Maria Georgas has admitted that she lied to Joey Graziadei about why she wanted to quit The Bachelor right before hometown dates.
ADVERTISEMENT
When Joey had Maria and five other women left on The Bachelor's 28th season -- Daisy Kent, Jenn Tran, Kelsey Toussant, Kelsey Anderson, and Rachel Nance -- Maria appeared to spiral in Jasper, Canada after watching Joey make out with Jenn during a group date.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
"It made me sick to my stomach," a seemingly jealous Maria vented to The Bachelor cameras, before telling Joey that she wanted to feel "chosen" by him.
"Bringing you to meet my family, knowing that you are that way with these other women, it just doesn't sit right with me... It's gotten the best of me, and I don't know if I can do this anymore."
ADVERTISEMENT
But Maria confessed on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast that she had a different motive for wanting to leave the show early -- and that Joey's makeout session with Jenn was just an "excuse" she came up with.
"So here's the thing, and I'm going to be very, very honest with you, in that moment, should I say it?... I'm going to be honest about something: Jenn and I -- so Jenn kissed him on the group date," Maria told Alex Cooper on the podcast's April 30 episode.
"I went up to her. You know when you're very self-aware and you know your place in things? I just knew that Joey and I were never going to be endgame. Could I have made it further? Sure, 100 percent."
Maria insisted that she and Joey did have a connection, adding, "I just didn't think I was going to be endgame [for him] and that he was going to be endgame for me."
Maria elaborated, "So I told Jenn that day that I was going to use [her kiss with Joey] as an excuse to leave Joey."
ADVERTISEMENT
Maria boasted about spilling "the tea," and then Alex asked for more specific details on what went down.
"So there's a scene when Jenn kisses Joey, and that's where I'm like, 'Ugh, Jenn kissing Joey, I am disgusted!' But, you know, I was very close to her, and I just felt like I needed a way out," Maria confessed.
"It had nothing to do with Joey. Joey is great. Joey is actually such a catch, and I'm so happy he found happiness with someone who loves him so much. I'm so happy for him and [Kelsey A.]; I just knew it wasn't going to be me."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW: WHOM DID 'THE BACHELORETTE' STARS AND THEIR BACHELOR PICKS ULTIMATELY END UP WITH?! (PHOTOS)
Maria told Alex that she needed "a way out" and Jenn's PDA-moment with Joey was just the ticket.
ADVERTISEMENT
"I used Jenn kissing him in that moment, and that pissing me off, as an excuse to leave," Maria clarified.
Maria, however, said she changed her mind and decided to stay in The Bachelor competition because Joey genuinely fought for her to stick around.
Joey gave Maria a rose that night, eliminating Kelsey T. and, ironically, Jenn.
"When he [fought] for me to stay, I was kind of like, 'Okay, sh-t, maybe I'm misguided. I need to be in this.' And that's kind of how I felt during hometowns," Maria shared.
"He fought for me so hard, whether or not they showed that in its entirety... so when it became time for hometowns, I was like, 'Okay, I'm dropping my walls. I'm going to give this my all.'"
ADVERTISEMENT
Maria shared, "But that moment in Jasper when I was trying to leave, it was a little bit of a [scheme]. I was just trying to give him a way out."
Maria clarified that she wasn't jealous or upset about Joey's relationship with the other women, adding, "I knew what I signed up for."
Maria also confirmed that she did have feelings for Joey on The Bachelor and she was "in it" to win it by the time her hometown date rolled around.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' COUPLES NOW: WHO DID 'THE BACHELOR' STARS AND THEIR BACHELORETTE PICKS ACTUALLY END UP MARRYING? (PHOTOS)
"But I didn't know where he was at, and there was some sort of disconnect. But when he fought for me, I was like, 'Okay, this is something that could be real. Stop f-cking this up,'" Maria concluded.
"And then during hometowns, I fully dropped my walls, and then I was sent home. And I was like, 'Okay! This is why I protect myself.'"
Maria waited until the Rose Ceremony following hometown dates to tell Joey that she was falling in love with him. Although she was vulnerable and finally expressed her true feelings, Joey sent her packing in favor of Daisy, Kelsey A. and Rachel.
Joey ultimately chose Kelsey A. as his winner, and the couple got engaged during his The Bachelor finale. They are still together and planning a move to New York City in July or August this year.
After her The Bachelor stint, Maria was asked to star on The Bachelorette's 21st season, and she initially accepted the offer. However, Maria admitted she backed out last minute.
Jenn was therefore announced as the new The Bachelorette star during The Bachelor: After the Final Rose, which aired in late March on ABC, and her season is already underway.
"She is the most perfect Bachelorette in my eyes," Maria gushed of Jenn. "I couldn't think of anyone better to do this. She was so ready for it, and that was enough for me to say, 'Yeah, this is not my time.'"
ADVERTISEMENT
Maria said, however, she's "super appreciative" and "grateful" for all of the fan support.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
Interested in more The Bachelor news? Follow our Bachelor Nation News Page on Facebook or join our The Bachelor Facebook Group!