About the show

The Eurowhat? Podcast launched in 2018 and features two Americans (Ben Smith and Mike McComb) attempting to make sense of the Eurovision Song Contest. The show tracks national selections and artist announcements, breaks down each year’s songs with a diverse array of guests, and dives into the 65+ years of contest history using Eurovision as a lens to analyze what’s happening in pop culture and the world.

The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews on social media

Episodes

  • Episode 242: Eurovisionaries

    September 24th, 2024  |  Season 8  |  41 mins 51 secs
    azerbaijan, croatia, israel, russia, sweden, switzerland, ukraine

    Dr. Zoë Jay returns to discuss Eurovisionaries, an academic research project investigating the ways Eurovision fans think about and practice forms of cultural diplomacy.

  • Episode 241: Exotic Switzerland

    September 10th, 2024  |  Season 8  |  41 mins 35 secs
    cyprus, italy, montenegro, netherlands, sweden, switzerland

    Our 8th season begins with news about Eurovision 2025 host city Basel, our first artist announcement, and a look at the history of Switzerland at the Contest.

  • Episode 240: How to Win Melfest

    August 27th, 2024  |  Season 7  |  28 mins 5 secs
    sweden

    We say farewell to Eurovision 2024 host nation Sweden by examining the facts and figures of its long-running song selection method: Melodifestivalen. We also make our picks of who we would like to see make an appearance in Melfest 2025.

  • Episode 239: ABBA Gold

    August 13th, 2024  |  Season 7  |  23 mins 5 secs
    sweden, switzerland

    Elisabeth Vincentelli examined the 1992 Greatest Hits collection ABBA Gold for the music criticism book series 33 1/3. We discuss the book, our respective relationships with ABBA, and marvel at the band's influence on pop music.

  • Episode 238: Vacay

    July 30th, 2024  |  Season 7  |  17 mins 48 secs
    cyprus, ireland, italy, latvia, lithuania, luxembourg, norway, san marino, serbia, spain, sweden, switzerland

    It's the Geneva Convention vs Basel Exposition for the chance to host Eurovision in 2025. Meanwhile, the production team has been announced and a new job for ESC Director is available if you wanna work with Martin. We go over July 2024 Eurovision headlines in this episode.

  • Episode 237: Missing the 'Mark

    July 16th, 2024  |  Season 7  |  25 mins 54 secs
    denmark, germany, sweden, united kingdom

    Oh, Denmark. What are we going to do with you? Ellie Chalkley joins us to assess what's rotten in the state of DMGP and what changes could be made to get the Nordic nation back into the Eurovision Grand Final.

  • Episode 236: "It's 5 to 11..."

    July 2nd, 2024  |  Season 7  |  37 mins 28 secs
    albania, greece, portugal, sweden, switzerland

    On April 24, 1974, Portugal's Eurovision entry was used as a signal that would dismantle a dictatorship in Europe. In this episode, look back on the Carnation Revolution and Portugal's history both outside and inside the Eurovision Song Contest.

  • Episode 235: Calm

    June 18th, 2024  |  Season 7  |  22 mins 52 secs
    albania, belgium, finland, germany, italy, kosovo, latvia, liechtenstein, moldova, norway, slovenia, sweden, switzerland

    We check in on Eurovision headlines from June 2024 including budget discussions, host city where/when, and which countries have already expressed interest in the 2025 Contest.

  • Episode 234: A Lotta Look

    June 4th, 2024  |  Season 7  |  45 mins 28 secs
    armenia, azerbaijan, croatia, finland, france, italy, netherlands, poland, sweden, turkey, united kingdom

    Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan from the celebrity fashion blog Go Fug Yourself join us to discuss fashion, stagewear, and all the lewks from Eurovision 2024. What designs worked, which were less successful, and will 2025 be an all-denim affair?

  • Episode 233: Grievance Committee

    May 21st, 2024  |  Season 7  |  1 hr 6 mins
    australia, finland, israel, netherlands, portugal, slovenia, spain, sweden

    As the EBU works through a litany of complaints about Eurovision 2024, Dr Jess Carniel from the University of Southern Queensland joins us to discuss the issues facing the competition. Along with examining what should be a rebuilding year for the Contest, we chat about Australia's presence at the ESC and reconsider the balance of the jury and televote.

  • Episode 232: Broke

    May 14th, 2024  |  Season 7  |  25 mins 36 secs
    australia, croatia, czechia, iceland, ireland, israel, netherlands, norway, poland, sweden, switzerland, ukraine, united kingdom

    Somehow we made it through the other side of the 2024 Eurovision Grand Final in one piece. Things that didn't: the Netherlands, Nemo's trophy, and possibly the EBU? We examine the immediate aftermath of Saturday's show from Malmö.

  • Episode 231: Poop Chaos

    May 10th, 2024  |  Season 7  |  33 mins 17 secs
    armenia, austria, croatia, cyprus, estonia, finland, france, georgia, germany, greece, ireland, israel, italy, latvia, lithuania, luxembourg, netherlands, norway, portugal, serbia, slovenia, spain, sweden, switzerland, ukraine, united kingdom

    In our Eurovision 2024 Grand Final Preview, we discuss the results of the two semi-finals in Malmö, make some predictions on what may happen on Saturday, and scratch why Sweden's hosting has been itching us this week.