THE 2011 Miss Jamaica World competition was considered to be one of the most competitive it has been in years, and up until the announcement of the winner there were still uncertainties as to who would walk away with the crown.

The coronation show was the culmination of the excitement and anticipation that the competition had created over the past two months. The Pegasus ballroom was host to a crowd of supporters that exceeded the seating capacity and a set of girls that were vying for the title of Miss Jamaica World 2011.

This year saw the ladies in groups that represented the four elements of life — earth, wind, water and fire — which was depicted in the beautiful opening costumes and piece done by the contestants.

The evening progressed with the parade of the ladies in swimwear and a performance by Ashley Martin who was joined by 2007 Rising Stars finalist, Lenya Wilks, much to the delight of fans who had seen very little appearances of her in recent times.

Kudos must be given to the organisers who provided a relatively smooth flow of activities. There were very few glitches and for the most part the audience was kept entertained.

It was then time for the most glamorous moment of the evening where the contestants would display their beautiful gowns. A very colourful line of dresses were paraded and at the end Michelle Daley was awarded by Uzuri for best display of their designs out of all 20 contestants.

The quality of girls was so great this year that it came as no major surprise when the girls were narrowed down to a top 12 rather that the usual top 10. The fast-track winners: Maya Wilkinson, Liane Chung, Chantel Davis, Zahra McGraham and Chavoy Gordon were automatically entered into the top 12 by virtue of their win in the challenges.

Arielle Foot, Danielle Crosskill, Rene Harris, Kayla Mendes, Roxanne Elliot, Lisa Williams and Dahlia Dwyer rounded off the evenings top 12. Missing out on a top 12 position was Gabrielle Blackwood, who, based on the reactions of the audience, was a favourite.

Soon after, the top five finalists were declared and again, missing from this group was Maya Wilkinson, another contestant whom many thought would have made it to the final five. It was however, Zahra McGraham, Chavoy Gordon, Chantel Davis and Danielle Crosskill who made the cut. It must be noted that the Jamaica Observer predicted four of the five top-five ladies.

The most nerve-racking time of any pageant had come and the ladies had to show that a true Miss Jamaica World had to be just as aware and intelligent as she is beautiful. Chavoy Gordon was the biggest disappointment as she failed to complete her answer and asked if she could be given another chance to answer her question. She was given another chance, but it was not enough.

Danielle Crosskill did a good job at answering her question, but arguably the best answer of the night was that from Kayla Mendes who must have made Cliff Hughes proud when she comfortably and intelligently answered his question.

Tarrus Riley serenaded the audience with some of his most popular songs accompanied by his usual gimmicks, and aided in easing the tense atmosphere for a few minutes.

Chavoy Gordon won three of the four sectional prizes; she was voted most aware, best skin tone and best legs in addition to her fast-track win of beauty with a purpose. Lisa Williams won most congenial. All this was however not enough to secure Chavoy a place in top three.

The night, however, belonged to the radiant Danielle Crosskill who walked away with the title of Miss Jamaica World 2011 with Chantel Davis as second princess and Kayla Mendes as first princess.

— Yunique Francis