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Eva Marcille, 39, ran into two blasts from the past at New York Fashion Week on February 12. The America’s Next Top Model season 3 winner reunited with Nigel Barker, 51, and Jay Manuel, 51, the former photographer and creative director of the reality show, respectively, at the Pamella Rolland show. The trio posed for pictures and sat in the front row together, which Eva documented on her Instagram. “It was a reunion of epic proportions✨ The @nigelbarker and The @mrjaymanuel at the beautiful @pamellaroland show for #NYFW 🌻,” she captioned the post.
Eva looked gorgeous at the fashion show in a pink minidress with matching heels and black sunglasses. Nigel wore a black suit with a blue button-up and brown shoes, while Jay sported a casual black sweatshirt, grey sweatpants, and white sneakers. In a video from Eva’s post, the trio chatted it up in the front row as they enjoyed their reunion that was long overdue.
Eva infamously won the third cycle of America’s Next Top Model which aired in 2004. The season was hosted by Tyra Banks who also served as a judge with Nigel, Janice Dickinson, and Nolé Marin, while Jay served as the creative director. Nigel left the show after season 17, and Jay departed the following year. The series came to an end after 24 seasons in 2018.
Eva had her career kickstarted when she won ANTM. She scored a contract with CoverGirl cosmetics, an Elle Magazine spread, and a contract with Ford Models, before appearing on more magazine covers and in fashion campaigns. Eva also got into television, both scripted and unscripted. She starred on The Real Housewives of Atlanta from 2018 to 2021.
Last August, Eva spoke out in defense of Tyra after controversial clips from Tyra’s time as host of ANTM resurfaced on social media. “They give my girl Tyra a hard time,” Eva told The Messenger. “But there’s always going to be someone that has something negative to say, right? When I did America’s Next Top Model, there was no social media. No one commented on the green shirt she wore today.”
Eva similarly defended the legacy of the series that made her famous when she appeared on The Undressing Room podcast in 2022. “If there’s ever been a show that talked about body image and tore down the standards that America put what a woman should look like, it’s Top Model,” she said. “There are plus-size, there are short, there are freckles, there are Winne Harlows, there are all these women that Tyra made it a point to show, underline and highlight their beauty, which no other industry would do.”
