What happened between Sydney and Maria on The Bachelor? A complete breakdown

Sydney and Maria were contestants on Season 28 of The Bachelor. The two have been embroiled in a dramatic feud after Sydney took offence at Maria’s comments about the age of recently eliminated contestant Madina. This led to drama in the house and a tense two-on-one date, ending with Sydney being sent home and Maria staying.

Key takeaways

• Sydney Gordon and Maria Georgas had a tense feud on The Bachelor Season 28.
• The conflict stemmed from Maria's comments about Madina's age, which Sydney perceived as dismissive.
• Sydney accused Maria of bullying and questioned her character in a conversation with Joey, further escalating the situation.
• Joey later sent Sydney home after a two-on-one date with Maria.

Profile summary

What happened between Sydney and Maria on The Bachelor?

Sydney Gordon and Maria Georgas had one of the most talked-about feuds on the reality show The Bachelor, Season 28. Their conflict began when Sydney accused Maria of being insensitive toward another contestant, which quickly escalated. Below is a full breakdown of how the drama unfolded.

The genesis of Sydney and Maria’s conflict

Maria and Sydney’s conflict began when Maria commented on fellow contestant Madina Alam's age. Maria told Madina, 31 years old during her time on the show, that she should not feel insecure about being the oldest in the house. She said,

Madina, you are 31. Own it. Joey probably loves it.

Sydney interpreted this as mocking and told Madina that Maria was making fun of her. Madina then informed Joey that she felt "bullied," though she did not name Maria directly. Sydney, however, explicitly accused Maria of being disrespectful and verbally attacking her, which Maria denied.

On 9 February 2024, after the episodes aired, Madina took to Instagram to set the record straight. She said:

I’m gonna make this short and sweet. Do I regret using the word ‘bully’? Yes….Will I always use the right words at the right times, especially when I’m feeling a lot of different emotions? Absolutely not.

Despite her regret, the ABC star stood by her February 5 conversation with Joey on The Bachelor. She said:

What I will never ever regret, even if it gives me backlash, is opening up and being vulnerable

Sydney and Maria’s two-on-one date in Malta

Maria and Sydney’s fight got worse during a two-on-one date with Joey in Malta. Joey wanted to fix the issues between them, so he took them on a boat ride through the Mediterranean Sea. He spoke to each of them one-on-one.

Sydney used her time to tell Joey that Maria had been rude and disrespectful. She said Maria was not someone he would want as a wife. When Joey talked to Maria about what Sydney said, Maria strongly denied everything. She told Joey that Sydney was lying and said those things never happened.

Maria later told the cameras that she was done with Sydney and tired of the drama. In a separate on-camera interview, as stated by The Independent, Joey said he felt more confused than before because he did not know who was telling the truth and was afraid of making the wrong choice and hurting someone. He said:

I feel like I might be more confused than I was going into today now. I still don’t know the truth of what happened, so it’s very hard for me to put this drama behind because if I choose Maria, and what everything that Sydney is saying is true, no way that it gets left behind. If I choose Sydney and I find out that everything Maria said was true, I feel terrible. I take this seriously, so I do hope that I find some clarity tonight.

That night, the three of them had dinner together. In the end, Joey decided to give the rose to Maria and sent Sydney home.

Aftermath and continued drama

Following Sydney's exit from The Bachelor, Lea Cayanan, who had previously received the first impression rose, criticised Maria for being dramatic and questioned her intentions with Joey. This added pressure led Maria to a breaking point, where she considered leaving the show.

Despite the ongoing tension, Maria chose to stay and focus on her relationship with Joey. Later, in February 2024, Maria addressed the ongoing drama from the past four iconic episodes of Joey Graziadei’s season in a detailed TikTok video before episode six aired.

She opened up about how upset she felt at the end of episode 5, stating:

I think that what people fail to realize is that we’re all watching it at the same time. So a lot of the things that I’m hearing or I’m seeing that people are saying and doing — I’m hearing it for the first time and I’m seeing it for the first time. So it is tricky. It was hard to navigate in the house and in that environment, let alone watching it back.

In the video, Maria also acknowledged her part in the drama but made it clear she will not apologise for standing her ground. She stated:

I’m not innocent in this. I like to say that I am a woman who speaks her mind and will defend herself at all costs; that’s just how I was raised. But if I could go back, I would do things differently – especially when whatever you are gonna say or do is just not gonna make the other person happy. So next time I’m gonna just zip it.

Resolution on Women Tell All

On 18 March, during the Women Tell All special, Maria and Sydney from The Bachelor had an opportunity to address their feud directly. According to Decider, Sydney apologised and acknowledged her behaviour and called herself out as “annoying” when she said:

I was annoying. I watched it back. I was annoying. I was so cringey. So I hear you. I said things I don’t mean. We all said things we didn’t mean in the heat of the moment, so I don’t blame you for any of it and I just think that moving forward I should have been more resolution oriented instead of pointing the finger at you.

Maria appreciated the heartfelt apology message and said,

The hate that you have been getting on social media has crossed the line and it is something I do not condone or respect at all. Lea, you as well. I don’t want you guys to get hate. That’s not what I wanted out of this, I wanted us to be good.

Lea also apologised to Maria, and the three of them shared a group hug in front of Bachelor Nation, bringing a satisfying end to one of Season 28’s most confusing storylines.

In an interview with People, Maria briefly opened up about the women she feuded with during The Bachelor season 28. She admitted that she made up with them and can now confidently say that she has a lot of respect for them.

We actually made up and I respect those girls. I said this to Sydney, because she said to me, ‘I don't think you were this, that, and the other thing. I don't believe that anymore. I'm sorry that I said those things.’ And I was like, ‘You know what? I believe you didn't think those things of me. I think that you were just trying to go to bat for someone.

FAQs

1. Who are Sydney and Maria? Sydney and Maria are reality TV personalities best known as contestants on The Bachelor Season 28.
2. What are Sydney and Maria's ages? Sydney is 29 years old as of 2025, born on 28 July 1995, and Maria is 30 years old, born on 27 August 1994.
3. Where are Maria Georgas and Sydney Gordon from? Maria is from Kleinburg, Ontario, Canada, while Sydney hails from New Bedford, Massachusetts, and now resides in Newport, Rhode Island.
4. Are Maria and Sydney friends now? Maria and Sydney have reconciled and are now on friendly terms.
5. Did Sydney apologise to Maria? Sydney apologised to Maria during The Bachelor's Women Tell All special.
6. Was Maria bullied on The Bachelor? The reality star faced accusations of bullying during Season 28 of The Bachelor.
7. What happened to Sydney from The Bachelor? The TV personality was eliminated from The Bachelor after drama with Maria.

Sydney and Maria had one of the biggest fights on The Bachelor Season 28. Their drama started early and got worse over time, with Sydney accusing Maria of being rude and disrespectful. Later, during the Women Tell All special, Sydney apologised to Maria, and they worked things out.

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Source: Legit.ng