Jess Tyson reveals ‘MY SECRET WEAPON TO WIN'

The beauty queen explains how her pageant experience gives her the edge

- Sebastian van der Zwan

As they prepared to be stranded on the remote beaches of the Far North, the Celebrity Treasure Island castaways were banned from packing almost all the comforts of home. But pageant queen and Māori Television journalist Jess Tyson had some secret weapons stashed in her duffle bag, which she credits for getting her this far on the TVNZ 2 reality series.

“I brought a few crystals and greenstone necklaces to wear throughout the game,” she reveals to Woman’s Day. “Each of them has their own meaning, so I’d choose what to wear depending on my mood. In the first week, I wore a rose quartz and since my team was winning so much, I thought it was giving us magical crystal power!”

But the real magic came from a pounamu pendant that Jess, 28, put on for each elimination challenge. “My mum gave it to me when I was Miss World New Zealand, the same year I started my charity Brave and went public with my story of sexual harm. My mum is a really independent, strong woman, so wearing that necklace in those intense moments reminded me of who I am, where I’m from and what I’ve overcome.”