Soyini Fraser crowned Miss Jamzone International

In a night of fulfilled promises, spectacular dances, laughter, music and an exquisite fashion display, Guyana’s Soyini Fraser was crowned Miss Jamzone International 2014 at the National Cultural Centre on Friday evening.

Elegance, intelligence, grace and poise were all features that Fraser epitomised as she took to the stage last evening and won the coveted title and US$10,000, which has been elusive to Guyana since the pageant expanded to include Caribbean countries quite a number of years ago.

Miss Barbados, Dannyelle Leslie and Miss Bahamas Lexi Wilson were named first and second runners-up respectively. Meanwhile, Miss Trinidad and Tobago Yaya Henry and Miss Jamaica placed fourth and fifth respectively.

Miss USA Kadian Collins and Miss St Vincent and the Grenadines Aphesha Matthews were eliminated before the final stage of the contest.

In addition to the top prize, Fraser also copped the prizes for Best National Costume and Best Fantasy Swimwear. Trinidad and Tobago’s Miss Henry took home the prizes for Best Smile and Best General Swimwear.

In addition, the People’s Choice Award and Best Gown went to Miss St Vincent and the Grenadines.

The contest got off to an excellent start with each contestant being tasked to showcase their respective countries. It was in this segment that the winner, Miss Guyana, said to the other contestants that the crown was staying home this year.

With a few jokes and an entertaining performance, she took the crowd through the sights and scenes of Guyana, all in five minutes. Her interactive display in this segment was certainly critical in her copping the title.

It must be noted too that some of the other contestants did very well in this segment and those included Miss St Vincent and the Grenadines, who delivered a funny and informative performance.

Miss Barbados and Bahamas also delivered very well. However, it is unclear whether her demeanour was a part of her presentation, but Miss Jamaica appeared to be a bit high during the delivery of a giggly school-girl like performance.

Miss St Lucia failed miserably in this segment as she could not arouse the interest of the audience during her performance. Miss Trinidad Yaya Henry came off as a bit nervous as she raced through her speech, leaving the audience baffled as to what she was saying.

Next on the agenda was the Fantasy Swimwear Segment, in which Miss Bahamas suffered a major wardrobe malfunction.

Interestingly enough, Miss St Vincent appeared in a stunning pink swimwear which was a sure crowd favourite.

In the Evening Gown Segment, Miss Jamaica came out in a red dress that was a sight to behold, taking the stage with much grace and poise. Miss St Vincent however had a misstep and nearly fell. She too had a wardrobe malfunction as her dress straps slipped off from one side of her shoulder.

When it was time for the Question and Answer segment, it was a tight competition as almost all the island beauties answered the question presented to them without much difficulty.

However, Miss Trinidad was once again nervous and fumbled, as she spoke too quickly for the audience to comprehend what she was saying.