Ousted Marvita Washington feels she was 'Top Model' material

Marvita Washington was accused of looking "defeated" during her last few days as an America's Next Top Model tenth-season contestant -- a sentiment she doesn't necessarily disagree with but feels could be made about any of the other girls too.


"I was just standing there taking the criticism basically.  We all always stand there and take the criticism and I'm pretty sure most of those girls look like they were defeated," Washington told reporters during a Thursday conference call. 

"But I just got picked out of the pack.  I had one bad day -- one bad photo shoot -- and it just happened."
The 23-year-old in retail sales from San Francisco, CA became the fourth contestant eliminated from Top Model's tenth season during Wednesday night's broadcast of The CW reality series, an episode that also saw her doubt herself as "Top Model material."

"I do think I'm Top Model material," she told reporters.  "Somehow -- I don't know what happened -- but my words must have gotten misconstrued somewhere in the editing.  I'm like, 'What the hell!?'"

Despite what viewers saw, Washington reiterated the reason why she decided to compete.


"I wanted to win.  But we don't always get what we want," she explained.  "At the same time, I think I achieved all that I could being there.  I learned a lot -- and not only that -- but I can take what I learned and look for agencies and work in the modeling world."

Before being cast as a tenth-season finalist -- Washington actually appeared as a ninth-season hopeful, but was one of the last semifinalists eliminated from the Fall 2007 installment.

"Actually going on last time and not making it really hurt me. So I had to come back and try and figure out what they really wanted of me," she explained. 

"I was like, 'What is it that I'm doing wrong? What is it that they want from me? I'm back, I don't understand, I don't know what [Top Model creator and lead judge Tyra Banks] wants from me or what she wants me to do.  But I'm going to try my hardest to win this.'  That was the vow that I made to myself."

Throughout her time in the competition, Washington butted heads with both Fatima, a 22-year-old student from Boston, MA, and Dominique, a 23-year-old receptionist from Columbus, OH.


"Fatima and me, we clashed a lot of the time.  You try and you try and you try and be cool with her, and she's just like... She's crazy or something.  She's crazy," said Washington.  "She's just an evil person...  Literally, she's evil.  She has a black heart or something, I don't know what's wrong with her."

Washington also used the word "crazy" to describe Dominique.

"She talks to herself in the third person," said Washington, which viewers saw during Wednesday night's episode.  "I'm like, 'What the hell?  Are you serious?'"

Washington told viewers she had "been molested and raped" when she was younger, which caused her to have a hard time trusting people.  She said participating in Top Model brought out a more vulnerable side in her personality.

"Just learning how to be soft... I learned how to adjust being in the house with the girls," she said.  "It made me a little softer.  I'm rough.  I'm like a tomboy."


In addition, Washington said she would have no problem using her newfound notoriety to help women who have had similar experiences.

"I would love to help girls that have been molested or raped," she said.  "I would love to do that."

As for what's next, Washington said she's up for "anything."

"I think I was made for TV," she said with a laugh.






About The Author: Christopher Rocchio