Carnival Queen 2019 Pageant Hit or Miss?

This year’s National Carnival Queen Pageant has received mixed reviews. For those actually attending the event, as opposed to those viewing from online, the event held on the Ramp in Rodney Bay, on Friday July 5, was arguably one of the best productions in years.

Image of Carnival Queen 2019, Miss Laborie Co-operative Credit Union Wenia Verneuil. — Carnival Queen 2019, Miss Laborie Co-operative Credit Union Wenia Verneuil.

Eight young women participated in the highly anticipated event namely Arisa Denis (Miss Crystal Clear) Jhaka Wooding (Miss Piton) Jeanneal Fontenelle (Miss Vibe Radio) Justinian Charles (Miss MBC) Naomi St. Remy (Miss Massy Stores) Shirliana Lamongtagne (Miss Sugar Beach) Timiqua Deterville (Miss Hot 7 TV) and Wenia Verneuil (Miss Laborie Co-operative Credit Union Ltd.)

The 2019 Carnival Queen pageant has been hailed a success.

For some of the ladies, being in the pageant alone was a dream come true, and they offered the very best from the start. Gracing the stage in the Costume, Swimwear, Interview, Talent and Evening Wear segments, it seemed that anyone could have stolen the crown, but there were obvious aspects that the judges and some of the most discerning in the audience picked up on that set the top performers apart from the very start.

Image: Carnival Queen 2019, Miss Laborie Co-operative Credit Union Wenia Verneuil. PHOTO BY: Rae Anthony — Carnival Queen 2019, Miss Laborie Co-operative Credit Union Wenia Verneuil. PHOTO BY: Rae Anthony

The talent segment was undoubtedly one of the strongest segments. Shirliana Lamongtagne and Jeanneal Fontenelle brought the house down with their comedy skits, whilst Timiqua Deterville peaked with her dance piece. However, Wenia Verneuil proved to be the true star of the show. Belting out Aretha Franklin’s 1968 hit, ‘A Natural Woman,’ Wenia, a police officer, proved she had it all. After nailing her question in the interview segment, and outshining her peers in the talent segment, it was clear to most that she was the winner.

Image of First runner-up Miss Hot 7 TV TimiquaDeterville. PHOTO BY: Rae Anthony — First runner-up Miss Hot 7 TV TimiquaDeterville. PHOTO BY: Rae Anthony

At the end of it all, when the results were announced, it was confirmed that the Laborie beauty, who’d been working tirelessly for months in preparation for the pageant, was the more than deserving winner.