Contestant falls ill, drops out of race
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – SO filled with excitement were they that even before she could have been announced winner of the 2016 Miss FLOW Black San Swimsuit Competition, the fans and supporters of Avis Glasgow thronged the stage in anticipation of the hostess’ declaration.
And when the moment of truth came and she was announced the winner, a series of congratulatory hugs were initiated which prompted a brief delay of her sashing.
It was a keenly contested competition with the sensational six – Olivia Barzey, Vashina Bolus, Jahmila Francis, Patoneia Gilbert, Sheneka Henry and Glasgow – appearing in five judged segments: Vintage Wear, Top Model/Top Creative Designer, Identical Swimwear, Body Paint and Onstage Interview.
The evening saw Bolus taking the Second Runner-up position with 947.5 points, Francis being adjudged First Runner-up with 971 points and Glasgow, with more than 1000 points, snagged the crown.
Displayed during the Vintage segment, the contestants had donned bathing suits of yesteryear, while the Creative Wear segment highlighted the ingenuity of the designers who hail from various countries in the Caribbean.
While some employed the use of headdress and feathers to spruce up their pieces, others used glitter and or beads. One of them in particular used a series of intricately strung fabric to lace up the bathing suit.
The most anticipated was the Body Paint segment. However, concern was raised when more than an hour had passed and the segment had not yet commenced. The evening’s host, EK ‘The Real Right’ Flanders, indicated during the wait that it was expected to be an extended one.
Later on in the waiting process, hostess Unoma Allen explained that one of the contestants, Gilbert, had suffered an asthma attack while being painted and had to be taken to the nearby Pogson Hospital. She reportedly returned and painting of her body resumed before she again fell ill. It was then that she decided to drop out of the competition.
Particularly impressive was Bolus’ Body Paint, which glowed in the dark when the lights were turned off, and so was Francis’ which featured various aspects of candy.
Throughout the segments, Barzey proved to be a force to be reckoned with as her presentations, according to members of the audience, were consistently good. She may have fell significantly however in the Interview segment which proved somewhat difficult for her.
All contestants were given trophies of participation while an absent Gilbert was named recipient of the Miss Amity award. The Miss Photogenic award went to Glasgow and Bolus took the Chairperson’s award.
The Best Vintage Wear and Top Designer awards went to Barzey who wore a design from Shandy Lewis of Antigua.
The Interview and Body Painting segments were won by Francis and the Identical Swimwear and Top Model segments were won by Glasgow.
Other designers featured during the evening were Randy Madrey of Guyana, Corrine Flanders of St. Kitts, Calvin Richards of St. Kitts and Rivka of Nevis.
The beautiful Miss Universe Puerto Rico 2015 Alexandra Velazquez Lugo also co-hosted the event and did a wonderful job of keeping the audience entertained and informed.
Between segments, entertainment was provided by B’More out of the BVI and the KC5 Band.
