America’s Next Top Model 10: Why Marvita Is Not a Top Model

Well, at least we finally had a girl sent home whose name didn’t begin with the letter “A.” I’m going to be quite honest – I was never really sure what the judges saw in Marvita. If anything, I think she was brought back because Tyra likes her. Don’t get me wrong, I like Marvita, and I had a fun time interviewing her. However, when I look at her, not for a second do I think “top model.” I think she’d make out better doing public speaking or entertaining. She’s just not very modelesque in my mind. Doesn’t really matter though, since that’s not why we are here anyway!

The judges seemed to feel that Marvita had checked out of the competition, that she portrayed the same face in every photo and really just didn’t want to be there. Now, I didn’t notice the face thing until they showed all her photos at the end of the episode, but the judges were right – they all looked exactly the same! But could Marvita have turned it around? How did she do with following the Top Model Tips? Let’s take a look, since I’m curious to see if she could have worked it out.

We all know that the first tip is to be open to and welcome change. I think Marvita did great with this tip. She had no issues at all with change, and even though her makeover was terrible (I still don’t understand why they gave her a mullet), she just went along with it. Granted, I don’t think Marvita understood or knew how to maintain her new hair, but at least she didn’t cry and complain about it the way Brittany did when she received a weave and didn’t know what to do with it. The good thing about Marvita was that she was very adaptable. Since she had already been through so much in her life, it was second nature for her to just readjust and figure out how to make her new surroundings worked, and I applaud her for that. I don’t think Marvita had any problems at all with the first tip..

Knowing something about the fashion industry is the second tip. Here’s where we are already running into problems though. Marvita said it herself that she didn’t know much about the industry, and I think that really did hurt her. While the other girls were going out of their way to learn some things about what they are getting involved in, we saw Marvita getting drunk with Aimee drinking a 40 oz. Go figure. I mean, Marvita was fun and all, but you have to figure out why you are in the competition and go out of your way to learn about it. Marvita’s posing in the posing challenge was terrible, and it was clear that she had not been looking through magazines, catalogs, etc. to figure out what exactly was wanted. A little bit of studying goes a long way!

Practicing your walk, posing, and working on your flaws is tip number three, and another area that Marvita had some major issues with. Not until it was actually time for the photo shoot did we see Marvita trying some new poses in the mirror, and when you are doing something like that in the heat of the moment, it comes a little too little too late. Marvita didn’t have the worst walk on the planet, but it definitely wasn’t one of the best either, so that wasn’t going to carry her through. When you know you are having issues, and you know the judges are going to come down on you for having the same face in photos, you should be in front of that mirror every free second you have, to try and work on some new faces/poses and show the judges that you are versatile. Marvita didn’t do that at all.

The fourth tip is to have a personality. Now, I’m very torn on Marvita with this tip because when I talked to her she told me that in the house, she had a personality and was fun. However, when it came to being in front of the judges, she admitted that it was tough for her to be outgoing, since she was scared about what they would think of her photo. Here’s the problem – it doesn’t matter if you are outgoing with the other girls and have a personality around them. They aren’t judging you! You must show your personality to the judges, since they decide who stays and who goes.

Look at Melrose from Cycle 7. Melrose was hated by the other girls and never went out of her way to be nice to them. However, in front of the judges she smiled, laughed, and showed them that she was a genuine person. She made it to the final two, even though the other girls couldn’t stand her. It goes to show you that it doesn’t really matter how personable you are around the other girls, since it’s the judges that matter, and Marvita just didn’t show it to them.

The fifth tip says that you should focus on yourself, not the other girls. I think that Marvita did a pretty good job here. We never really saw her getting into the business of the other girls, except for a comment or two here and there. She was never really the center of any drama either. There were a few times that she would make comments about Fatima, but I’m going to let them slide since Fatima seemed to rub everyone in the house the wrong way. Again, I don’t think there is really much to say with this tip regarding Marvita, since she did a good job at just worrying about herself, so let’s move on.

Do not fight with the judges and roll with the punches is our next tip. There’s such a thing as following a tip too well, and I think that’s what Marvita did. When the judges wanted to know if she wanted to be there, Marvita basically just rolled over and let them do as they pleased. She never spoke up and really made it clear that she wanted to win the competition, so they sent her home. This tip doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t defend yourself if the judges ask you a question, but rather not to come off as snappy or insult them back. Marvita just didn’t do ANYTHING, and that was just as bad. If the judges directly ask you a question, especially if it’s something that could lead to your elimination, you need to tell them what they want to hear. Marvita didn’t fight with the judges, she just didn’t speak to them at all!.

Tip number seven says you need to show the judges that you want to win. Marvita told me in my interview with her that she wanted to win so badly, and that’s why she came back and tried out for a second time. But as I mentioned above, that never came across to the judges, and was pretty much the main reason that she was eliminated. If you want to win that badly, you need to step up and show it.

It’s clear that Marvita had the determination and the dedication to the competition, but if you don’t show the judges those traits, it doesn’t really matter. There was never a point where Marvita stood up and told the judges, even Jay Manuel, how badly she wanted this. If you’re quiet and want to show your determination through your pictures, that’s fine, but Marvita’s photos were sub par as well, so she should have showed her determination better. She failed miserably at this tip.

Showing confidence, not cockiness, is the final tip. I don’t think Marvita had a problem with this tip at all. She never seemed overconfident, and was appreciative to be there. It seemed like the other girls genuinely liked her, and even though she was a little rough around the edges, it never came off as being standoffish or cocky. I think Marvita is generally a good person, and that showed. Sure, like I said, she could be a little coarse at times, but in the end from knowing her story, it is to be expected. So as far as this tip goes, I’m going to give her a passing grade.

After going over the tips as they pertain to Marvita, it looks like they are split right down the middle as for the number she followed and the number she didn’t. Even the ones she didn’t follow though, could have been salvaged had Marvita just shown the judges a little bit more of how badly she wanted to win. You can’t go into a competition and just expect that people are going to know the passion that you have for it. Sure, Marvita didn’t know much about the modeling industry, but something must be driving her if she came back this season after being sent home so late in the semi-finals last year. The bottom line is that she didn’t show the judges her fire, and they misconstrued her nervousness as not wanting to really be a model. That is why Marvita is not a top model.

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out these other recent America’s Next Top Model articles:

Phil Kural is an office manager at a dental office, and graduated from Temple University with a degree in journalism. You can send feedback to him at pkural@gmail.com.

Be sure to sign up for our e-mail update so you can stay informed about new articles on the site! And take a look at the rest of the site. You can find all of our recent articles on this show at our America’s Next Top Model page and take a look at our sections on Dancing with the Stars and Survivor. You can even buy reality show stuff at our Reality TV Store!

For more news about America’s Next Top Model, be sure to check out SirLinksALot: America’s Next Top Model!