Eurovision Trivia: Juries vs Audience (part A)
Since the introduction of the juries in the 2008 Contest, we have seen many times to change the final result of each country’s qualification and its ranking at the Grand Final, with most of the times causing negative reactions from its fans and not only.
Many fans ask for the removal of the juries from the contest of and the return of 100% televoting.
Although the juries have favored many songs, most of the time, however, their opinion diverges too much from that of the audience, with the result that big favorites are not only out of the final, but still ranked at the bottom of the scoreboard by the members of the jury of each country.
This trivia, which consists of three parts, will examine what songs, which while the television audience had them high in their preference, the jury had a different view, leaving a chance to the Final but also a good result there.
In this article we will see what happened between television audience and juries in the years 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011.
In 2008, juries are being introduced for first time in the contest. Specifically, their vote was only counted in the semifinals and only for the 10th ticket for the Grand Final.
This year, we see that while FYROM came to the 10th in the vote of the television audience in the 2nd semifinal, the new scoring system left it off, with the big favorite Charlotte Perrelli taking her place, having been ranked higher in the secret juries ballot.
That year Sweden came just 12th in audience preference for the semifinals.
In 2009, the voting system was the same as the semi-final of the previous year, while there was differentiation in the Grand Final.
FYROM was 10th to the audience’s vote in the first semifinal, as in the previous year. The country was representedby the Next Time band with the song “Nešto što kje ostane”. However, according to the voting rules, Waldo’s People qualified , who were ranked 12 in the audience vote, but took the wildcard of the jury, thereby depriving the qualification from FYROM once again.
In the 2nd semifinal, Serbia, with Marko Kon and Milaan and Cipela, came 10th in the audience preference. However, Serbia was not so high in the juries secret vote, with Croatia having the 10th ticket with Igor Cukrov and Andrea and the song Lijepa Tena, which was ranked 13th.
In 2009 Final, we first juries for the first time, co-deciding the final result by by 50%. The other 50% of course belonged to Europe’s television audience.
Here, we have four countries while the television audience had ranked high, the opinion of the jury was completely different.
Greece was rerpesented by an old acquaintance of the contest Sakis Rouvas with the song “This Is Our Night”. Sakis although big favorite, failed to bring the second victory to Greece, but the audience gave him a very good 5th place. But the juries ranked him in 11th place , getting finally the 7th place.
Albania is represented by Kejsi Tola, with the song “Carry Me in Your Dreams”. Kejsi, although coming to the 11th position in the big final, the jury has barely managed to score 23rd, with Kejsi, heading to 17th place after the vote.
Hostess country, Russia was repreesented by Anastasiya Prikhodko and Mamo. Anastasiya won the vote of the television audience by taking the 8th place. The jury, however, ranked her just 17th.
Armenia, this year, was represented by Inga and Anush, with “Jan Jan”. The sisters from Armenia were ranked 9th in the television audience and 15th in the jury. Eventually, they ended 10th.
In 2010, the 50-50 system was applied for the first time in the semifinals as well.
Here, we meet, 3 countries, which, while being very much loved by the television audience,juries again had a different opinion.
Russia was represented by Peter Nalitch and Friends with “Lost and Forgotten”. The audience with their vote ranks them in 4th place, while the juries left them it out of the final and only 14th out of the 17th Semifinals. However, Russia managed to qualify only 7th in the Grand Final.
Finland is represented by Kuunkuiskaajat with the song “Työlki ellää”. The girls from Finland came 6th in the European public’s preference, with the juries limiting them to the 15th place of the semifinals. The Kuunkuiskaajat came 11th, losing the Finals qualification.
Sweden is represented by Anna Bergendahl with the song “This Is My Life”. Sweden’s failure to qualify to the Final (which is the only blockade in the history of the Country in the Contest) was a big shock for most. Anna came to 9th in the vote of the television audience and 11th in the jury’s rating. After the combination of votes Sweden came 11th, thus losing shortly the qualification and giving the qualification in Cyprus which was ranked 10th.
