Maria Georgas Rises as a ‘Bachelorette’ Favorite: A Deep Dive Into ‘The Bachelor’ Darling’s Life Offscreen
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Maria Georgas may no longer be in the running for Joey Graziadei’s love on The Bachelor, but she’s captured the hearts of Bachelor Nation. She’s become the breakout star of Season 28 and fans are campaigning hard for Maria to become the star of The Bachelorette Season 21.
During ABC’s Women Tell All special on March 18, Maria adits down with Joey for the first time since he sent her home. Ever since the 29-year-old was eliminated, fans have wanted to see her get closure with Joey and discuss all that drama with some of the other contestants. The Women Tell All is sure to keep the Maria fans fed.
With so much hype around Maria, fans have been clamoring for more details about Season 28’s fan favorite. From her family to her dating history, here’s the full breakdown of everything we know about Maria.
What Does Maria Do For a Living?
Maria works as an executive assistant in Kleinburg, Ontario, according to her ABC bio. When she’s not working or falling in love, Maria keeps her martial arts skills sharp. She’s got a black belt in Taekwondo.
Where Have You Seen Maria Before?
If you’re a fan of the Vin Diesel movie The Pacifier as well as The Bachelor, you may have spotted Maria. The Canadian was an aspiring actress who plays “Firefly #1” in the family comedy. Her character is one of the Firefly Scouts alongside Morgan York, who plays Lulu Plummer. The role is Maria’s only film credit.
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The Pacifier was released in 2005, so Maria was just a kid when she made the film. Back in 2017, Maria shared an adorable throwback photo featuring Diesel from her days on The Pacifier set.
Maria’s Dating History
Bachelor Nation fans know all about Maria’s relationship with Joey, but what about her romantic life before The Bachelor? These days, Maria keeps her dating life off social media except for The Bachelor.
However, fans have uncovered that Maria seemingly dated Kai Bent-Lee in the past. Bent-Lee, son of esteemed chef Susur Lee, is one of Drake’s close friends, and they even partnered to open the Toronto restaurant Fring’s. It’s unclear when Maria and Kai got together and later split, but she supposedly appeared in some of Kai’s vlogs when they were together.
Will Maria Become the Next Bachelorette?
ABC has not announced who the star of The Bachelorette Season 21 will be, but Maria is a top choice among fans. Fans believe a season of The Bachelorette with Maria at the center could be an “all-timer.” See some of their pro-Maria tweets below:
Maria has to be the bachelorette, it’s non negotiable 🌹#TheBachelor
— theCKC (@TheCKCgaming) March 12, 2024
I need Maria’s season of The Bachelorette so bad, like this could be an all-timer
— Patrick Swayne (@pswayne7) March 12, 2024
https://twitter.com/girlsrunthecity/status/1767967308381626456
After her elimination, Maria posted a lengthy Instagram message about her journey on The Bachelor. “The love and support I’ve received has been incredible, I am truly in awe of it and it doesn’t go unnoticed. I can’t express enough how much it means to me,” she wrote. Maria also added at the end, “I didn’t get the man but I got the most amazing support behind me and for that I will be just fine.”
The network likely won’t announce the next Bachelorette until the After the Final Rose special following the March 25 finale.
Who Is Maria’s Dad?
Maria’s dad is a modern-day Willy Wonka. The uber-suave Nick Georgas owns a sprinkle company called Jubilee Candy. He’s been the president of the company for over 15 years, according to his LinkedIn. Nick has been working in the candy business since he was 10 years old.
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During Maria’s hometown date, Joey had an honest conversation with her dad. Nick recalled the “worst day” of his life when Maria and her mom got into a car accident. “She’s my angel. She’s my princess,” Nick told Joey about his daughter. He encouraged his daughter to give this relationship with Joey a “chance” and said he would give Joey his blessing to marry her. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t meant to be with Maria and Joey.
What Happened With Maria’s Mom?
Earlier on in the season, Maria opened up to Joey about her complicated relationship with her mother, Lori, and the car accident that nearly killed them both.
“A semi truck basically fell on top of my mom’s car. It was really bad. It’s crazy to even think about,” Maria said. “My car seat was in, like, pieces. I was literally announced dead at the scene. It was in newspapers as a miracle at the time. It was a very scary situation.”
After the accident, Maria’s mom went through a “big depression.” Lori wasn’t around that much during Maria’s childhood, and Maria was raised mostly by her dad. “My mom and I are still a work in progress,” she said. “It’s been so much better. She thought you were so cute and she’s going to be excited to hopefully meet you.” When Maria brought Joey home to meet her family, Lori was there to support her daughter.
The Bachelor, Season 28, Mondays, 8/7c, ABC
