The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews - Episodes Tagged with “Israel”

Episode 301: BOOM Bangaranga

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 19 May 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Better late than never: let’s talk about Eurovision 2026. We’ll discuss what happened in Vienna, what this means for the Contest going forward, and share our post-confetti plans. Also: BULGARIA?!

📸 Sarah Louise Bennett | EBU

BOOM Bangaranga Summary

Were we engaged with the Contest this year? (0:56)
The Eurovision Brodacasts (6:16)
First Semi-Final (10:06)
Second Semi-Final (16:24)
The Grand Final (28:41)
Data Tidbits (46:19)
Looking Ahead to 2027 (50:21)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

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We also have the EuroWhat? AV Club Podcast, a monthly bonus episode for paid members exploring Eurovision-adjacent TV, movies, books, and more. And if there is a season 2 of the American Song Contest... well... :::monkey's paw intensifies:::

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Episode 300: Tu cara me suena

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 12 May 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Spain has been ride-or-die for Eurovision since debuting in 1961. In this episode, we’ll be taking a look at how Spain’s original approach to the Contest may have informed their decision to not attend the festivities in Vienna for the first time in 65 years.

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Episode 299: Going Dutch

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Eurovision is an expensive enterprise, and the Netherlands has been one of the Contest’s largest financial supporters. In this episode, we’ll be taking a look at the financial impact of Netherland’s absence from Eurovision 2026.

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

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Episode 298: Hvala, Ne

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Slovenia has struggled to find momentum and consistency on the Eurovision scoreboard. In this episode, we take a look at how rule changes—especially around who qualifies—has impacted Slovenia’s ability to succeed at the Contest.

Hvala, Ne Summary

Slovenia and the Relegation Era (4:39)
One Semi to Rule Them All (11:32)
Semi Finals go to Pot (15:17)
Slovenia vs. the Televote (25:39)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

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Episode 297: Icy Reception

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Iceland's television broadcaster RUV turns 60 this year and 2026 is also their 40th anniversary of entering Eurovision. We take a look at why it took 20 years for Iceland to join the party, how the country helped push the Contest into a more modern mode, and why they won't be in Vienna this year.

Icy Reception Summary

History of Iceland Speedrun Any% (4:51)
1986: Iceland Joins Eurovision (19:38)
Iceland's First Decade at Eurovision (27:03)
Pall Oskar / Paul Oscar (29:30)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

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Episode 296: All Kinds of Everything

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Boycotts, jury overhauls, technological shifts, major protests, religious and political violence, hot pants... Ireland had a lot to deal with when it hosted Eurovision for the first time in 1971.

All Kinds of Everything Summary

Ireland at Eurovision (0:39)
The State of Eurovison 1970-1971 (4:33)
RTE presenting Eurovision in Color (13:53)
Protests and Politics (22:29)
Wrapping Up (35:43)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

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Episode 295: Eye-Catching

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Romania returns from its Eurovision hiatus this year, hopefully with some things figured out. We review the country's history at the Contest, its qualification troubles, and how their strategy at the contest may be high risk, high reward.

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

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Episode 294: Radio Friendly

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0600

The semi-final era has not been kind to Poland. Though the country has done okay at Eurovision the last few years, they haven’t reached the heights of their debut entry in 1994. We’ll be doing a deep dive on what worked 30+ years ago and identify where Poland may secretly have its finger on the pulse of what does well at the Contest.

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

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Episode 289: Rough

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 00:00:00 -0600

Bulgaria returns to Eurovision following a three-year absence. We take a look at the country's history at the Contest: a rough start in its initial tenure, a renaissance after its first hiatus, and looking ahead to how Bulgaria's next tenure may go.

Rough Summary

Selection Season So Far: Moldova, Malta, Luxembourg, Georgia, Israel, Switzerland (0:40)
Join the EuroWhat? AV Club (4:29)
Bulgaria's History at Eurovision (6:30)
How is Bulgaria selecting for 2026? (28:32)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you want even more EuroWhat? in your life, join the EuroWhat? AV Club on Patreon! You can join for free to get virtual high fives and a monthly newsletter featuring:

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Episode 288: Bad Lucksembourg

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 00:00:00 -0600

Luxembourg returned to Eurovision in 2024 after a 30-year hiatus. When they left the Contest, they were tied with Ireland and France in having won the most times at 5 wins apiece. We’ll explore Luxembourg’s incredible run and see how they’ve adapted to the modern era as we preview the third edition of the Luxembourg Song Contest.

