Miss Carribean-US Pageant Finalist Says She Never Got Paid - Philadelphia News, Weather and Sports from WTXF FOX 29

Miss Carribean-US Pageant Finalist Says She Never Got Paid

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Philadelphia's 2012 Miss Caribbean-US pageant is just a month away. But a finalist from last year's contest is raising a stink, claiming she never received her prizes.

Nelisa Smith reached out to us via email and says she's still waiting for the cash she was promised for her performance in last year's Miss Caribbean-US pageant. 

28 year old Nelisa Smith was born and raised in Dominica, attends college in New York and came to Philadelphia last July, to participate in the Miss Caribbean-US pageant.

She finished second runner-up, third place, and expected her cash prize. But nearly a year later she never got paid. 

Among the issues, Nelisa and the other contestants sold ads for the program book many of the ads were left out and Nelisa was stuck holding the bag. 

The Miss Caribbean Pageant website describes it as a showcase for bright young women from the islands who combine brains and beauty. The pageant CEO Yolanda Wallace says Nelisa Smith was trouble from the start.

When Nelisa failed to get her prize money, she fired off several obscenity-laced emails.

Nelisa went to court in King's county, New York and got a $5600 judgment against the pageant. Yolanda Wallace says they won't be paying it anytime soon.

This year's Miss Caribbean - US pageant is scheduled for Saturday, July 7th- 5pm- at MLK High School in Philadelphia.

It would be nice if the pageant and Nelisa Smith could resolve their long and bitter dispute before it casts a dark cloud over the event.

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