BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – TWENTY-YEAR-OLD Kadeen Tyson has a full year ahead of him as he now holds two titles included the first ever Mr. Caribbean (2014) but, getting to the regional stage was no easy feat.
In his first exclusive interview after returning from Dominica, the Kittitian told SKNVibes Entertainment that although he had a short time to prepare for the regional stage, he was fearful that he would put his worst foot forward.
Tests and Trials
“The journey to Mr. Caribbean officially started in January this year but I knew about it in November last year. But myself and chaperon Alphonzo Henry got caught up in St. Kitts with Christmas and the Carnival festivities,” Mr. Caribbean said.
Tyson - who represented Nevis in the regional competition - revealed that when Carnival was finally over, he only had a short time to stretch himself between practice sessions, his new job, personal life and his one-year-old daughter.
“They were many times I got up in the morning from practices the day before I couldn’t even move. As the time got nearer we had so many up and downs, stuff we had planned didn’t work out in our favour; we basically didn’t have nothing for the segments,” Tyson explained.
As if not being ready for the big competition was not enough, Tyson explained that his sponsorship package did not come to fruition until one week before the event. This - he said - resulted in no-show of most of the items he ordered and colour mix-ups for others.
“When we were at the airport, in St. Kitts, we were on the last flight to Antigua because the plane delayed three times before we actually left. We reached in Antigua very late, hungry and exhausted, had to stay in guest house before we caught the first flight out to Dominica,” the King said.
His arrival in Dominica - he explained - was very hospitable as he and his chaperon were greeted by the organisers while waiting for the other competitors. “The next day we had a conference, then a radio appearance, and then we did a bit of last minute shopping,” Tyson said.
Persistence yielded results - The coronation
“I felt like it was a motivation for me to win the competition because I’ve been through all the turbulences and ditches. It helped me to be stronger and eventually win it. All of that hard work wasn’t for nothing,” Tyson said.
Apart from winning the first title of Mr. Caribbean, Tyson also copped the awards for best in costume, best in swimwear and best in formal wear during the competition which was held at the Arawak House of Culture in Roseau, Dominica.
Tyson said that on the night of his coronation, he was shocked that he had taken the top honour because of the difficulty he faced competing with fellow contenders who he described as hard working and talented.
Exhausted by celebrating
“I was really excited to return home. Everyone was telling me congratulations, my family felt so proud of me and even though I was extremely tired I had to celebrate with them,” Tyson said
Male pageants throughout the Caribbean have had a lot of negative words spoken of them. And when asked about his views on this issue, the King said, “I believe male pageants are an avenue for men to showcase their talents, but people look at it in a negative way because we are all accustomed to it being a more female-dominated activity…I would encourage persons out there to be more open-minded and supportive about these competitions because it helps with one’s self confidence and opens the avenue for you to be an example and role model.”
Tyson, who also holds the title of Mr. Kool 2013, is a veterinary technician at Ross University.
He told SKNVibes that he plans on using this year to further promote himself as an ambassador and positive role model for many young people both locally and regionally.
Tyson’s next step is to compete in the upcoming Mr. United Nations Pageant later this year.