Bad Lucksembourg Summary

Luxembourg Stats at Eurovision (1:20)
Luxembourg Hosting Eurovision (4:55)
Luxembourg Song Contest 2026 (17:02)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

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Episode 287: Folklore & Rock & Roll

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 13 Jan 2026 00:00:00 -0600

Moldova has returned to Eurovision after a one-year break and has selected 16 songs to compete for a trip to Vienna in May. Malta has also streamlined their process a bit and will select their entrant from among 18 hopefuls. We’ll take a look at the history of these two countries and preview the selections that will be taking place on Saturday, January 17.

Folklore & Rock & Roll Summary

End of 2025 News (1:19)
Moldova at Eurovision (4:46)
EuroWhat? AV Club (Patreon) (30:26)
Malta at Eurovision (32:23)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

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Episode 286: Discomfort

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 30 Dec 2025 00:00:00 -0600

How do fans cope when the object of their fandom becomes problematic? Dr. Zoë Jay returns to the show to share insights from her research within the Eurovision community about this topic through the Eurovisionaries project. We also discuss ideas for fans who may be approaching 2026 with the mindset of new year, new me, new special interest.

Dr. Zoë Jay

Dr Zoë Jay is a researcher in international politics at the University of Helsinki. She is the lead investigator of the Eurovisionaries Project, which explores how Eurovision fans think about and participate in cultural diplomacy and international politics.

📸 Cover photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Discomfort Summary

New Insights from the Eurovisionaries Project (2:07)
What do we do with our problematic faves? (11:17)
Grief (21:15)
New Year, New Me, New Special Interest? (28:18)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

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Special Guest: Zoë Jay.

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Episode 285: Kerflooey

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 16 Dec 2025 00:00:00 -0600

With the passage of the EBU's new Eurovision rules, Israel will be in Vienna while the Netherlands, Spain, Slovenia, Ireland, and Iceland have withdrawn from the Contest. We’ll be discussing the fallout from the decision and figuring out how we’ll be navigating 2026...

Kerflooey Summary

What happened at the EBU General Assembly Meeting (1:11)
What is happening after the Eurovision vote? (19:16)
What will be happening? (26:59)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

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Episode 282: Momentum

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 04 Nov 2025 00:00:00 -0600

It was a busy October in Eurovision Land: The EBU unscheduled an extraordinary member session, two countries announced their return to the Contest, and several national selections are getting their ducks in a row. We get caught up on the headlines as Eurovision 2026 starts to take shape.

Momentum Summary

EBU cancels "extraordinary session" (1:32)
Bulgaria and Romania return to Eurovision (3:21)
Gert Kark joins the Eurovision Reference Group (8:15)
Patreon: PanArctic Sing-Alongs (10:18)
National Final Roundup: Estonia, Spain, Albania, Montenegro, Luxembourg, Austria, San Marino (11:38)

Photo by Filip Mishevski on Unsplash

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

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Episode 281: Responsive

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 21 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0500

The European Broadcasting Union has postponed its plan to hold a membership vote to decide if Israel’s broadcaster KAN will be allowed to compete in next year’s Eurovision. While it remains unclear if the vote will still happen, it doesn’t fully resolve how the EBU got to this point in the first place. We’ll take a closer look at other times the EBU’s non-political stance has been tested and see what lessons can be applied going forward.

Responsive Summary

Yugoslavia (3:20)
Administrative Changes to the Contest (13:40)
Armenia and Azerbaijan (16:42)
Georgia (26:58)
Final Thoughts (32:14)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

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Episode 280: Weird Little Dudes

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 07 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Käärijä, Joost, Baby Lasagana, Tommy Cash... we've used the term "Weird Little Dudes" to describe these contestants from the last few editions of Eurovision. Something else they have in common: all were favorites to win and did extremely well in the televote. We attempt to define the term and try to identify what other Eurovision contestants may fall into this category.

Weird Little Dudes Summary

Where did the term "Weird Little Dude" come from? (1:20)
Pop Quiz: Is this act a Weird Little Dude? (3:06)
Dude (5:45)
Little (9:37)
Weird (18:16)
Are "Weird Little Dudes" actually a thing? (33:22)
Which countries are more likely to have WLDs at Eurovision? (38:28)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

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Episode 278: Welcome to Austria

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 09 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0500

It's offficially the pre-season for Eurovision 2026 and we have a lot of news to get caught up on. We're heading to Vienna in May and planning for the national final season is underway. We also review Austria's CV at Eurovision.

Welcome to Austria Summary

Willkommen in Wien (0:49)
National Final Updates: Austria, Germany, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, Ukraine (4:40)
Coming up: Eurovision's Rebranding and the Intervision Song Contest (11:14)
Austria at Eurovision (13:29)
Eurovision Asia J/K (22:17)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.

