Mariela grew up in Coconut Grove, Florida and relocated to Miami, where she worked as a dancer before she auditioned for and became a finalist on the CW reality television series, Pussycat Dolls Presents: The Search for the Next Doll. She decided to try out for the show after some time of contemplating about her future plans. She had just completed her tertiary education, and she was trying to decide whether she would continue with dancing or pursue something related to her degree.
The week before Mariela was eliminated from Pussycat Dolls Presents: The Search for the Next Doll, her group had won the dance challenge that spared her from elimination. Upon being told to hang up her boa on the fourth week of the finals, Mariela felt a bit surprised, believing that her duo with Chelsea was good enough. However, she did admit that she did not feel comfortable singing "I Turn to You" by Christina Aguilera, mainly because she could not relate to the message of the song. Since being eliminated on the fourth episode of show, she has gained fame for being one of the ladies holding up suitcases on Deal or No Deal. She has also been seen on shows like Legally Mad and Harry’s Law.
BuddyTV's exclusive interview with Mariela (Photo courtesy of CW)