WITH much pomp and pizazz, the six young ladies vying for the 2017 ‘Miss Mash Queen Guyana’ title were formally introduced to the public last Sunday night at the Umana Yana.And from the look of things, it’s going to be one tough competition when this pageant plays out next month, on the night of February 19 at the National Cultural Centre, particularly since several of the girls have previous pageant experience.

Those like Gabriella Chapman, Romichelle Brummel, Kelisha Kelly will draw heavily upon their past pageant knowledge to get an edge over the competition.
Both Chapman and Kelly were in pageants as recent as last year: Gabby took a go at the 2016 Miss Emancipation title last August, while Kelly was a part of the lineup for the 2016 Miss Universe Guyana crown last September.
Romichelle, a Lindener, had finished second runner up in the Miss Talented Teen pageant in 2013, and in 2014, she again placed second runner up in the Miss Summer Blaze Pageant.
Another hard-hitter will be the willowy Ashanti Jasper, a versed model who’s graced many a local runways over the past few years. The other two hopefuls are Younette Stepheny and Aquaila Rupan.
Sunday night’s activities climaxed with the girls entering one at a time, dancing and jiving as they introduced themselves, each decked out in a Mashramani costume.
The costumes for the pageant are being designed by Neilson Nurse and Randy Madray.

CUTE STAGE NAMES
Each of the girls have cute stage names that all have their groundings in Guyana’s culture in one way or the other.
Hailing from Bartica, Chapman is ‘Ms. Golden Beach’; Stepheny is ‘Ms. Ringbang’; the graceful Jasper is ‘Ms. Water Lily’; Brummell is ‘Ms. Pepperpot’; Rupan is ‘Ms. Buxton Spice’’ and Kelly ‘Ms. Sapodilla Brown’.
The Miss Mash Queen Pageant is praised for being a home-grown pageant that represents

our National Festival of ‘Mashramani’.
The night’s ceremony included a short cultural programme, which included an Indian Dance by Ms. Bibi Haniff, performance by 2015 Calypso monarch, King Perai, and a competitor vying in this year’s junior calyso competition. The night was emceed by Sunil Rasul.
This year’s hosting of the pageant marks a return of the event after an 11-year hiatus. The pageant is being coordinated by Guyana’s mother of pageantry herself, Pamela Dillon, through her well known pageant organisation, Simpli Royal.
Ms. Pam, as everyone calls her, first took up the mantle to host the pageant back in the 1990s when two pageants were held, the first being in 1998 and the other in 1999. The challenges got the best of the franchise, and it didn’t show face again until the early 2000s, when there were international pageants in 2004 and 2006.
This year on Pageant Night, the girls are going to be judged in six categories, in which all of them will be competing.
There will be no pre-judged segment, so everything you see at the pageant is everything there is.
The categories include an opening masquerade performance, a swim-suit segment that will be in two parts, namely the regular swim suit, then a round of “Mash-themed” swim suits.
There’s also the talent, evening gown, and on-stage interview components.