Eurovision Podcast Podcrawl

What is the Eurovision Podcrawl? It's where the Eurovision podcast community picks a topic ("a year when a country first hosted Eurovision") and we all publish our episodes in our own styles. At the end of an episode, we'll point to the podcast with the next episode, and so on, through the summer! Here's the crawl:

ESC Insight: France 1959
Wind Machine Podcast: Austria 1967
The EuroWhat? Podcast: Yugoslavia 1990
Niall Points: Latvia 2003
12 Points from America: Belgium 1987
That Eurovision Site: Denmark 1964
Douze Points: Azerbaijan 2012

Episode 277: Nice

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 26 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0500

As we wrap up our 8th season and Eurovision's 69th (nice) edition, we take a rapid fire tour of the Contest up to this point while trying to find something nice or interesting to say about each year. Content warning: goofiness.

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.

Eurovision Podcast Podcrawl

ESC Insight: France 1959
Wind Machine Podcast: Austria 1967
The EuroWhat? Podcast: Yugoslavia 1990
Niall Points: Latvia 2003
12 Points from America: Belgium 1987
That Eurovision Site: Denmark 1964
Douze Points: Azerbaijan 2012 (week of September 8)

Episode 275: Good to Go

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Quite a bit has happened since we last checked in on Eurovision news. Executive Supervisor Martin Österdahl will be stepping down, there's a new head of the Reference Group, and we know which cities have made bids to host next year's competition.

Good to Go Summary

Eurovision Host City: Innsbruck vs Vienna (1:00)
Martin Österdahl Steps Down (4:48)
Have you joined the Eurowhat AV Club? (10:43)
17 Participants so far for Eurovision 2026 (11:59)
Eurovision YouTube: Non, Stop Hits (and Geoblock?) (21:17)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.

Eurovision Podcast Podcrawl

ESC Insight: France 1959
Wind Machine Podcast: Austria 1967
The EuroWhat? Podcast: Yugoslavia 1990
Niall Points: Latvia 2003
12 Points from America: Belgium 1987 (week of August 11)
That Eurovision Site: Denmark 1964 (week of August 25)
Douze Points: Azerbaijan 2012 (week of September 8)

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Episode 271: Integrity

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 03 Jun 2025 00:00:00 -0500

We ease into the off-season by getting caught up on the news in the immediate aftermath of the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest. We also dig into the jury and televote results and try to read the tea leaves for what might happen in Austria 2026.

Integrity Summary

Is Everyone Still Mad at the EBU Season 2 Renewal (0:55)
Eurovision 2025 Ratings (10:26)
Patreon: Doctor Who and Gambamark (13:21)
Eurovision 2025 Results Data Dive (15:00)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

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Episode 270: Bird Noises

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 20 May 2025 00:00:00 -0500

We have a winner! Eurovision Song Contest 2025 held its Grand Final in Basel, Switzerland and named a champion after tense rounds of juries and televoting. We discuss the show, the results, and what's in store for Eurovision 2026…

Bird Noises Summary

Austria wins the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest (1:18)
What did you think of the Grand Final? (5:23)
How were the Interval Acts? (12:20)
What does Eurovision (and the EBU) look like for 2026? (15:43)
Eurowhat Off-Season Mode (18:55)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Basel 2025

Keep up with Eurovision selection season on our Basel 2025 page! We have a calendar with links to livestreams, details about entries as their selected, plus our Spotify playlists with every song we can find that is trying to get the Eurovision stage.

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.

Episode 269: Eurovision 2025 Grand Final Preview

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Fri, 16 May 2025 00:30:00 -0500

Twenty songs have emerged from the Eurovision 2025 Semifinals and will join six auto-qualifiers on Saturday. We recap the shows from Tuesday and Thursday and get ready for the Grand Final.

Eurovision 2025 Grand Final Preview Summary

Turquoise Carpet (0:48)
Semi-Final 1 Results (3:58)
Semi-Final 2 Results (10:33)
Grand Final Preview (19:14)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Basel 2025

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Episode 268: Eurovision 2025 Semi-Final Preview

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Mon, 12 May 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Eurovision Week for 2025 is upon us as well as the 37 artists gathered in Basel. We get caught up on the news leading up to this week before discussing the rehearsals and our predictions for who will advance to Saturday's Grand Final.

Eurovision 2025 Semi-Final Preview Summary

Lumo stuns in Basel debut (0:48)
Eurovision Artist Support Measures (2:38)
Ongoing Issues: Flag Policy 2025 and Israel's Participation (6:01)
Semi-Final Format Changes (10:48)
Where to watch Eurovision 2025 (16:13)
Eurovision Semi-Final 1 Predictions (POTENTIAL SPOILERS) (18:27)
Eurovision Semi-Final 2 Predictions (POTENTIAL SPOILERS) (32:24)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Basel 2025

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Episode 266: Mélange

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Ned Raggett joins us to close out our coverage of the second semi-final for Eurovision 2025. This week, we approach the entries from Australia, Serbia, Denmark, Austria, Israel, and Georgia.

