Maria Georgas had doubts about continuing on The Bachelor journey, but she chose to stick with it and fight for Joey Graziadei.
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Maria is a 29-year-old executive assistant from Kleinburg, Ontario in Canada.
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Joey said he feels a strong physical attraction to -- and emotional connection with -- Maria, but she was involved in a lot of drama earlier in the season and started to spiral and get inside her head during her time in Canada.
"When I'm with Maria, we have fun, we laugh, we enjoy the day, and we don't take things so serious. We just beat when we're together," The Bachelor star gushed in a confessional. "She just has this way about her."
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Joey added, "I want to be in this with her and spend all of this time with her. That's telling! I can see a future with Maria."
After a wonderful and romantic one-on-one date in Montreal in which Maria found herself falling for Joey, Maria struggled to watch Joey with his other bachelorettes during a subsequent group date in Jasper.
Maria nearly quit The Bachelor because she hated the idea of introducing a man to her family who was still dating other women, but Joey told the bachelorette that he'd never quit on her and he desired a woman who would follow through with the process and ultimately trust it.
Maria gave Joey the reassurance he needed, and so he ended up giving her a rose, making the bachelorette one of his Final 4 women on The Bachelor's 28th season.
Until The Bachelor viewers find out what happens next between Maria and Joey, let's learn some information about Maria right now.
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Below is a list of 10 facts Reality TV World has compiled about The Bachelor bachelorette Maria Georgas.
Maria is a bold and outgoing woman
Maria isn't afraid to speak her mind and go for what her heart wants, according to ABC.The Canadian brunette says she's done with short-term flings and "situationships," and that she's ready to settle down with her perfect match.
"That's when you know you've found someone special. When you can stfu for a minute and comfortably enjoy the silence," Maria wrote on Instagram.
Maria also told BachelorNation.com that she's a loyal woman with a big heart, adding, "When I love you, you'll get all of me. I want to take on life with you and be your biggest supporter. As long as you're good to me, believe I'll be good to you."
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Maria is a well-rounded woman with many different interests
Maria is a black belt in Taekwondo karate and she has a love for a big plate of spaghetti -- al dente is her preferred way to have it cooked -- as well as horror movies.The Bachelor bachelorette also loves dining out, drinking wine and hanging out with her friends.
Maria wants a man who can embrace her passions, and although Maria loves horror, she hopes Joey won't ghost her.
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The Toronto-born bachelorette has a background in acting
Maria was once an actress. She acted in The Pacifier starring Vin Diesel in 2005, according to IMDb.ADVERTISEMENT
Maria also tried to make it as a model at one point. In February 2020, Maria posted a video of herself modeling and wrote, "My modeling career lasted as long as this video."
Maria has over 20,000 followers on Instagram and over 8,000 followers on YouTube.
Maria survived a serious car accident, after which her mother left her
When Maria was only one-year-old, a cement truck fell ontop of her mother's car. Maria was announced dead at the scene, but she ultimately survived and was dubbed "a miracle" in local newspapers."My mom broke almost every bone in her body and went through a big depression. Being at a young age, I didn't understand or recognize any of that. My mom wasn't around for most of my childhood, and she wasn't capable of being the mother that she really wanted to be," Maria has shared.
Maria said her father stuck by her mother's side during that difficult time and she always tries to see the positives in things.
Maria and her mother's relationship is still a work in progress, but they remain in contact.
The Bachelor bachelorette was raised by men
After Maria's mother was in that car wreck, she allegedly became depressed and left Maria at a young age.Maria therefore has a very close relationship with her father, who raised her, and she's a big daddy's girl.
When Maria's dad turned 60-years-old, she wrote on Instagram in June 2023, "The man, the myth, the legend. Happy Birthday pops. 60 never looked better. Love you!!! Enjoy Bahamas, don't go in shark infested waters."
And in 2019, Maria called her dad "the best man" in her life, adding, "Love you dad!!"
Maria believes she's a catch -- and so does Bachelor Nation!
