Miss Barbados Ieashia Browne has netted the Miss Easterval 2015 crown for the “The Land of the Flying Fish”, defeating five other contenders Saturday night in her first beauty show ever.
She won two of the five judged categories of the show on the way to securing her reign, in a show that started just before midnight, almost four hours later than advertised, but — in keeping with seems to be the culture in Union Island — much earlier than a substantial number of patrons who attended the show arrived. (Scroll for photo albums)
Results at a Glance:
- Miss Easterval 2015: Miss Barbados Ieashia Browne
- First Runner-Up: Miss St. Vincent Nikianna Williams
- Second Runner-Up: Miss Grenada Deronna Farray
- Best Cultural Wear: Miss St. Vincent Nikianna Williams
- Best Swimwear: Miss Barbados Ieashia Browne
- Best Talent: Miss Mayreau Lenisha Frederick
- Best Evening Gown: Miss Barbados Ieashia Browne
- Best Interview: Miss Grenada Deronna Farray
- Miss Congeniality: Miss Barbados Ieashia Browne
- Most Photogenic: Miss Barbados Ieashia Browne
- Other contestants: Miss Union Island Bernesha Daniel and Miss Carriacou Bartina Joseph.
“It’s unexplainable, I feel so happy, and excited and relieved that I won,” Browne told reporters in a post-show interview at Ashton Sports Complex, after heaving a heavy sigh of relief.
“I had the faith that I would, and positivity and persistence really paid off for me,” said Browne, who told reporters that when she left Barbados she had expected to make her country proud “so that they can be happy for me and be proud that I won for them”.
“I am excited and I hope they are excited for me and excited with me too,” she said.
Browne said that during her reign she intends to encourage other people to enter pageants.
“It’s a lot of fun, and it helps you to build your confidence and self-esteem,” she said.
Browne also won the Swimsuit and Evening Gown categories.
Her evening gown was entitled “The Daisy Goddess”.
The Barbadian delegate was also adjudged Miss Congeniality and Most Photogenic, two categories that do not contribute any point to the contestants’ tally.
First Runner-up, Miss St. Vincent, Nikianna Williams won the Cultural Wear category of the show with her outfit entitled “The St. Vincent and the Grenadines Botanical Gardens”.
Second Runner-up, Miss Grenada Deronna Farray won the Interview segment.
She was asked, “Who has been your greatest role model on your journey to discover your potentials and what impact did they have on your life?”
Farray responded: “I would refer to my mother as the greatest role model on my journey to discovering my potential. She was a woman of modesty, positivity and independence. Though her time with me was unbearably short, I was able to learn from her traits. She has greatly impacted on my life. Thus, I walk in her footsteps of positivity and independence. This is the main reason why I am able to stand before you with confidence. I thank you.”
Miss Mayreau Lenisha Frederick’s Talent presentation, an at-times hilarious, 10-minute monologue dubbed “The Vagrant”, which, like most of the other pieces on offer, went over the seven-minute time limit, swayed the judges in that category.
Second Runner-Up, Miss Grenada Deronna Farray at right. (IWN photo)