Ned Raggett

Ned Raggett writes a lot, is a denizen of social media, and more things besides. He has written for Pitchfork, the Guardian, The Quietus, Rolling Stone, The Wire, Shfl, Bandcamp Daily, Freaky Trigger, OC Weekly, Nashville Scene, Seattle Weekly, SF Weekly, SF Chronicle, KQED Arts, Vice, Careless Talk Costs Lives, Plan B, Loose Lips Sink Ships, FACT, Red Bull Music Academy, Fake Jazz and probably more than a few things that keep slipping his mind.

Mélange Summary

Australia - Go-Jo - "Milkshake Man" (1:34)
Serbia - Princ - "Mila" (11:01)
Denmark - Sissal - "Hallucination" (17:43)
Austria - JJ - "Wasted Love" (26:10)
Israel - Yuval Raphael - "New Day Will Rise" (39:44)
Georgia - Mariam Shengelia - "Freedom" (42:06)
Final Thoughts (50:24)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Basel 2025

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.

Special Guest: Ned Raggett.

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Episode 260: Stragglers

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 18 Mar 2025 00:00:00 -0500

We reach the end of Eurovision Selection Season 2025 and share our first impressions of the internal selections from Israel, Switzerland, Cyprus, Georgia, and France.

Stragglers Summary

Israel Debuts "New Day Will Rise" by Yuval Raphael (2:07)
Zoë Më will represent host country Switzerland with "Voyage" (9:05)
Theo Evan says "Shh" for Cyprus (12:02)
Georgia declares "Freedom" with Mariam Shengelia (15:55)
France's Louane debuts "maman" (21:04)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

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Basel 2025

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Must-See TV: Vanna White Revealed The True Name Of God On ‘Wheel Of Fortune’ Last Night And The Contestant Who Uttered It Turned To Ash - ClickHole

Episode 253: Vox Lux

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 28 Jan 2025 00:00:00 -0600

Luxembourg selected their Eurovision representative at the end of a surprisingly busy week. Moldova has withdrawn, several countries released potential songs, and Finland's UMK faces a significant shakeup.

Vox Lux Summary

🫢 Shakeups: Moldova out; Finland's UMK DQ's One Morning Left (1:15)
🇱🇺 Luxembourg chooses Laura Thorn's "La Poupée Monte Le Son" (4:55)
🎧 Song Drops: Portugal, Ukraine, Ireland, Norway, Belgium (14:59)
🇱🇹 Lithuania's Eurovizija.LT Tiebreaker (20:00)
🤹 This Week: Semi-Final Allocation, Tickets, Super Saturday 1 of 3 (25:14)

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Basel 2025

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Episode 249: Pew Pew Pew

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0600

As we head into 2025, we jump back 25 years to watch the 2000 Eurovision Song Contest. How has the competition, fashion, and pop music changed in the last quarter-century(!)?

Pew Pew Pew Summary

🗓️ In the Year 2000... (3:17)
⛳️ Part I: Israel, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Estonia, France, Romania (7:07)
🎤 Part II: Malta, Norway, Russia, Belgium, Cyprus, Iceland (17:30)
🪽 Part III: Spain, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Croatia, Sweden, FYR Macedonia (27:49)
🌟 Part IV: Finland, Latvia, Turkey, Ireland, Austria (41:34)
🔢 Part V: The Results (51:12)

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Episode 242: Eurovisionaries

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 00:00:00 -0500

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

Eurovisionaries Summary

What was the inspiration for the Eurovisionaries project? (3:16)
How to define "political" (5:56)
Eurovision's shift from "political" (2023) to "Political" (2024) (10:41)
Initial findings from speaking with the Eurofandom (15:31)
Politics, cultural relations, and social media (20:45)
What is the goal of the Eurovisionaries project? (23:24)
Engagement from non-participating countries (32:00)
How to get involved with research (39:10)

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Special Guest: Zoë Jay.

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Episode 233: Grievance Committee

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 21 May 2024 00:00:00 -0500

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.

Dr Jess Carniel

Jess is an Associate Professor in Humanities at the University of Southern Queensland, Australia. Her research focuses on the various dimensions of the Eurovision Song Contest, its fans, politics, and culture. She is the author of Understanding the Eurovision Song Contest in Multicultural Australia: We Got Love, and co-editor with Chris Hay of Eurovision and Australia: Interdisciplinary Perspectives from Down Under. She is a firm believer in bangers over ballads.

