Miss Universe Jamaica contestants unmasked

Hasani Walters, Gleaner Writer

Seventeen smiling females, each wearing a white mask, were introduced to the audience at the Spanish Court Hotel on Saturday night.

Clad in colourful bikinis with either silver or black heels, the women strutted their stuff on the runway before posing side by side on the same stage where they were then unmasked, revealing themselves as the contestants of Miss Universe Jamaica 2012.

Cheers, hoots and applause rang out from the audience as they showed their approval of the females who stood before them.

Green and pink intelligent lights added spots of colour to the white glow of the runway as the contestants walked to Beyoncé's Run The World (Girls) and Major Lazer's Pon Di Floor, among other songs, each giving a taste of what to expect from the competition.

Clad in a purple dress and brown shoes, Shakira Martin, last year's winner, made a short appearance on the runway and gave a few words of encouragement to the new contestants.

Lyming

Earlier in the night, those in attendance enjoyed lyming during the 'cocktail hour' as Shaggy's Angel and Damian Marley's Still Searching, among other songs, set the ambience for what was to come.

A welcome by two drummers in purple masks and African dress with orange and green body art was applauded before Kiki took to the podium to commence her role as the night's MC.

She started things off on the right note, testing the audience's knowledge of the past pageant winners, before introducing diffe-rent speakers to the podium.

Pageant director, Melissa Warner, welcomed and thanked all for attending the event and gave a short speech of what they aim to achieve from this year's competition.

"It is going to be absolutely fantastic. What you see is just a little snapshot of what is to come, so thank you for coming and enjoy the show," she said, adding that she was delighted to be a part of the event and was confident of its success.

The event's PR director, Tess-Maria Leon, said they want to set new standards of Jamaican pageants in staging the event.

"We want to be the benchmark for revolutionising what pageants should be like in Jamaica," she said before mentioning that there were several new activities and projects which they will aim to get the females involved in, apart from the traditional ones, and that contestants would also receive training to help in the competition.

With all speeches complete, another drum piece, this time with two additional drummers accompanied by a female dancer, opened the audience's eyes for the entrance of the masked contestants to the runway.

List of contestants

Miss Universe Jamaica 2012 contestants:

Annalee Williams - Miss Neveast Supplies Ltd.

Chantal Zaky - Miss Matahari Furniture

Allyson Gayle - Miss Buzz Magazine

Nicole Stoddart - Miss Dream Girlz Collection

Monique Brady - Miss W & Co Marketing

Sonya Stewart - Miss Central Lighting & Accessories

Tasheka Miller - Miss Secrets Resort & Spa

Chantal Clarke - Miss Grace Kennedy

Michaela Ramlal - Miss Automania

Deandra Thomas - Miss Shines Radio Inc

Sherece Cowan - Miss Caribbean Dreams

Shaneen Hosey - Miss Sun Island Jamaica

Danisha Scott - Miss Kettle Cooked Potato Chips

Carlene Davis - Miss Bin 26

Racquel Jones - Miss Supreme Ventures

Crystal Patterson - Miss Appleton Jamaica Rum

Amanda Mitchell - Miss Caribbean Producers Jamaica