The Bachelor star Joey Graziadei has explained why he believes Maria Georgas is "misunderstood" on the show.
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"I don't have any idea what happened [amongst the women]. You guys are seeing as much as I'm seeing," Joey, 28, explained in an interview with Us Weekly when asked about conflict between Maria and the other bachelorettes.
"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."
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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."
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On The Bachelor's 28th season, Madina Alam admitted that she felt bullied by Maria -- a comment she has since come to regret. And then Sydney Gordon voiced how she also felt bullied by Maria.
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, and Joey ultimately gave Maria a rose and sent Sydney packing during a two-on-one date in Malta.
"I think what I always go back to, though, is that she had a strong connection with me and I always, in this situation, was trying to focus on the connections," Joey explained of Maria.
"I can't control what goes on in the house. All I can control is the opportunity to get to know these women the best that I can from what I see and what we talk through. So the reason why Maria stayed, the reason why she's still around, is because we have a connection that was building and I wanted to see it through."
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After Sydney got eliminated, her close friend in the mansion, Lea Cayanan, was upset to discover that Maria was still in the picture, and then Maria also angered and frustrated Jess Edwards, who thought the brunette bombshell was being "rude" and "disrespectful" for stealing Joey's time in Spain when she already had a rose.
"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," Joey told Us. "That's always how it's going to be."
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Joey shared how he has "nothing but appreciation" for all of the women who appeared on his The Bachelor season.
"I have nothing but appreciation for each of the women, the ones that have left [and] the ones that are still here. I think everyone should continue to lead with kindness and realize that this is a very tough situation that we get put into," The Bachelor star concluded.
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Joey opened up about whether he thought bullying claims against Maria were valid during the February 21 episode of Live with Kelly and Mark.
"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, Mark continued, "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."
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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."
Maria recently teased that "things will come to light" soon regarding the drama on Joey's season.
Earlier this month, Sydney accused Maria on Instagram of gaslighting women on The Bachelor, 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 at least have support from Jenn Tran, Edwina Dorbor, Allison Hollinger, and Lexi Young during filming -- has asked fans to be kind and positive, and she admitted last week that she was "not innocent" in the drama either.
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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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