Live EUROVISION 2025 - REHEARSALS AND FINAL DISCUSSION THREAD

[Sean]

Please post all discussion, content and reaction relating to the rehearsals in Basel in this thread!

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Semi-Final 1 discussion begins on page 38 of this thread.
Semi-Final 2 discussion begins on page 96 of this thread.
Final discussion begins on page 157 of this thread.

 

[gigi_copp3]

Israel's televoting score is indeed sus, but nothing we haven't seen before. Ukraine's 2022 win is tainted in the eyes of many. The only difference is that if Israel wins, we won't need semi finals and we will be robbed of two shows and that's something nobody wants. Not fans, not the EBU, and not Israel as a host country.

Maybe EBU and Israel should make a secret deal to lay low for a while like Azerbaijan does ever since they got caught cheating. They are sending songs so deliberatly non competeitive that it sad.

New Day Will Rise is a non competitive song and probably would not have qualified without all the Israel/7 October pity support.

 

[SpiritofKeiino]

Can we change the way the televotes are announced next year please....I never liked this system of zooming in on them as they get their points. Some of the artists looked really sad

 

[empo21]

For a split moment last night, I was thinking "I hope Israel just wins it all so this contest can go straight to hell". It really shows how little faith I have in the EBU. The breaking point is approaching. I hope Spain's broadcaster can lead a fight for next year's contest because I don't think the other Big5 can.

This year's show felt so controlled and restricted. It's very clear EBU is waiting for the protests to stop so they can continue like nothing happened and I'm sure last night's result worked for the opposite. With Israel getting so close to winning, I feel like next year is going to be even more difficult for everyone - well except the elephant in the room.

Eurovision presented by MoroccanOil (i wonder how much they pay to have their brand plastered on the commercial break screen?)

As for the results.

I'm okay with Austria winning especially knowing who the other option was. Sucks a bit to have an obvious winner or another jury landslide winner. Latvia 2nd in their semi is iconic. Albania getting ignored by the jury was rough. I feel like it deserved at least a double of what it received. Greece was silently winning points while Sweden was silently flopping. I hope this teaches bookmakers that Sweden is not entering every contest with a 20% lead from the get go.

Also, I hate to say it but Switzerland getting 0pts was the 2nd most predictable result after UK 0pts now cmon now

ps forgot to add the scoreboard shitshow. Whose idea was it to show the full scores for only 1.3 milliseconds? Just so we can't make out who's in the lead? The producers DO NOT know what the viewers like at all. Following the scoreboard is like one of the most exciting parts of the contest.

 

[Storm]

This all would probably be a pretty easy thing to adress by simply using demoscopic juries rather than music professionals. It would make for points mostly unaffected by diaspora et cetera while still staying in touch with the people. But it wouldn’t surprise me if these disparities every year is merely considered ”good television” for the producers, rather than an issue.

I mean the discrepancies are also intentional? There would be zero point in having juries if they had the exact same results as the televote.

And yes, of course the current composition of juries is ridiculous. My personal highlight is that our 2nd placer in our NF, Lyza, is in our jury. You heard it right, Lyza, the girl they made a huuuuge show of in this year's NF, that it was her first performance on a stage, and that it is her first song LMAO. That's our "music professional".

That said, I'm sorry, the televoting is the far bigger joke this year. It's straight out of 2007-08 hell or something we thought we left behind. Israel being the new super villain collecting points from god knows where, the cringiest joke entries and diasporas voting for themselves. I'm looking at the German televote result and the only thing missing is a high vote for Turkey.

 

[Jupiter]

I think it's worth complaining. 185 people shouldn't basically be able to decide our winner and while they're at it, destroy entries whilst totally over pimping others to the moon and back.. what is it, three years in a row now? And once again a repeat of 2023 where our winner doesn't pick up a single public 12. Nothing against JJ. He did great (loved his staging aesthetically) and he got a fantastic public score (which he well earned,) and it's certainly for the contest's best interests that he won that face off tonight, but the jury continuously overrules what the public has to say each year. I'm tired at this point of seeing the same countries facing a continual uphill struggle. The juries just vote for what they're used to so we get comfy entries like Switzerland, Netherlands and France getting drowned in points and then the public just not caring all the much for them (or at all in the case of Switzerland.)

While I agree with most of what you say, I think JJ not getting any 12s is not much of an argument against the jury this time. Most 12s went to Israel, and that for political reasons (12 x 12 out of 38). And behind that, there is bock voting galore.

Germany got 1 x 12 - from Austria (A&T are from Austria)
Greece got 12 from Cyprus and Albania
Ukraine getting 12 from Poland
San Marino getting 12 from Italy
Albania getting 12 from Greece and Montenegro
Even Sweden, their 12s all came from the nordics + Estonia

Not saying these are undeserved - I love most of the acts I listed. But I do think it sticks out. And Austria having no voting allies means they start at somewhat of a disadvantage that likely influences this metric IMO.

OTOH I really agree about France, Switzerland and Netherlands. All of these felt much "safer" (and honestly even "Jury-coded") than Austria or any other entry here, and before the fandom started gaslighting me into thinking they could be tele darlings, I kind of expected the tele scores they got in the end. And Poland and Albania deserved more from the juries. My friends watching with me were fuming about the Polish jury score. For them, Justyna was easily one of the most impressive performers, and they did not get her jury score at all.

And one last thing: I've seen comments in some places that every country next year will simply send a JJ. So people really think every country even has one? I'd be much more worried about getting a dozen Espresso Macchiatos next year...

