It’s only a few hours until we know who has won Eurovision 2016, the jury rehearsal for the final has come and gone, and it’s time to predict the final result!
So, what do we make of the final line-up?
Kylie: I think it’s a very strong final, varied, and open. I have no idea what’s going to happen and I’ve got a horrible feeling I’m going to get a nasty surprise at the end…
Nicolas: Oh it’s such a strong final! This is the quality I want from Eurovision, but to be honest, I don’t know if it’s what the casual viewers want. A lot of people seem disappointed by this year, as also shown in the iTunes charts all over Europe if you compare it to last year. If only we had sent Loïc this year…
Sara: There is no amazing songs this year, but on the other hand, it also lacks really horrible songs. None of the songs will become number one all over Europe after their win, like Euphoria or even Heroes. We do have some of the best stagings ever! Just a pity they’re not always accompanied by good songs…
First of all, let’s talk about the automatic finalists…
Kylie: Well, the UK didn’t completely mess it up for once, albeit it’s still rather average compared to everyone. France just seems too empty on stage and I think it will underwhelm in the end. Germany and Spain just seem rather irrelevant and by far the best is Italy. Francesca is just so charming and the staging is so cute, I love it. I think Sweden will do well here, but I just think there’s not enough for them to do the double.
Nicolas: Every year it’s the same thing: in the run up to Eurovision everyone is enthusiastic about the Big 5, thinking it’ll be their year, with their songs doing well in the polls etc. But most of them end up screwing up through their staging. Spain just has a staging that is very underwhelming for such a powerful song. Germany is pretty but after a minute and a half you’re left bored because nothing else happens. France has a very pretty backdrop but an underwhelming singer (2011, anyone?). The UK have done the best they could with what they’ve got. The real gem here is Italy! In theory it should be a real mess: floating plants, 3D glasses, the most random items. She’s wearing brownish dungarees and there’s weird effects on screen. But somehow, once you see it on screen, it all clicks and it simply looks magical. Add Francesca’s natural charm and you have a gorgeous performance! I can’t say anything new about Sweden as it’s basically the same as in MF. Also, has anyone noticed how all of these except Italy finish their song on the catwalk?
Sara: Spain’s staging is really disappointing for that song, I expected more energy! Get backing singers that can actually dance as well as sing and it’s sad that the backings can’t even do the signature move of the song. Germany, the UK and Sweden are just kind of boring. France isn’t as bad as people are saying. I guess they just expected some extraordinary staging, but a song like J’ai cherché doesn’t really need a big staging, so I don’t think it’ll hurt him. Italy looks surprisingly cool on stage! The way she seems to be floating on a lilypad is really pretty, but I miss the rubber ducks.
So, moment of truth: who will win, and who will be top five?
Kylie: It’s extremely tough to call it, and I’m very much open to the fact that I will be hilariously wrong here, but I reckon the top 5 will be Russia, Ukraine, Australia, Latvia and Sweden in any order. Out of those, I would have to reckon that Russia is the most likely one to take it despite my previous dismissals in the past. Even though I’m not sure about their jury score, I just came to that conclusion via a process of elimination. I highly doubt Australia will get much traction in the East, Ukraine is far too dark and won’t get much traction in the West, and the other two are too much of long shots here, but either of them might be a good punt for a possible compromise winner if the jury and televote differ too much.
Nicolas: This is a moment I hate, because even though for once I managed to do well in the semi predictions, I’m still awful at predicting in general. Nice to see that Kylie changed her mind about Russia winning (I demand an apology for the amount of times I’ve been called an idiot!!! Just kidding :P), so maybe that’s a sign that they won’t win after all. I am going to say Russia as well at this point for the same reasons, but the jury score is also the big question mark here. Australia is the one that could beat Russia, I think, but there is still Sweden to think of. I am secretly hoping for a surprise Ukrainian win, though! The final country in the top 5 will be Armenia.
Sara: I do think now that France will win. However, Russia wouldn’t surprise me at all if it won. The top 5 will be completed by Australia (not enough emotion to win), Poland (do NOT make fun of me!!!) and Ukraine.
That’s it! Enjoy the show, and we’ll be back together on the podcast sometime after the weekend!
ESC Pulse 