Well, Russ is gonna love this.

Paola Mayfield of 90 Day Fiance is giving her modeling career a serious boost by competing in Maxim's Finest, where fan votes determine which models advance to the next round and who will ultimately become the winner.

And Paola has won her first round.

We're only just starting to get to know the new 90 Day Fiance couples, but that doesn't mean that we've stopped caring about the stars that we already know and love.

Well ... some stars, we just know. You get hooked on the people themselves, love or hate them, and end up keeping track of Mohamed Jbali's new immigration troubles or Anfisa Arkhipchenko's budding modeling career.

(Also the are-they-or-aren't-they question regarding Anfisa and Jorge's relationship, which somehow seems to still be intact despite ... everything)

But some 90 Day Fiance stars are real gems. And Paola Mayfield is one of them.

The Columbian-born model moved to Oklahoma and married Russ Mayfield after he met her while in Columbia on work assignment.

Paola had worked as a fashion designer, but now that she's in the US, she's kicking off her modeling career and also working as a personal trainer.

This couple had two real issues:

One, Oklahoma. Needless to say, moving to Oklahoma in and of itself didn't overpower Paola with glee or excitement. Which is why she now lives in Miami where she can actually work.

Two, the conservative Russ has been leery of Paola's outfits on certain modeling jobs. Being torn between her career and her husband has put Paola in an impossible situation.

In fact, the stress at being asked to wear lingerie on a job, which Russ had asked her to not do, made Paola such a nervous wreck that she vomited.

Still, this couple from the first season of 90 Day Fiance is still together and seem to be going strong.

And take a look at what Paola's up to now:

Yes, that's her photo that she's submitted for the contest.

And ... there's no wonder that she's doing so well.

Paola posted this photo with a caption, asking her fans for support:

"Hi guys! As you guys know I’m still competing for the next #maximfinest I want to ask you to give me one more vote today! I will be more than happy to have your support as I will be personally call you to show you my gratitude."

A thank-you phone call like that might be cool (or potentially creepy, depending upon the recipient), but surely Paola deserves votes without insentives, right?

"I already made it this far all thanks to you but I want to make it to the end with your help! Click to this link and let’s make it to the finals! You’ll know where to leave your number"

She included a link which we'd happily share except that she already won that round.

In a video shared via her now-expired Instagram story, Paola Mayfield thanked her fans after winning her first round. She also thanked Russ for his continued love and support.

Though she won this round, Paola still has a ways to go. Maybe picture it like one of those tournaments with all of the brackets.

The Maxim's Finest contest features models from all over the world, so this is a big deal.

If she wins, she'll be featured in a two-page spread in Maxim for all of those folks who still read magazines, but also gain a lot of attention from businesses and photographers who are in the market for models.

Oh, and the prize money if she ends up winning is $25,000. That's no chump change.

The semi-finals round begins on October 19th, so we're sure that her fans and followers will be keeping an eye out late next week so that they can vote for her.

That is not to say that Paola's efforts in this context have all gone smoothly.

Unfortunately, her comments are trolled by haters who seem determined to bring her down. Probably just so that they can feel powerful and therefore better about themselves.

In response to her thank-you message, one commenter said:

"Sorry Paola, you’re pretty and all, but not for this magazine. These are top-notch models, way too much talent, looks, and skills for you."

We hope that we don't have to explain why "you're pretty but not good enough" is incredibly rude and deliberately hurtful.

And then there was this condescending pile of garbage:

"You need to remember, in the States, just because you have a nice body, you can’t beg for votes and say you will personally call them if they vote for you. You need lots more than a body to be in Maxim Magazine. You made yourself look desperate in the modeling industry."

Well, it's pretty standard for people who are in contests to ask for votes. That's ... kind of the whole point of voting.

We hope that Paola doesn't get discouraged. Even if she doesn't take home the big prize, the exposure that she'll get should be a nice boost.