 

[SpiritofKeiino]

Worst winner for me in a long time, but at least it's not Israel.
Not really looking forward to next year.

 

[Ana Raquel]

Israel's televoting score is indeed sus, but nothing we haven't seen before. Ukraine's 2022 win is tainted in the eyes of many. The only difference is that if Israel wins, we won't need semi finals and we will be robbed of two shows and that's something nobody wants. Not fans, not the EBU, and not Israel as a host country.

Maybe EBU and Israel should make a secret deal to lay low for a while like Azerbaijan does ever since they got caught cheating. They are sending songs so deliberatly non competeitive that it sad.

I believe Israel would still win televote even if they sent Jendrik - I don't feel hate

 

[Harry]

I have woken up with a sense of pride that the professional juries & music experts ranked in the top 10! We’ll ignore the televote as that was pretty messed up on the whole…. Something needs to change there. Mess

 

[gigi_copp3]

1st and 2nd place in televotes have performed in the #3 and #4 spot, Ukraine performed #2 last year and slayed the televote,
we need to redefine the death slot ijbol

Maybe the vote being open since the start of the show actually favors who sings first? Our top 3 this year performed in the 1st half, last year 2nd and 5th R/O spots got 2nd and 3rd with the televote.

 

[EscGeek]

I believe Israel would still win televote even if they sent Jendrik - I don't feel hate

As they should

 

[SpiritofKeiino]

I believe Israel would still win televote even if they sent Jendrik - I don't feel hate

Or Blas Canto Voy A Quedarme (IMO even worse)

 

[Geborgenheit]

People make claims. Don't believe them.

I believe my sources. He is a fan of Netrebko. Of course JJ doesn´t care about Ukraine. Fine. But I care and more than those pro-Palestinians here .

 

[hawadharma]

New war will rise

 

[MopManMoss]

So people always say there is no formula to winning Eurovision but we have had two winners in a row that were twinks locked in a room with Teya for months so whoever wants to win in 2026 you know what to do

 

[han-g]

This all would probably be a pretty easy thing to adress by simply using demoscopic juries rather than music professionals. It would make for points mostly unaffected by diaspora et cetera while still staying in touch with the people. But it wouldn’t surprise me if these disparities every year is merely considered ”good television” for the producers, rather than an issue.

Look at benidorm fest as an example of why that mostly wouldn't necessarily be an improvement in jury televote agreement.

 

[SpiritofKeiino]

I have woken up with a sense of pride that the professional juries & music experts ranked in the top 10! We’ll ignore the televote as that was pretty messed up on the whole…. Something needs to change there. Mess

I hear Liz McClarnon (ex Atomic Kitten) on jury. Following the Heidi Range (ex Sugababes) tradition. Louise Redknapp a few years ago too

 

[gigi_copp3]

Ok. I explain. If you watch the entire show, there were lots, and lots, AND LOTS of references to Italy, to the Italian language in general and I find it particularly strange, since Switzerland has four languages and in Basel Italian isn't even the primary language. Michelle in the beginning said "hello to all Italians in the world watching": doesn't it seem strange to say something like that when she is a Swiss, presenting in Switzerland an international contest? Sandra Stuber sang in Italian in 1991, that's right, but she is a German native speaker: how many times did you hear her talk in German and how many times in Italian? Then songs, hommages to the language, hosts singing in Italian. And then we came to the voting. As I said, I have the strong suspicion Tommy Cash and Lucio Corsi were chosen by the juries to be the Plan B to an eventual JJ flop in the televote. And they gave that message to televoters by giving hints about who they want to vote using the hosts. The juries already voted, and as you can see Lucio and Tommy were rewarded by juries. Did they know something we don't? Did they try to give us hints on the horses to vote? Maybe it's just a conspiracy theory. But I found the entire show so strange and, for some reasons, unnatural.

Am I a conspiracy theorist or maybe this time Switzerland wasn't so neutral?

Michelle lives and works in Italy, so she wanted to address us: maybe she shouldn't had to, but I don't think those were hints to who to vote. And in fact Michelle continued to use Italian to announce Italy getting points (she said multiple times "Italia 12 punti, Italy 12 points"), even when the public vote was over.

Nice theory but simply in Italy there has been a lot of talk about the three Italian entries, Tommy Cash was really popular all around the world and came really close to be the 3rd jokeish entry to finish as the runner up. And surprisingly us did give him "only" 7 points, with Israel getting 8, so just imagine what could have been if Tommy got just a few more votes

 

[Gitte]

Btw i just checked the sf2 redults and the only countries NOT giving 12 to israhell gave their highest points to a neighbour/friend( i.e. greece - armenia).... And people complain about the juries?

 

[Harry]

I hear Liz McClarnon (ex Atomic Kitten) on jury. Following the Heidi Range (ex Sugababes) tradition. Louise Redknapp a few years ago too

It’ll be Girls Aloud next year!

 

[hijirio]

Eurovision presented by MoroccanOil (i wonder how much they pay to have their brand plastered on the commercial break screen?)

Yes, but not only that. Just imagine all those juicy €€€ pouring in from the x20 votes for Israel, plus the anti-Israel mobilization votes that went to Croatia last year. Israel doesn’t just secure the 12 points — they also get a pretty comfortable lead over whoever’s sitting at 10. I really wish the EBU provided the total number of votes data, because I’d bet there’s a sharp increase in the past 2 years. This kind of clash is definitely profitable for the EBU.