Grievance Committee Summary

Welcome, Dr. Jess Carniel! (0:44)
Grievance: Spain wants Freedom of the Press (6:18)
Grievance: The European Union Flag (13:19)
Grievance: Double Standards at Eurovision (18:20)
Grievance: Juries and Televoting (23:06)
2025: A Rebuilding Year? (32:49)
Studying Australia's Relationship with Eurovision (48:48)
Did any loose ends get tied up? (55:24)
Final Thoughts (1:00:54)

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Malmö 2024

Stay up to date on everything happening in the leadup to the Eurovision Song Contest on our page dedicated to Malmö 2024. You can keep tabs on the countries, artists, and songs, set your laundry folding schedule with our EuroWhat's On calendar, and futz with your Spotify algorithm with our Selection Season playlist!

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Episode 232: Broke

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 14 May 2024 00:00:00 -0500

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.

Broke Summary

Netherlands Disqualified from Eurovision (0:59)
The Actual Grand Final (6:53)
Eurovision Results Data Dive (10:07)
Looking Toward Eurovision 2025 (17:49)

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Malmö 2024

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Episode 231: Poop Chaos

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Fri, 10 May 2024 11:00:00 -0500

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.

This episode was recorded at 7pm US Eastern Time on Thursday, May 9.

Poop Chaos Summary

Corrections: Robyn Edition (0:52)
Eurovision Semi-Final 1 in Review (2:32)
Eurovision Semi-Final 2 in Review (10:46)
Grand Final Preview (27:10)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

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Malmö 2024

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Episode 230: Designated Perceived Nudity Corner

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Mon, 06 May 2024 00:00:00 -0500

It's Eurovision Week! After we get caught up on Contest news, we make our predictions on which acts will advance to Saturday's Grand Final. Will there be heartbreak in Malmö?

Designated Perceived Nudity Corner Summary

Eurovision News: Peacock, Producer's Choice, Flags (1:19)
Eurovision Semi-Final 1 Predictions (13:01)
Eurovision Semi-Final 2 Predictions (25:52)

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Malmö 2024

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Episode 228: Pulling Focus

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Ned Raggett returns to helps us wrap up our coverage of the second semi-final for Eurovision 2024. Which entries are legit snacks? Which songs left us hungry for more? How did we manage to bring food into every discussion?

Pulling Focus Summary

Welcome back, Ned Raggett! (0:47)
🇳🇱 Netherlands - Joost Klein - "Europapa" 🇪🇺 (2:18)
🇦🇹 Austria - Kaleen - "We Will Rave" 🪩 (10:53)
🇬🇷 Greece - Marina Satti - "ZARI" 🎲 (19:08)
🇮🇱 Israel - Eden Golan - "Hurricane" 🌀 (26:29)
🇬🇪 Georgia - Nutsa - "FIrefighter" 👩‍🚒 (29:21)
🇦🇲 Armenia - LADANIVA - "Jako" 💃 (37:23)
Final Thoughts (45:11)

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Malmö 2024

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Episode 222: Scrunchy Face Sounds

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 12 Mar 2024 00:00:00 -0500

We're at the end of Eurovision Selection Season and get caught up with internal selections from Australia and Greece plus the conclusion of Sweden's Melodifestivalen and Portugal's Festival da Canção. ... what do you mean there are still some unknown tracks?!

Scrunchy Face Sounds Summary

Electric Fields to represent Australia with "One Milkali (One Blood)" (0:51)
Greece rolls the dice with Marina Satti's "Zari" (4:13)
Marcus and Martinus win Melodifestivalen with "Unforgettable" (7:58)
"Grito" by iolanda wins Festival da Canção (13:35)
Coming up: Israel, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Review Season (17:41)

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Malmö 2024

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Episode 218: Imaginary Beef

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 13 Feb 2024 00:00:00 -0600

With Ben traveling back from Finland's UMK, guest Trip Payne taps in to discuss that national final, Latvia's Supernova, and Italy's Sanremo Festival. Then we prepare for the biggest Super Saturday of the Eurovision season coming up next weekend.

Imaginary Beef Summary

Petra Mede and Malin Åkerman will host Eurovision 2024 (2:27)
Windows95Man wins UMK with "No Rules" (4:05)
"Hollow" by Dons wins Latvia's Supernova (9:40)
"La Noia" will go to Malmo with Angelina Mango (14:29)
Lithuania's Eurovizijalt Final Field Set (25:51)
Melfest Heat 2 (27:38)
This week: Germany, Moldova, Estonia, Denmark, Iceland, San Marino (30:29)

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Malmö 2024

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Episode 212: 37ish

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 19 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0600

We finally have a (tentative) roster for next year's Eurovision Song Contest! Czechia has selected their entry, artists have been announced for the Netherlands, Slovenia, and the UK, and national final season details are coming into focus. What a way to wrap 2023!

