2005–2007: Making the Band 3 and Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search for the Next Doll Molinaro auditioned for MTV's
Making The Band 3 and almost won a spot in the group
Danity Kane. She made the final eleven girls but when it came to the finale of the show, Melissa was cut. She later took part in another music-themed reality TV show called
Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search for the Next Doll in which she competed to become the next member of
The Pussycat Dolls. She won many challenges and was eliminated in episode seven, the episode just before the finale. She went on to host the Detroit auditions for
Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious for
CW 50. She recorded her debut solo single "I Believed" with producer Rex Rideout, which was released independently with 4847 Records in 2008 on
iTunes. Her music video to "I Believed" has collectively received nearly one million views on YouTube.
2008–2009: Acting career Molinaro landed a lead role in an action movie starring and directed by
Dolph Lundgren,
Command Performance in which she plays Venus, a massive music star who becomes a hostage after a Moscow charity concert turns bloody. She performs a song called "Lost in Love" in the film, which is commercially available on the 2008 compilation album
Soul by the Pound from Fluid Music USA Inc. She guest starred on ''
Slavi's Show to promote the film which premiered at the Ischia Film Festival on July 19, 2009, and was then released on DVD on November 3, 2009. She also appeared in the Fox sitcom Brothers and on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at the Los Angeles premiere of the film Michael Jackson's This Is It''.
2010–present: Old Navy Commercial, Honey 2 and other projects In 2010, Molinaro appeared in the sitcom
How I Met Your Mother. In early 2011, Molinaro was featured as the lead performer in the smash hit
Old Navy advertisement "Super C-U-T-E" that garnered over 1.7 million views on YouTube within the first week of release. The advertisement also received notice from entertainment outlets such as
People and
E! News for Molinaro's purported resemblance to
Kim Kardashian in the shoot. Old Navy was sued by Kardashian for this ad, and an out-of-court settlement was reached in August 2012. She landed the role of Carla in the dance sequel
Honey 2 and had a small but memorable role as Melissa in the comedy movie
Balls to the Wall which was released in 2011. Her debut album is expected to be released in 2012 and features collaborations with multiple producers and songwriters. Molinaro guest starred in
The Game as Kylie in the episode "Catfight on the Catwalk". She played Nooki in the Syfy TV movie
Jersey Shore Shark Attack, and Tequila in the feature film
School Dance. From 2013 to 2016, Molinaro played te recurring role of Lexi in four episodes of the
VH1 series
Hit The Floor. She guest starred as Nadine in the season finale of
Second Generation Wayans. Molinaro released two songs on January 31, 2013 on the EP
Shake the World including the title track and "Goodbye Forever" from
Honey 2. == Personal life ==