Bajan lass takes Miss Easterval crown back to Barbados

The Miss Easterval title returned to Barbados last weekend, after 18-year-old Zhane Padiore was crowned this year’s Easterval Queen last Saturday, April 8 at the hard court in Ashton, Union Island.{{more}}

Padiore came out on top from a field of seven young ladies, beating Carriacou’s Jermilia Joseph into the second position and Venezuela’s Genesis Valera, third, in that country’s debut in the competition.

It was a good all round performance, considering it was only Padiore’s second outing in pageantry.

The young Barbadian lass also walked away the winner in a number of individual categories including ‘Best Talent’, ‘Best Evening Wear’, ‘Best Interview’ and ‘Miss Photogenic’.

Jermilia Joseph, Miss Carriacou, also won the ‘Best Introduction’ category to add to her second spot finish of the night.

The Union Island supporters may have been disappointed with their own Molika Mulzac, one of the favorites of the night, who after strong performances in the introduction, swim wear and talent segments, performed poorly in the interview segment.

So, too, the supporters of Ariel Roberts, Miss Grenada, who despite a valiant effort, made an appearance in the evening wear category, but was unable to finish the show after she had to be taken to the hospital with an acute case of food poisoning.

Nevertheless, she was adjudged ‘Miss Congeniality’.

Adriana Carolina, Miss Margarita, and Genesis Valera, Miss Venezuela, gave good accounts of themselves in their first outing at the pageant, with Venezuela taking the ‘Best Swimwear’ award to add to her third place finish.

Daneil Soleyn, Miss St Vincent, did her supporters from the mainland proud with a good all round performance, but had to walk away empty handed.

SEARCHLIGHT later caught up with Padiore, who said that she was pleased with her performance of the night, particularly as she was able to overcome nerves and do well enough in the interview segment of the show.

“When I saw the pictures on Facebook, I thought wow, I am going to have a lot of competition,” Padiore told SEARCHLIGHT.

“But I was able to overcome that and think about me only and no one else and that is what helped me.”

“I can’t even express how I feel right now – I’m so excited,” she continued.

She admitted that there was some pressure to bring the crown back to Barbados saying “from the time I got to the airport, everybody was like ‘Make sure bring back that crown’.”

And working with last year’s winner, Padiore said that she needed to make sure that she represented herself well.

Despite that pressure, she said that she tried her best to remain committed to the task.

She described her training, which began about two months prior to the competition, as rigorous.

Now that she has successfully defended the crown, Padiore, a final year A-level student, said that she will now be able to use her experience from this pageant, particularly the interview, which she says has helped her to overcome her fears and become a more confident public speaker.

Last year’s winner and former schoolmate of Padiore, Jamilah Forde, said that she was proud of her successor’s performance this year.

“She worked hard, she is smart and beautiful, and I think she really deserved it. She is a beautiful Bajan Queen,” Forde told SEARCHLIGHT.