37ish Summary

37 countries confirmed for Malmö (so far) (1:03)
New color scheme! (6:38)
Czechia's ESCZ puts Aiko on a "Pedestal" (8:33)
Internal artist selections: Netherlands, Slovenia, United Kingdom (14:51)
Holidays sidebar: Sam Ryder, Secret Santas, 2023 Pop Culture (22:23)
National selection details: Italy, Albania, Germany, Luxembourg, Finland, Ukraine, Croatia (24:03)

Cover photo by Scott Evans on Unsplash

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Episode 208: Calendaring

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 00:00:00 -0500

As we continue to wait for the full guest list for Eurovision 2024,: Cyprus announces their artist, a bunch of selection processes release start dates (FRIDAY?!), end dates, and a few name changes (EEK!), plus we start filling out this winter's TV calendar.

Calendaring Summary

Cyprus internally selects Silia Kapsis for Malmo (1:22)
35 Countries Confirmed So Far (3:24)
Malmo Budgets and Planning (5:16)
Eurowhat AV Club (6:50)
National Selections 2023: Malta, Estonia, Albania (7:30)
National Selections 2024: Norway, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Iceland, San Marino (10:51)
Changing Methods: Slovenia, Lithuania, Denmark (15:15)

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Episode 200: PopCon 2023

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 04 Jul 2023 00:00:00 -0500

2020 was a dark time for live music. It also marked the first time in the Eurovision Song Contest’s 65-year history where the competition was canceled. Rather than letting the lights go down in Rotterdam, Eurovision’s fan community and the European Broadcasting Union found new ways to celebrate the contest’s artists with at-home concerts, fan-driven countdowns, AI analysis of song content, and internet watchalongs of remastered editions of previous contests.

When the contest returned in 2021, “Open Up”—the slogan carried over from the 2020 contest—took on new meaning. Participating nations took extra precautions to put on their selection processes safely while Eurovision made sure it could be “back for good.” Fans had more say in who would be representing their nation, the Rotterdam Ahoy crew tested the feasibility of large-scale music events, and improvements in streaming platforms over the last decade meant that even more eyes were on the contest.

What wide-ranging effects could this have as Eurovision breaks out of its European bubble and starts bleeding into other areas of pop culture, including the Billboard Hot 100 and the 2023 Grammy Awards?

PopCon 2023 Summary

What is Eurovision? (8:43)
A Big Tent (12:07)
An Interlude About Digital Streaming Technology (13:10)
It is a Normal Year at Eurovision and Everything is Fine and We're Definitely NOT About to be Rocked By a Global Pandemic That Will Shut Everything Down Nine Months from Now (16:44)
#EurovisionAgain (28:57)
Back for Good (35:02)
Eurovision Song Contest: The Legend of Fire Saga (40:28)
Televising Covid (42:08)
New Engagement Opportunities (50:41)
The Covid Bubble (53:30)
The Grand Final (1:02:46)
Eurovision Around the World (1:08:53)

Thank you again to everyone listening, guests who have appeared on the show, guests who don't yet know they're going to be on the show (get hype!), and the Eurovision community at-large. This podcast is a labor of love and we're super proud to have made it to 200!

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

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Episode 199: News Cruise

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 20 Jun 2023 00:00:00 -0500

Sweden's host city selection process for Eurovision 2024 has been bopping along while everyone is out of office for summer vacation. We get caught up with our mailbag and some of the headlines from the last month.

News Cruise Summary

Mailbag: Jemini v Gemini Edition (1:10)
Sweden Closes Bids for Eurovision Host City (2:43)
Eurowhat AV Club (7:48)
2024 National Finals Taking Shape (9:06)
Theodor Andrei Talks About Representing Romania (14:46)

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Episode 196: Stockholm Syndrome

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 16 May 2023 00:00:00 -0500

While Ben recovers from Liverpool's Party of the Century, special guest Trip Payne stops by to chat about the 2023 Eurovision Grand Final and the battle between Sweden and Finland.

Stockholm Syndrome Summary

Eurovision Listening Project (2:35)
How was the Grand Final as a show? (5:22)
Diving into the Grand Final results (7:06)
Semi-Finals Data Drop (19:20)
Looking ahead to 2024 (23:45)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Keep tabs on everything happening with Eurovision 2023 on our website at eurowhat.com/2023

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Special Guest: Trip Payne.

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Episode 195: Eurovision 2023 Grand Final Preview

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Fri, 12 May 2023 08:00:00 -0500

Will Finland "Cha Cha Cha" to victory? Will Sweden's Loreen get a "Tattoo" to celebrate a win? Could Ukraine's "Heart of Steel" beat the competition? We recap the Eurovision 2023 Semi-Finals and make our picks for what we think will happen at the Grand Final in Liverpool.

