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Neva McGruder is the owner, artistic director, and head coach of the Divas of Olive Branch, a dance team from Southaven, Mississippi.
Personal Life[]
Neva Lenise McGruder was born on September 25, 1965 in Memphis, Tennessee . She currently lives in Olive Branch, Mississippi.
Neva attended Hillcrest High School and then Tennessee State University. Then she went to Texas Southern University Graduate School, where she majored in Public Affairs.
Neva is a breast cancer survivor, since 2006, which inspired her to found the Divas of Olive Branch as her way to give back to the community. Neva has a daughter, Raven, who works as a coach of the Divas of Olive Branch.
During Bring It![]
Season 1 []
Neva send a message to the Dancing Dolls before the competition before the competition saying that the competition is already won. Neva is upset at Dianna who criticises one of her teams' stands called the 'puppet-master', calling it inappropriate.
At the competition, Neva's team wins against the Dolls due to their being an unexpected extra judge. Neva is seen involving herself in the ensuing argument which is initiated between Dianna and the competition host.
Neva enters the Dancing Dolls dressing room in hopes to speak to Miss D about the previous competition they met at. Neva informs Dianna that her team is not participating in the stand battle this week. They pair discuss the competition a few week's ago and Neva states she felt the results of that competition were fair. Dianna walks away with Kayla and Camryn.
The day of the competition, Neva calls Dianna to tell her she is excited to see her at the competition. However, the competition is cancelled due to bad road conditions near the venue. Later in the day, Neva receives a call from Dianna who suggests their teams have a street battle the next day. Neva agrees.
On the day of the street battle, Neva is angered by one of the Dolls' stands in the stand battle and she instructs her girls to turn their backs on the Dancing Dolls. Eventually, the Divas lose the battle and one of the dancers runs up to the Dolls and screams in their faces. A fight breaks out and after it is concluded, Neva apologises to Dianna for the incident.
Neva is elated when her team wins the Battle Royale.
Season 2 []
Dianna makes a rude comment about Neva's eyebrows. As Neva sets up the stand battle, Dianna runs out on stage and mimics herself pulling down her pants which angers Neva. During the stand battle, two of Neva's dancers start insulting the Dolls. This angers Dianna who shouts at the Divas. Neva refutes the accusation and defends her dancers. Neva refuses to discuss the incident with Dianna and she and her team leave the competition before the awards ceremony.
Neva and Dianna discuss the events of the previous competition. Neva believes Dianna was being disrespectful towards her team and Dianna feels Neva's team was being disrespectful to hers. The pair begin to shout at each other before leaving to begin the competition.
During the solo category, Neva joins her dancer on the floor at the end of the solo. Then, during the stand battle, Neva tells her dancers to turn their backs on the Dancing Dolls after their coach, Dianna, comes onto the floor and dances with her team. Neva feels that the Dolls should be disqualified as Dianna shouldn't be there. Neva rallies her girls to start chanting "Divas!".
Looking back on Miss D Loses Her Cool, Neva discusses her feelings on the competition. Neva does not like the Dolls' dog-walking stand as they mimic a dog peeing, Neva thinks the stand is hypocritical since the Dolls criticised one of their stands from Battle in Memphis.
Neva greets Dianna at the competition and she tells Dianna she hopes they can end their arguments but Dianna does not respond well. Neva asks Dianna for a hug but Dianna says no, then Neva walks away.
Neva and Dianna meet once again at the competition and both coaches express how confident they are in their dancers. The Divas are placed in a stand battle group alongside the Dancing Dolls and the Prancing Tigerettes. The Divas are knocked out in the first stage and Neva is unhappy with the results.
Season 3 []
Neva joins her team on the dance floor during the field show. Leading up to the stand battle, Neva and Dianna have a heated conversation before the stand battle. During the stand battle, the Dolls throw a stand which involves the Dolls' makeup artist dressed as Neva. Dianna is dressed as a police officer and she hits the fake Neva and rips off her wig before she runs off stage. Neva is angered by this stand.
After losing to the Dancing Dolls in the stand battle, Neva refuses to accept the loss and she throws their second-place trophy onto the floor and smashes it.
Neva meets Dianna in the hallway before the start of the competition and gives her a decorated cross as a gift. This gift offends Dianna and the two argue. Neva keeps pointing her finger in Dianna's face and Dianna grabs Neva's wrist to stop her. Dianna tells Neva to walk away and the argument ends. During the stand battle, the Divas throw a stand where they have Dianna's face printed onto the side of a fake horse. Thus, the Dolls throw a stand aimed at Neva. The stand has someone dressed as Neva who then smashes a trophy and then gets trapped in a box. The stand visibly upsets Neva and her daughter, Raven.
Neva is shocked her team does not place in the creative dance category. As she sits in the dressing room, Jay Fever comes to see her. He informs her that they made a mistake when reading out the results for the creative dance and her team won second place. Neva is crying as she is still upset over the stand battle.
Neva and her team have pulled out of the competition.
Spilling the Tea Reunion Special
Neva joins Dianna, John, and Quincy in this reunion special. Neva apologises to Dianna for the horse stand from Neva Gets Even.
Neva has sent Kayla an email in which she challenges the Dolls to a competition. The Dolls accept the challenge. At the competition, Neva and Dianna talk before it starts and there is still tension between the two. During the field show, Neva criticises the number of dancers the Dolls have.
Season 4 []
Neva performs alongside her dancers in the parade. After the parade category, Neva disrupts a phone call Dianna is taking which annoys Dianna.
Neva wishes Dianna luck at the competition before the competition begins.
Neva has a secret weapon for this week's competition; Crystianna Summers. Crystianna has joined her team and Neva wants to use her to taunt the Dolls and Dianna. At the competition, Neva is sitting atop a parade float alongside Crystianna and Rittany. After the parade category is over, Neva runs after Dianna to gloat about the new additions to her team. Dianna tells Neva that Crystianna will always be a Dancing Doll.
Crystianna and Rittany tell Neva that they are leaving the team. Neva does not take this well and becomes angry at them.
Neva talks to Dianna about Crystianna's departure from her team and she compliments Crystianna's talent and that her door is always open to her, before walking away.
Trivia[]
- She has the nickname 'Neva The Diva'