By JADE RUSSELL
Tribune Staff Reporter
jrussell@tribunemedia.net
A YOUNG woman’s dream of winning the Miss Teen Exuma and Ragged Island title was dashed after her crown was allegedly stripped away for refusing to share it with the first runner-up.
Event organisers have attributed the decision to scoring discrepancies.
The unexpected turn of events left Azaria Wilson devastated. She was informed that the first runner-up was the rightful winner.
In a letter sent to The Tribune, Ms Wilson shared her initial excitement as a senior at LN Coakley High School participating in the Miss Teen Exuma and Ragged Island Pageant. Describing herself as an introvert, she expressed joy when she was declared the winner of the pageant on December 15.
She recalled that the Master of Ceremony had announced her as the winner with a margin of just 0.3 points over the first runner-up.
However, her reign was short-lived. Four days after her victory, she said she attended the contract signing, accompanied by the senior director, the contestant manager, a committee member, the first runner-up, and her mother.
Ms Wilson claimed that during the signing, the senior director asked if she would consider sharing the title. The proposal was for Ms Wilson to be Miss Teen Exuma while the first runner-up would take the Miss Teen Ragged Island title. Ms Wilson added that it was suggested that someone at the pageant wanted both girls to participate in a nationwide competition in New Providence, as Abaco would also be sending two contestants to compete.
Ms Wilson refused to share the title, considering herself the rightful winner.
The situation reportedly escalated on December 20, during a meeting with various parties. Ms Wilson said the contestant manager revealed that she had spent the night reviewing the judges’ scores, which were marked in pen and signed by each judge. She said the scores were then recalculated, revealing that the first runner-up had a total score of 79.95, while Ms Wilson’s score was 79.60.
“The senior director showed that she consulted with the host of the event, who instructed her to strip me of the crown,” Ms Wilson said. “The senior director also mentioned that the individual from Nassau suggested we split the title so both of us could travel to Nassau.”
“I was left confused and felt a great deal of mistrust. How could the people I trusted shatter my dreams so recklessly?” Ms Wilson said.
She said the first runner-up offered to let her take the Miss Teen Ragged Island title, but she was too devastated to respond.
On December 24, Miss Teen Exuma International posted a statement on its Facebook page, announcing that a discrepancy had occurred during the pageant. The statement claimed that after reviewing the judging sheets, the rightful winner was Jeremika Morley, not Azaria Wilson.
The statement was met with backlash, with many commenters calling the decision “unfair” and “unprofessional.” Some even urged young women to boycott local pageants.
The pageant claimed it had notified the judges about the announcement.
However, one judge expressed disappointment on Facebook, saying many judges were not informed. The judge also claimed no meeting was held after the pageant to address discrepancies with the scores and questioned how such an error occurred.
Ms Wilson said she is seeking closure from the emotional ordeal and hopes the truth will be exposed.
When contacted by The Tribune for comment, one of the pageant’s organisers said she would consider providing a statement after consulting with a lawyer. The Tribune did not receive a statement up to press time.
Comments
empathy 2 weeks, 4 days ago
I’m not familiar with the objectives of many of these pageants, excluding those where ‘talent’ is the overriding requisite, as such I readily admit a bias as to their purpose.
However this situation is most unfortunate and not a good example of professionalism amongst the organisers. The distrust that one can be unfairly treated and manipulated is likely a result of the corruption and deceit rampant in our country right now.
Hope this young lady gets due process and resolution. Otherwise I hope she gets support from those closest to her so she is enlightened by this experience and not tarnished by folks who may not be the best examples for her to follow.
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