Eurovision 2023 Grand Final Preview Summary

Semi-Final 1 Recap (2:11)
Semi-Final 2 Recap (10:06)
Grand Final Preview (18:40)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Keep tabs on everything happening with Eurovision 2023 on our website at eurowhat.com/2023

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email, reach out on Twitter @eurowhat, or give us a toot on Mastodon.

Over on Patreon, we have a slew of bonus episodes featuring the Eurowhat AV Club and deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics. Thank you for your support!

Episode 194: Internet People

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Mon, 08 May 2023 00:00:00 -0500

Ben and Mike met up in person to make their picks on what they think will qualify from the Eurovision 2023 semi-finals. Then we saw rehearsals. Experience both the before and after as we make our best guesses for Tuesday and Thursday.

Internet People Summary

Making predictions: pre-rehearsals (2:00)
Semi-Final 1 Predictions (4:57)
Semi-Final 2 Predictions (10:57)
SPOILER WARNING: Making Adjustments (20:34)
Semi-Final 1 Prediction Adjustments (20:49)
Semi-Final 2 Prediction Adjustments (28:14)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Keep tabs on everything happening with Eurovision 2023 on our website at eurowhat.com/2023

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Episode 189: Lv100 Paladin

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 00:00:00 -0500

We close out our coverage of Eurovision Semi-Final 1 with Allegra Kuney, who has brought her media studies hats for our discussions about Switzerland, Israel, Moldova, Sweden, and the Netherlands.

Lv100 Paladin Summary

Switzerland - Remo Forrer - "Watergun" (3:48)
Israel - Noa Kirel - "Unicorn" (10:07)
Moldova - Pasha Parfeni - "Soarele şi luna" (19:12)
Sweden - Loreen - "Tattoo" (24:28)
The Netherlands - Mia Nicolaï and Dion Cooper - "Burning Daylight" (34:54)
Final Thoughts (41:28)

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Keep tabs on everything happening with Eurovision 2023 on our website at eurowhat.com/2023

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Special Guest: Allegra Kuney.

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Episode 186: Spring Back

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 14 Mar 2023 00:00:00 -0500

The Eurovision 2023 deadline is here, so we have a slew of entries from countries waiting to reveal their songs at the last minute. We also get to chat with David Allwood from the UK to tell us what the vibe is in this year's host country.

Spring Back Summary

Eurovision Tickets Went Fast (1:12)
Switzerland reveals Remo Forrer's "Watergun" (3:28)
Austria finally tells us "Who the Hell is Edgar?" (5:48)
Israel's Noa Kirel unleashes her "Unicorn" (9:33)
"I Wrote a Song" says the United Kingdom's Mae Muller (13:03)
Loreen wins Sweden's Melfest with "Tattoo" (17:25)
Mimicat's "Ai Coração" wins Festival da Canção (25:07)
Victor Vernicos shares "What They Say" for Greece (30:16)
TurelTuranX will "Tell Me More" for Azerbaijan (33:26)
Mr Gay England David Allwood Discusses the UK Eurovision Vibe (38:05)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Keep tabs on everything happening with selection season for Eurovision 2023 including a calendar and playlists on our website at eurowhat.com/2023

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email, reach out on Twitter @eurowhat, or give us a toot on Mastodon.

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Special Guest: David Allwood.

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Episode 185: Raw Boost Energy

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 07 Mar 2023 00:00:00 -0600

Six more songs enter the Eurovision thunderdome courtesy of the Netherlands, Cyprus, Germany, Moldova, Serbia, and Iceland. We also find out what the finals in Sweden and Portugal will look like. Oh, and tickets are on sale... or at least they were...

Raw Boost Energy Summary

Eurovision Tickets When/Then (1:18)
Mia Nikolai and Dion Cooper will be "Burning Daylight" for the Netherlands (3:42)
Cyprus tasks Andrew Lambrou to "Break a Broken Heart" (6:28)
Lord Of the Lost will shed "Blood & Glitter" for Germany (9:11)
Pasha Parfeni will represent Moldova again with "Soarele si Luna" (15:37)
Luke Black wins in Serbia's Pesma za Evroviziju with "Samo mi se spava" (19:17)
Diljá uses her "Power" to win Iceland's Songvakeppnin (24:10)
Sweden's Melfest and Portugal's Festival da Canção complete their semi-finals (28:25)
Awaiting internals: Greece, Switzerland, Austria, Israel, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, United Kingdom (30:07)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Keep tabs on everything happening with selection season for Eurovision 2023 including a calendar and playlists on our website at eurowhat.com/2023

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Episode 177: Amuse-Bouche

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 10 Jan 2023 00:00:00 -0600

The Eurovision menu includes a buffet of options as more countries drop tracks and announce their selection season plans. We take one last taste test of the appetizers as we await the start of heats and semi-finals.

