Anya Seetahal, Ms. St. Kitts was crowned the 2018-2019 Haynes Smith Ms. Caribbean Talented Teen Pageant in the wee hours of Monday morning after taking the pageant by storm. The newly crowned Teen Queen impressed the judges to amass 523 points and winning three of the segments of the pageant in the process: Best interview with 94 points, best theatrical performance with 135.50 points and best talent with 234 points. The initial result had Ms. St. Lucia as second runner up and Ms. Barbados as first runner up. However, after closer inspection, the auditors discovered a slight error in the tabulation of the final scores, leading to a change in the outcome. In the corrected version of the results: Ms. St. Lucia Francine Mason amassed 475.50 points to finish first runner up, while Ms. Barbados Cherece Richards amassed 466.50 to finish second runner up in the final results.
An emotional Anya broke down crying as she was crowned by Deputy Prime Minister Shawn Richards and Senator Akeelah Byron-Nisbett as the full house audience cheered vivaciously. After the being crowned, Anya said she cried at the end of the competition as she reflected on the hard work that finally paid off. “I was so thankful for the whole opportunity and to be able to become the new Ms. Haynes Smith Caribbean Talented Teen. From ever since I entered into pageantry last year, this is something I genuinely desired,” she said.
Anya said she was confident she would have won the pageant. “I was always confident in who I am and that is essential in order to be successful,” she added. The new queen said she wants to use her platform to help promote the development of talents of young people at home and the wider Caribbean.
Anya’s talent wowed the judges and the crowd as she performed an acrobatic dance routine with a giant ring on stage. Her interview segment was just as impressive. As for her theatrical wear, she represented the United Nations peace keeping forces, as the theme for that segment was a tribute to the military fighting to maintain peace. Ms. Dominica Jorjanna Albert won best evening wear. The other contestants in Sunday night’s contest were: Sherona McAlmont (Ms. Antigua and Barbuda), Charisma Jones-Chin, (Ms. Anguilla), Anastasia Salickram (Ms. Trinidad and Tobago), Keshaundia Quinn (MS. USVI), Jorjanna Albert (Ms. Dominica) and Sidondre Flemming (Ms. Nevis).