It was the gasp heard around the world when the women realized that Sydney Gordon was eliminated from the show amid the bullying controversy involving Maria Georgas.
After the feuding duo left the mansion for an awkward two-on-one date with Joey Graziadei, the remaining cast found out Sydney was gone when they wheeled her suitcase from the room.
Now, Lexi Young is opening up about the tense moment when Maria walked back into the mansion to a silent room filled with a few salty women.
Yes, we’re looking at you, Lea Cayanan, as she stepped into the villain role and set her sights on Maria the moment Sydney left.
However, Lexi has some regrets about not speaking up for Maria during the awkward moment.
The brunette beauty recently opened up about the drama on the show and explained why she since apologized to Maria.
Here’s why Lexi Young apologized to Maria Georges
Lexi was a guest on Bachelor Happy Hour, where she dished about The Bachelor draw with Joe Amabile and Serena Pitt.
Lexi touched on the moment Maria returned to the house with a rose from Joey, and instead of a warm welcome, the women were silent.
“That night was hard, I’m not gonna lie,” said the 30-year-old. “I’ve since had a conversation with Maria and apologized to her because I wish I spoke up that night.”
“She didn’t deserve to walk into a silent room, that wasn’t fair to her…it was horrible for her,” added Lexi.
The Atlanta native told the Bachor Nation alums that she should have told Maria she was proud of her for getting the rose since her connection with Joey is undeniable.
However, you know that they say, “Hindsight is 20/20.” Instead, Maria was like a lone wolf, and the attack didn’t end when Sydney left.
Ultimately, the Season 28 star affirmed that the 29-year-old “didn’t do anything wrong.”
Lexi thinks ‘jealousy’ is the core of the bullying drama on The Bachelor
During the podcast chat, Lexi also shared why she feels so many of her castmates set their sights on Maria and tried to get her eliminated.
There’s one word for why the Canadian beauty was being targeted – jealousy!
“I’m 30, I’m confident in who I am. If I was 24 I’d be jealous of Maria too,” admitted Lexi, who noted that it can be intimidating to be in a room with someone as “confident” and “stunning as Maria.”
“There might have been some jealousy there, just seeing how strong of a connection Maria and Joey had,” she added.
The Bachelor airs on Mondays at 8/7c on ABC.