The Bachelorette Season 20 star Charity Lawson supported Maria in the comments section of Maria's January 31 Instagram post.ADVERTISEMENT
Maria wrote alongside photos -- both sexy and funny -- of herself, "Let me slip into something more comfortable."
And Charity commented, "It's giving main character, comedian, real, hot, yup I'm invested!"
Other members of Bachelor Nation have also been raving about Maria on social media -- including Demi Burnett, Jess Girod, Greer Blitzer -- who have dubbed her a "queen" and an "icon."
Demi commented on a February 24 Instagram post, "I am afraid of how much I love you."
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Maria asks The Bachelor viewers to "stay positive and kind"
Maria recently wrote via Instagram Stories, "Emotions are high but please stay positive and kind to everyone involved."Maria preaches kindness because she was bullied when she was younger. Maria knows how it feels to be bullied, and so she insists she'd never make another person feel that way.
Sydney, however, recently posted a video ranting about gaslighting, and it appeared to be aimed at Maria.
Maria admits she was "not innocent" in all The Bachelor drama
Maria took to TikTok on February 19 to discuss her rift with several bachelorettes -- Sydney, Jess and Lea -- on Joey's The Bachelor season."I really want to give grace to all of the women that were involved," Maria stated.
"Being in an environment like this, it heightens everything. Your emotions -- everything is just overwhelming, and so it does get the best of us at times. It did get the best of me, and I think you guys got to see that on the [February 13] episode."
Maria confessed she had reached a "breaking point" at that point in the process.
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As viewers probably recall, Maria had threatened to quit the show during her time in Malta, and she also snapped at Jess when confronted about monopolizing Joey's time in Spain.
"I just want to say that I'm not innocent in this," Maria clarified.
"You know, I think I like to say that I am a woman who speaks her mind and will defend herself at all costs. That's just how I was raised. But, yeah, if I could go back, honestly, I would do things differently, especially when whatever you're going to say or do is just not going to make the other person happy."
Maria admitted that next time she's in a similar situation, she's just "going to zip it," and she added, "When I was first told I was going to be on The Bachelor, the last thing I thought was that I was going to be in drama."
Maria insisted, "I didn't go into that house looking for trouble, I really didn't. I wanted to make friends, make memories, and then make a love connection. That's literally it."
Maria was in a "dark place" and felt "ugly" prior to The Bachelor
Maria was in another serious car accident, by herself, following the wreck she had been in with her mom.ADVERTISEMENT
Maria revealed on social media she had gotten into "a really, really bad car accident" in 2018.
"It brought me to a really dark place. Now, looking back, I can talk about it, because when I was in the moment, I didn't want to see my friends and I didn't want to see my family," Maria shared.
"I felt ugly. I just, I don't know, I didn't see what the meaning of life was anymore. It was just a hard time for me. It was not a good place to be in, and it was not a good headspace to be in. It was terrible."
Maria said she's so grateful to have "the most amazing friends and family," who helped her "get out of that" emotional and mental struggle.
"I couldn't push them away for too long, so they made it a thing to help me get out of that, and I'm really glad that they did. That's why I choose to be as positive as I can every day and just be grateful for another day on Earth," Maria said.
Joey says Maria was "misunderstood" by the other bachelorettes
"I don't have any idea what happened [amongst the women]. You guys are seeing as much as I'm seeing," Joey explained to Us Weekly about his experience filming.ADVERTISEMENT
"Because every conversation I had with them was one-on-one. I didn't get to see the group settings. I think that Maria can sometimes be misunderstood."
The tennis pro continued, "I get that she explained that herself -- that she's a little rough around the edges and was surprised that she didn't get along with a lot of the women in the house."
Joey reiterated, "It's hard to speak on that stuff because I still haven't seen all of it and America still hasn't seen all of it. That's always how it's going to be."
Joey shared how he has "nothing but appreciation" for all of the women who appeared on his The Bachelor season.
Joey also said on the show, "I don't know if you could ever fully understand Maria."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
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Click here to learn more about Joey's The Bachelor bachelorettes or click here to read spoilers that reveal how Joey's season ends and who he picked as his winner.
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