“The Bachelor”'s Maria Georgas Says Bachelorette Role Was 'Mine Until I Said It Wasn't': 'Very Overwhelming'

"I need to take a step back. I was not in the right headspace for this," Georgas told Alex Cooper on 'Call Her Daddy'

Maria Georgas was almost the next Bachelorette.

As a guest on Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast, The Bachelor alum, 29, revealed that she was offered the role of the upcoming season’s leading lady. In fact, the casting had been so “set in stone” that she began doing fittings.

“It was mine until I said it wasn’t,” she told Cooper, 29. “It became very overwhelming to the point where I had to decline.”

Despite everyone around her being “so supportive,” Georgas said she still felt unhappy.

Related: Bachelor Contestant Does Quick-Change During Date with Joey Graziadei — and Wows Him with an Even Sexier Look!

“Why am I not excited about this?” she asked herself. “It took me realizing that it’s not my time where I was like, guys, respectfully, I need to decline. I need to take a step back. I was not in the right headspace for this.”

She explained that she “didn’t wanna waste anyone’s time,” empathizing with her potential suitors over the “extensive process” of getting on the show.

Although Georgas won’t be the one handing out roses on The Bachelorette’s next season, she supports fellow castmate Jenn Tran, who she called “the most perfect bachelorette.”

“I couldn’t think of anyone better to do this,” the executive assistant said. “She was so ready for it, and that was enough for me to say, yeah, it’s not my time.”

PEOPLE has reached out to ABC for comment.

Related: Meet the New Bachelorette Star Jenn Tran, Who Makes History This Season

As a contestant on season 28 of The Bachelor, Georgas placed fourth in the competition to win the heart of tennis pro Joey Graziadei. In the end, Graziadei, 28, proposed to junior project manager Kelsey Anderson in Tulum, Mexico.

During her time on The Bachelor, Georgas had disagreements with contestants Lea Cayanan, Sydney Gordon and Jess Edwards. Following the "Women Tell All" special, she told PEOPLE that she considered her beef with Cayanan, 23, and Gordon, 28, “finished and squashed.”

As for her issues with Edwards, 25, Georgas said, “I don’t know yet. To be continued.”

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