Miss Bahamas 2016 Pageants News

**bonner** Sun Feb 14, 2016 8:26 am

Contestants Being Sought for Revamped Miss Bahamas Pageants

The 2016 Miss Bahamas pageants will be unlike any before them, and contestants are being sought across the country to be a part of this ground breaking new event. For the first time, the national beauty competitions will incorporate an interactive Reality TV Series in which the viewing public will act as a judge, determining which contestants will move on to compete in the finale of the Miss World Bahamas and Miss Bahamas (Universe & Earth) competitions, set for July 24.

While this concept is new to The Bahamas, it is not new to pageantry worldwide. Several national competitions have already moved to the TV show format in an effort to reach a larger audience. The Miss Bahamas Organization (MBO) –known for being a trendsetter in Bahamian pageantry – is now following suit.
“We have to move with the times or become obsolete,” said MBO President Michelle Malcolm, “and that is not an option. By focusing on television, we will be able to reach a much larger audience and our goal is to not only get them watching, but to empower the Bahamian public to have a say in who gets to represent them internationally. We are really excited about this new direction, and we want the best of the best to come forward to compete as it will be a year to remember.”

The new format will feature a 10-week series which will introduce the contestants to the public through videos, challenges, activities and preliminary competitions. For several weeks running, the TV audience will get to vote for their favorite contestants via the soon-to-come Miss Bahamas App to keep them off the dreaded “chopping block” – the hot seats reserved for the 3 contestants who receive the lowest number of votes each week. Votes will be cumulative, and the contestants who find themselves on the chopping block on the night of the finale will face automatic elimination. The public will then be given the chance to “instantly save” only one of them to continue on in the competition. Public involvement doesn’t end there – they will then act as one of the finale judges by scoring the advancing contestants in the swimsuit and evening gown competitions in real time.

The voting process will be made easier than ever before with the slick new Miss Bahamas app which will be available on Apple and Android devices. The app will be free of charge and will also feature contestants’ photos, profiles and videos, and a behind-the-scenes look at events and preliminary competitions.
Naturally born females between the ages of 17 – 24 (Miss World) or 18 – 26 (Miss Universe/Miss Earth) who are single; never been married, pregnant or given birth; are in possession of a Bahamian passport and are from or a descendant of the district in which they wish to compete are eligible.