BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - ST. KITTS made history this morning (Dec. 31) with the crowning of the third consecutive queen at the 34th annual Haynes Smith Caribbean Talented Teen Pageant held at the Sugar Mill in Warner Park.
But, even before the crowning, many people in the audience were heard chanting the old saying..."they cheat".
And, as those on the other side of the controversy always say, the judges' decision is final. And with that Miss St. Kitts Pernelle Abraham was crowned queen.
The 14-year-old snagged four of the five judged segments totalling 745 points to take the crown.
Amassing 165.5 points, Abraham won Best Ambassadorial Wear donning an outfit mimicking the national colours; the dominant colour being red which represented the Federation’s progression towards sovereignty.
The attached wings symbolised the nation's freedom and soaring to higher heights. Her headpiece was adorned with feathers and the number 30 rested in middle section at the front of it.
She dubbed that attire "Celebrating 30".
With 331.5 points, Abraham also took home the Best Performing Talent. She played the role of a young musician who was trying to find her way amidst the daunting demands of the entertainment industry.
After making several attempts to conform to the demands of the entertainment industry with elaborate hairstyles, heavy makeup and glittering outfits, she came to realise that she was perfectly fine as she was without all the fancy trimmings.
In song and piano playing, Abraham performed her talent dubbed "Be who you are".
Miss Nevis Irveeka Nisbett also gave a great Kaiso performance in the Talent segment.
Singing against gun violence, teenage pregnancy, disease and drug abuse, Nisbett appeared onstage as a minister who felt that the only answer to the ugly face of crime and other social ills was prayer through song.
She delivered a powerful message through her song - "A Prayer for my Land" - which had the audience singing "amen" at the end of her rendition.
Miss Barbados Heidi Barrow also gave a thrilling dance performance for her talent.
Barrow depicted a teenager addicted to alcohol and the struggles she went to overcome this adversity. She captured every word of the song with her graceful movement which held the audience’s attention.
The most memorable talent performance of the night was delivered by Miss Montserrat Vanice Tuitt, who gave a heart-wrenching dramatisation of a woman raped by a man she trusted.
She told a tale of the manner in which she was abused and contracted HIV which was followed by the birth of her son who she murdered because she could not bear to look at him.
Tuitt spoke of the unfairness she and her son had to go through because she had placed her trust in the man who raped her.
The shock came at the end when she asked: "How could I not trust my...Pastor?"
The loud gasp was clearly heard in the crowd as "Pastor" was probably the last word anyone expected to hear.
The Best Production Number segment was judged on the ladies' costume fit and their dancing skills.
Each contestant danced onstage portraying superwomen with bold 'S' on their chest, black mini flowing skirts and red capes which were originally designed to show individuality.
Abraham again won the judges' nod for this segment.
Although most of the nine ladies modelled evening gowns of similar style, it was Abraham's ‘Fantastic Fusion’ that caught the judges' eyes, winning her that segment with 110.5 points.
Emerging onstage in a dazzling ball gown, her dress bore a pink tight-fitting, shimmering bodice with a sweetheart neckline which flowed from the waist to the floor. The skirt section featured a multi-coloured sequence flowing from pink at the waist to yellow at the end, and the skirt of the dress was adorned with sparkling rhinestones and beadwork.
It was a no contest for the Interview segment as most of the teenagers stumbled through their responses from questions based on their biography.
Miss Jamaica Josselle Fisher dominated that segment, giving an eloquent response to why it is important for the Caribbean to be inclined with their African heritage with regards to the art form, especially dance.
But, the best answer was given by Miss United States Virgin Islands Dejanique Ledee who was asked if cheerleading should be made a sport and why or why not.
Her response was that it should be made a sport simply because people get injured in sports and injuries also occur in cheerleading.
In the First Runner-up position was Miss Barbados with 696.5 points, while there was a tie between Miss Nevis and Miss Montserrat with 693 points for the Second Runner-up position, and Miss Dominica with 691.5 points was adjudged Third Runner-up.
Entertainers for the evening included Yanus Bagnall, SK's Finest Dancers, Gharlic of The Kore Band, KC5 and St. Maarten's Junior Road March Champions.
The show was hosted by Monarch and Naeemah Hazelle who both kept it ‘jiggy’ in between performances.
Many people were seen walking out of the venue after Miss St. Kitts was announced winner of the Talent segment, as it was assumed by then that she would be crowned the 2013/2014 Caribbean Talented Teen.
Loud screams and abusive language were heard from those patrons who decided not to remain to witness the end of the pageant.
Also, many patrons were heard saying that the crown should be on the head of Miss Nevis because “she clearly stole the show”.
Following the announcement of Miss St. Kitts as the winner, the arguments of disgruntled fans and family members were taken back stage and comments such as "we ain participating again", "they cheat Nevis last year and they cheat Nevis again this year" and "Nevis shouldn't send another girl in this show again" were heard.
It is clear that many people were not pleased with the fact the Miss St. Kitts Pernelle Abraham was crowned queen, but, as is always said, the judges' decision is final.
