The Bachelor spoilers: Joey is about to eliminate a fan-favorite at hometowns

Get ready for some drama, Bachelor Nation, because Joey Graziadei is about to serve up one of the season's most shocking eliminations during hometowns with a favorite from this season being set hope just weeks before the season finale.

With hometowns arriving, Joey is heading off to the hometown of his final four women: Rachel Nancy, Daisy Kent, Maria Georgas, and Kelsey Anderson. As we've seen in the last few weeks, with the finale getting closer, Joey and the women are starting to feel the pressure growing now more than ever and Joey's relationships are being tested in ways we've not seen all season long.

Hometowns are always a game changer and this season promises to bring with it a shocking elimination as Joey sends home a woman that many fans have been rooting for since day one. Who exactly is Joey about to send packing? Well, this is where we start getting into the spoilers so allow me to drop the usual spoiler warning before we get into the details!

Rachel Nancy, Daisy Kent and Kelsey Anderson make it to Joey's Final 3

That's right, during the hometown dates, Joey is going to eliminate Maria Georgas, who has become a favorite for fans this season and who many thought would make it all the way to the end!

Reality Steve confirmed that Maria gets eliminated during the hometowns rose ceremony and fans can expect Maria to be sent home just shy of overnight dates. The news is definitely disappointing for fans who have been rooting for Maria, but it's not as surprising after the events of the last few episodes.

Ahead of hometowns, Maria seemed ready to walk away from the show as she began to struggle with the reality of sharing Joey with the other women in the competition. While Maria was candid that she knows it's all part of the process, as her feelings began to grow stronger so did her struggles with seeing Joey forming strong connections with others and it looked like she was going to self-eliminate before she collected herself and returned to finish the conversation with Joey.

While Maria seemed to patch things up with Joey in the moment and got a rose ensuring she would get a hometown, Joey admitted that Maria's actions raised some red flags with him telling her, "I need someone that’s in it, fully. I don’t need an apology. What I need is you feeling like you can still be here.”

Clearly, that encounter was a turning point in the pair's connection, and at hometowns, after meeting Joey's family, he makes the decision not to move forward in pursuing their relationship. Maria is sent home ahead of overnights and with her goes one of the season's standout contestants who Bachelor Nation has enjoyed rooting for all season long.

Maria is in the running for Bachelorette

While Maria Georgas does not win The Bachelor, her time on the show has made her a contender to become the next Bachelorette. Although ABC has not yet selected its next Bachelorette, Reality Steve has indicated that Maria is one of two women still in the race to become the next Bachelorette lead which honestly isn't surprising.

Maria has been a fan-favorite throughout Joey's season of The Bachelor, and ABC tends to pick contestants that get the fans talking to lead The Bachelorette.

Of course, what could hurt Maria's odds of becoming the next Bachelorette is the fact that she is a bit more of a wild card as the show tends to like leads they can manage a bit easier. Given Maria almost walked away from the show due to struggles with Joey forming connections with multiple women, we don't know how she would handle being the lead where she would be in the same spot Joey has been in this season. Perhaps she'd be better for Bachelor in Paradise where she would absolutely be a standout among the cast.