PRINCIPALS of Miss Universe Jamaica (MUJ) franchise say the brand’s reputation is intact despite the unprecedented move to strip winner Sharlene Radlein of her crown.
“It is more of a correction and repairing process. She damaged the brand when she brought the lawsuit forward knowing that the attorneys were in discussions for an amicable settlement. But her being stripped of the title won’t affect us at all,” co-franchise holder Mark McDermoth told the Jamaica Observer.
He added that Radlein’s actions were “inconsistent with the culture of the pageant”.
Last month, the United States-based beauty queen filed a lawsuit in Jamaica’s Supreme Court to secure her prizes for winning the contest.
McDermoth said payments were up to date and the final instalment will be made this month.
With the 2016 coronation scheduled for August 27 at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston, McDermoth is uncertain if Radlein will be replaced before the new queen is crowned.
“We can’t say just yet, as it is in the hands of the attorneys and the MUJ administration,” he said.
McDermoth added that plans are full speed ahead for this year’s pageant which has 23 contestants.
“We know for a fact that this year is going to be a good one. Any of the contestants here can take the Miss Universe crown or get a good placement in the pageant,” he said.
On Saturday, the finalists will head to Montego Bay for the MUJ Charity Explosion which will honour 2013 winner Shakira Martin who died recently.
“We are adopting her sickle cell foundation and continuing where she left off. Other charities will also be featured. It’s just business for us as usual,” he said.
This situation has validated what I’ve been saying for sometime now about these pageants & that is they should only feature Jamaicans who live in Jamaica, because the root of the issue, as previously explained by the franchise holder, is that this girl has not spent a full 21 days in Jamaica since winning the competition as contractually required, as she lives overseas.
Every year I see it, some so-called ‘Jamaican’ girls with these heavy foreign accents all up in a Jamaican pageants, when most of them weren’t born here, but claim Jamaican status via their parent(s). We know nothing about them & that’s why for the most part the pageants are lagging in grasping the public’s attention, because to the general Jamaican public, we don’t know them so they are not our girls.
I’m in-law to one who was in it & 1 of the modelling competitions last year & I’m cool with her & like her a lot, but I think she just thought I’m fair skinned & pretty & my family has money so I don’t really need this. Even the judge on the competition said to her in essence that she thought she was ‘not serious or wanted to win enough & was taking it for a joke’, which I saw from day 1. She really isn’t invested here or needs to win because daddy’s money is up like that.
Well said. Whole heap a look good women living in Jamaica. Some of deze foreigners entering just to feed their egos, to prove that they can leave weh dem deh and come teck it from locals. How you going to represent a nation and not even sound like the locals? Why can’t they enter the pageants under the country they were born in, and still living in, since that is their true nationality? They want to be a title holder under another nation, but simultaneously maintain their privilege of living in a developed nation. You call those ppl, users.
my opinion, any female regardless of colour or creed as long as they’re competent and intelligent enough should be able to represent jamaica as long as, she have parental/family ties to jamaica, understand the language, embrace and accept jamaica and the culture, to me it doesn’t matter where they’re from, AS LONG AS ITS NOT THE ROTI REPUBLIC! because when you look at it, the only indigenous jamaican is the man and the woman standing on the jamaican coat-of-arms :thumbup
Truth Rammy….100% :thumbup
Well according to Cindy, said winner accept Jamaica, but is not embracing it as she not holding up her end of the bargain. Clearly she love farrin more than Jamaica cause she don’t even want to stay in Jamaica. Why she never try fi Ms. USA then…cause she probably wouldn’t make it that’s why.
De ting set a way Star. Nuff pretty girls dey a yaad, but mi a wonda if de bigwigs of the Pegeants accept de “foreign contestants” because de local “yardie contestants”, (due to de harsh economic situation in JA) nuh have the heavy flow of cash fe buy dem gowns,jewellery,etc) for the contest. I’m pretty sure there’s a lot of finances involved (on the part of the contestant) and a “foreign contestant” is more likely to have de funds. Jah know Star, de ting sticky, and stay a way yes, if a so it go.
So are they stripping her of the crown because she sued them or because she did not stay in Jamaica for at least 21 days. Because if its because she sued them, she should sue them again. If she did not hold up her end of the contract then there is no argument. However, if she is being stripped of the crown because she made the franchise look bad then the franchise is dead wrong. They cannot try to intimidate someone because they are exercising their legal rights. And we need an entire post about how terrible the Miss Jamaica World Pageant is going!