Two of the defeated countries in the final, who were loved by the television audience,but limited by the juries is France and Serbia.
France was represented by Jessy Matador and the song Allez Ola Olé. A song that has made great success in the 2010 Contest and is still heard today.
France came 8th in the choice of television audience and 22nd in the jury, with the combination of votes coming 12th, a partially satisfactory position.
Milan Stanković represents Serbia this year in the Conetst, with the song “Ovo je Balkan”. Milan came 10th in the preference of the audience, while only 21st in the jury. Another misdemeanor not supported by the jury.
We are procceding to the last year, in this first part of this trivia, in 2011.
In 2011, the voting system was the same as in 2010.
The Conetst is held in Düsseldorf, Germany. The first Semi-Final faces many problems with how to transmit the first songs in many countries.
The top five countries in a series of appearances are blocking, with participants blaming the organizers.
In this semifinals, we see 6 countries, while their television audience had either high in their preference or had given them the qualification, the juries again had another view.
Greece is represented by Lucas Giorgas and Stereo Mike, with the song “Watch My Dance”. greece came first in the vote of the European public, with the jury giving us the 9th place. However, the combination of the two votes made Greece maintain its winning position.
Georgia is represented by the band Eldrine, whose leader Beso Tsikhelashvili, also won the well-known Barbara Dex Award. Georgia was 5th in the public’s preference, while the juries limited it in the 13th place. But Eldrine managed to qualify to the Grand Final.
Russia is represented by Alexey Vorobyov and the song “Get You”. Alexey came fourth in the semifinals, while the judging boards gave him only 31 points and 16th place. Nevertheless, Alexey managed to pass to the Finals,as after the combination of the votes came 9th.
In contrast to the above-mentioned countries, despite the opposite opinion of the jury, 3 other countries, while the television audience had them in the Final, the rating of the juries specialists, stamped them away, leaving them in the Semi-finals.
These were Armenia, Norway and Turkey.
Armenia is represented by Emmy and the song “Boom Boom”. It came 7th to the television audience and 15th to the jury. Eventually Emmy won 12th place in the semifinals, losing for the first and only time the qualification.
Stella Mwangi with “Haba Haba” represent Norway this year in the Contest. An entry that was also in top10 of the betting odds. But she failed to qualify to the final because the juries gave her the poor 17th place, as opposed to the 9th of the television audience, which was not enough to take her to the next stage.
Turkey is represented by the band Yüksek Sadakat with “Live It Up”. The audience had given Turkey the 10th place, with the juries having a different opinion, after limited Turkey 12th. Turkey, that year, had also achieved its unique exclusion in its history in the Contest.
On the other hand, in the 2nd semifinals, we have three countries that, while the television audience had given them the ticket to the final, the jury gave them low ranking. These are Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus and Moldova.
Belarus is represented by Anastasia Vinnikova with the song “I Love Belarus”, and although the European audience had given it the qualification, the low rank of the jury was left out of the final.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is represented by Dino Merlin, with “Love in Rewind”. Dino was the 2nd in the public vote, while only 11th in the jury, without this low 11th position to deprive him of his qualification.
Finally,Moldova is represented by Zdob si Zdub, who had represented the country in distant 2005. This year they compete with the song ” “So Lucky”. The band from Moldova comes to the 8th in the preference of the television audience and the 13th in the preference of the jury. Moldova managed to qualify to the big Finals only 10th.
At the Grand Final, as well as the Semi-Final, Greece, Georgia and Russia, while were found high on the audience’s preference, the jury members had limited them out of the top10.
Specifically, Greece came third on televoting and 14th in Juries, Georgia 8th and 16th respectively and Russia 7th and 25th.
In addition, one of the Big 5, the UK, while 5th in the televoting, the Juries ranked 22nd. The country was represented by the well-known band Blue, with the song “I Can”.
Here, the First Part of the trivia to the entries that, while the television audience was either high on their preference or had been awarded for the Grand Final at Eurovision, the opinion of the jury was completely different.
Stay tuned for Part B, where we will analyze the years 2012,2013,2014.
