Daena Soares 'represented very well', says local pageant organisers despite early exit
Published:Monday | December 13, 2021 | 12:54 AMStephanie Lyew/Gleaner Writer -
Daena Soares was not named among the top 16 at the 70th Miss Universe pageant held at the Universe Dome in Eilat, Israel tonight, but "she represented very well", said Mark McDermoth, co-director of the Miss Universe Jamaica Organisation.
"Daena did everything right, and we are very proud of her performance throughout the competition," he told The Gleaner following the announcement of the top 16 semi-finalists.
Among the countries which continued to vie for a chance for the crown was France, Columbia, Singapore, Panama, Puerto Rico, Japan, USA, India, Great Britain, Aruba, Paraguay, Philippines, Venezuela, South Africa, Vietnam, whose representative Nguyen Huynh Kim Duyen received the highest number of public votes and The Bahamas, which for the first time in the pageant's history had a candidate in the semi-finals. Our Caribbean neighbour was represented by 27-year-old peer mentor Chantel O'Brian. Columbia, India, Paraguay, the Philippines and South Africa were named in the top five.
"We were very excited and hoping that they would have announced Jamaica and Daena's name," McDermoth shared of the experience watching the pageant.
He added, "She worked very hard, but we understand, and we accept the outcome. There are many countries that send delegates to Miss Universe every year and have never made the cut, and Jamaica has made the semi-finals and finals under our stewardship four times in under 10 years. This, too, is not only historic, but it is a lot to be proud of."
Jamaica has yet to bring home the Miss Universe crown, but McDermoth shared that the opportunity still remains. The Miss Universe Jamaica Organisation is constantly seeking young women willing to take on a challenge, and the co-director said, "we are ready to get back to work in selecting and preparing the next delegate to represent Jamaica."
The USA has the highest number of Miss Universe titleholders; Venezuela, seven; Puerto Rico, five and The Philippines, four. Meanwhile, Sweden, South Africa and Mexico are tied with three candidates taking the crown.
'INCREDIBLE' FEELING
Leading up to the pageant day, Soares kept her followers engaged on social media and provided travel updates and highlights of her overall experience. The St Elizabeth born-and-raised beauty shared that it was an "incredible" feeling being able to represent not only Jamaica, but her parish and the community of Junction. She also paid tribute to her great-grandfather, who she affectionately called 'Grandpa Bawsy'.
"He was a father figure to all in our community and was the major figurehead behind our accomplishments and growth to this day. I see myself as a culmination of his efforts to empower his family long term, and I'm proud to be a representative of his forward-thinking," she told The Gleaner in an interview after the Miss Universe preliminary swimsuit and evening gown competition.
Soares said she is walking away from the competition with a lot more than was expected, including new information about her ancestry. A collaboration with My Heritage, a leading genealogy research company, and the Miss Universe Organisation allowed contestants to explore their ancestry.
"The contestants received a DNA retrieval kit which included cheek swabs for us to send in our genetic material. After a few weeks, we received our results and were able to review them with the team. It was quite shocking yet enlightening," she said.
"I expect to have a lengthy conversation with my family when I return home, as there are a lot of new questions about our ancestors. So much new information, such as ancestry from Sierra Leone and Syria, emerged. Coming from such a large and diverse family, this was greatly appreciated. I'm thankful I had this experience that I can share with them as well," Soares continued.
The Miss Universe competition was not without controversy. The South African government, which strongly supports the Palestinian cause, withdrew its support a month before Miss Universe South Africa Lalela Mswane was scheduled to travel to Israel to participate in the international pageant. A grassroots Palestinian-led boycott had also urged contestants to skip the event to protest Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians.
At the end of the night, the 2021 Miss Universe winner was Miss Universe India Harnaaz Sandhu with Miss Universe Paraguay Nadia Ferreira as first runner-up and Mswane, second-runner up.