Zavaleta was a cast member of MTV’s reality show Road Rules during the Road Rules: South Pacific season. During the season, she was voted off by her team and replaced by Tina Barta.

After her stint on Road Rules, she posed for Playboy, which was planning a pictorial specifically focusing on reality television. Although several other of MTV’s The Real World or Road Rules castmembers have appeared in Playboy, Zavaleta is the only one to appear as the Playmate of the Month centerfold (November 2004).