going to think I'm that great.'"

🌹 Georgas embraces dating, emotions differently post-'Bachelor'

Now, Georgas admitted she's "a whole different person" when it comes to dating. While on "The Bachelor," opening up and being vulnerable wasn't something that came naturally for her.

"When I'm going to open up to someone, and I feel it initially, that initial attraction to me is so hard to come by. I don't just have it for anyone," Georgas shared. "But when I do, I'm not playing those games. ... I'm so open to letting myself be happy for the first time where I've realized this is what I want."

In terms of approaching romantic relationships now, Georgas added she's hoping to find someone the "old-school" way.

"I just want someone to come up to me while I'm grocery shopping, or at a bookstore even though I don't even read, I'll just be there one day," she joked. "I just want to meet someone the way [it was] back in the day — no social media."

Experiencing "The Bachelor" gave Georgas a good opportunity to learn that being in tune with your emotions and being vulnerable is both healthy and necessary for a strong relationship.

"Being on 'The Bachelor,' it showed my friends and family that I am a lot more emotional than they've ever seen me," Georgas shared. "That was probably the hardest thing watching it back, was having my friends see how much I cried because I don't cry. That's just not my thing, I am not that girl. So, they couldn't believe it.

"But I did, it opened me up. It allowed me to know that it's OK to be vulnerable and to let my feelings out. It's better sooner than later because a guy that likes you and wants something with you should know how you feel because that's the only way you guys are going to move forward, and I totally get it now."

🥀 Why wasn't Maria Georgas the next 'Bachelorette'?

What had been on the minds of many fans is whether Georgas would be the next lead for "The Bachelorette," a role that ultimately went to 26-year-old physician assistant Jenn Tran. But before that news was announced in March, Georgas was so "set in stone" to be cast for season 21 of the series that she said she had already begun fittings.

"I was offered the role," she said. "It was mine until I said it wasn't. It became very overwhelming to the point where I had to decline."

While taking in everyone's excitement for her to be on "The Bachelorette," she said she took a step back and questioned herself on why she wasn't necessarily feeling as happy or excited about the opportunity.

"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,'" Georgas said. "I was not in the right headspace for this. ... I didn't want to waste anyone's time and it was kind of hard for me to jump right back into it, honestly."

Noting she had a supportive production team behind her, she said it's likely a season of her leading "The Bachelorette" would've been "great" but she wanted to come back home, check-in with reality and be around her loved ones.

"As much as I wanted to have my time off, I also wanted Jenn to have her moment. ... I couldn't think of anyone better to do this and she was so ready for it," Georgas added. "That was enough for me to say, 'Yeah this is not my time.'"

Moreover, Georgas reminded people that what viewers saw while watching this season of "The Bachelor" was only half of what she had experienced while filming. Even though she did have time off before the season aired earlier this year, she noted she was "so anxious" and felt so isolated in the moment.

"I just wasn't comfortable," she said. "I wasn't mentally prepared for it."

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