The Bachelor star Joey Graziadei has revealed if he thinks Maria Georgas was wrongfully accused of being a bully on his season.
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Tension heightened when Sydney called Maria a manipulative and catty "mean girl" and also told Joey, "She attacked me... She called me embarrassing, weird and dumb. I ended up walking away. I just couldn't be in that hostile environment."
But Maria denied the allegations and insisted that she'd never bully another woman, especially because she had been bullied as a young girl and therefore knows how terrible it feels.
Joey shared whether he thought bullying claims against Maria were valid during the Wednesday, February 21 episode of Live with Kelly and Mark.
"How do we solve a problem like Maria?" co-host Kelly Ripa joked.
"Tell us about Maria. It seems like she was unfairly accused of being a bully," co-host Mark Consuelos said.
After the live audience cheered and made it known that they agreed with Mark, Mark continued in his interview with The Bachelor star, "Did you know that these rumors weren't true? Did you have a sense?"
"Yeah, I think I tried to explain this as much as possible through the process too, but I don't see everything," Joey responded.
"When you see me on-camera talking to these women about it, that's all that I see. So I led with my connection, and my connection with Maria was always stronger."
Joey went on to share, "As for 'wrongfully accused,' I think the most important thing to talk about again is, like, it's very tough through this process. I think both women have put out videos and explained that it was tough for both of them and they're both not in the right."
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Joey said it's more about how the two women had gotten "lost in some moment" during filming.
"Instead of focusing on our connection, they were focusing on each other," Joey explained. "And that's something that hurts all of us."
Mark pointed out how he never trusts "a snitch," and Joey concluded, "That's fair. That's fair."
In a separate interview with Extra, Joey explained what he liked about Maria during his season.
"I think Maria is one of a kind, that's how I can describe her. I think she's her own person and she says things unapologetically," Joey told Extra.
"I think it was just a little different with her, and we always have fun. What you're seeing on the screen is us just enjoying our time and trying to make the most of it. She always says that she doesn't like to take things too seriously, and I think you can feel that."
Joey added how Maria "is great," but he clarified how the other bachelorettes in his Final 6 -- Daisy Kent, Jenn Tran, Kelsey Anderson, Kelsey Toussant, and Rachel Nance -- are wonderful as well.
"At this point, it's not a matter of who's great but rather who's great for me," Joey explained.
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During The Bachelor's February 12 and February 13 episodes, Joey eliminated Sydney on her two-on-one date with Maria, and Lea Cayanan, who had become best friends with Sydney, had an issue with Maria still being in the picture.
Jess Edwards then accused Maria of being "rude" and "disrespectful" for stealing Joey's time at the cocktail party in Spain when she already had a rose in hand.
Earlier this month, Sydney accused Maria of gaslighting women on The Bachelor via Instagram, but she has faced extreme backlash for how she had treated Maria and thrown her under the bus on The Bachelor.
Maria -- who appeared to have support from Jenn, Edwina Dorbor, Allison Hollinger, and Lexi Young during filming -- has asked fans to be kind and positive, and she admitted earlier this week that she was "not innocent" in the drama either.
On The Bachelor's latest episode that aired on Monday, February 19, Maria received a special one-on-one date with Joey in Montreal, Canada, in which they rode around in a limo and went shopping at a boutique for a beautiful gown.
The date ended with Joey giving Maria a rose.
During his time in Montreal, Lexi Young quit the show, and Joey eliminated Lea, Jess, and Katelyn DeBacker.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
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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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