Amuse-Bouche Summary

Latvia announces Supernova 2023 details (1:22)
This week in TV: Estonia's Eesti Laul, Malta's MESC, Belgium's Eurosong, Norway's NRK MGP (2:55)
"Will Israel Be at Eurovision?" 2023 Edition (14:01)
Yellow Studio will do the Eurovision Stage Design (16:28)

Cover image by NoName_13 from Pixabay

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Keep tabs on everything happening with selection season for Eurovision 2023 including a calendar and playlists on our website at eurowhat.com/2023

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Episode 166: Volare

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 23 Aug 2022 00:00:00 -0500

"Nel blu, dipinto di blu" (also known as "Volare") is not only one of the most well-known Eurovision songs, it's one of the most successful Italian songs ever. We dig into the song's backstory and it's continued impact on popular culture.

Volare Summary

Noa Kirel confirms for Israel (1:27)
Host City When: Short List Edition (3:43)
SNAP Chat: Bubbling Under Edition (5:51)
What do you know about "Volare"? (7:36)
Sanremo 1958 (10:40)
Eurovision 1958: Hilversum (14:26)
The US Music Industry in 1958 (17:12)
1959 Grammy Awards (23:51)
The Extended Legacy of Volare (26:40)
Where are they now? (32:19)

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Episode 164: Host Country Where?

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 26 Jul 2022 00:00:00 -0500

Now that the United Kingdom will officially host Eurovision 2023 on Ukraine's behalf, we take a look back at the other times substitutes needed to be called in to produce the Contest.

Host Country Where? Summary

United Kingdom will host Eurovision 2023 (1:22)
Israel selects Noa Kirel for Eurovision Wishlist (5:29)
Rosa Linn's "Snap" is Charting (7:13)
American Song Contest Emmy Nomination (9:04)
Eurovision Latin America Song Contest Announced (9:57)
Host Country Where? (11:37)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. You can find a service to subscribe to the show here.

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Episode 162: Midsommar

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 28 Jun 2022 00:00:00 -0500

We're joined by @dudepoints to discuss some Swedish post-Eurovision activities: ABBA's Voyage concert experience and Martin Osterdahl's Max Anger book series.

Midsommar Summary

Ukraine will not host Eurovision 2023 (0:57)
Eurovision Live to Tape 2022 (7:52)
Eurovision in the Wild: AGT 2022 Edition (11:13)
Main Topic: Midsommar with @dudepoints (13:54)
ABBA Voyage (17:14)
Max Anger (23:16)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. You can find a service to subscribe to the show here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or find us on Twitter @eurowhat.

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Special Guest: Dude Points.

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Episode 159: Long Time, First Time

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 24 May 2022 00:00:00 -0500

Bradley Dalton-Oates joins us for a deep dive of the full Eurovision experience as a first-time attendee. Did Turin do a good job of promoting brand Italy?

Long Time, First Time Summary

How to watch Eurovision in Turin (1:13)
How did the rehearsal shows compare to the Grand Final live show? (10:41)
What did you think of the second semifinal? (14:27)
What was your semifinal one experience? (23:00)
The Rainbow of Death: Brand Italy (31:44)
What about the United Kingdom Eurovision experience? (43:35)
What is the status of the Big Five in 2022? (49:11)
Final Shout Outs (53:26)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. You can find a service to subscribe to the show here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or find us on Twitter @eurowhat.

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Special Guest: Bradley Dalton-Oates.

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Episode 156: Bubblicious - Eurovision 2022 Semi-Final Preview

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Sun, 08 May 2022 00:00:00 -0500

We make our picks for who we think will advance from this week's Eurovision Semi-Finals. These predictions were made before rehearsals, but surely they're still accurate?

Bubblicious Summary

Eurovision Week 2022 (1:42)
Our Semi-Final 1 Picks (6:55)
Our Semi-Final 2 Picks (19:56)

Eurovision 2022 Review Series

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. When you subscribe, please rate and review us. We welcome your feedback and the ratings will help other Eurovision fans find us.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or find us on Twitter @eurowhat.

Episode 152: Subversive

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 12 Apr 2022 00:00:00 -0500

Justin Ladia joins us to start our coverage of the second semi-final for Eurovision 2022, with Finland, Israel, Serbia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Malta on the docket this week.

Subversive Summary

Finland - The Rasmus - "Jezebel" (2:23)
Israel - Michael Ben David - "I.M" (8:30)
Serbia - Konstrakta - "In Corpore Sano" (16:17)
Azerbaijan - Nadir Rüstəmli - "Fade to Black" (25:22)
Georgia - Circus Mircus - "Lock Me In" (33:03)
Malta - Emma Muscat - "I Am What I Am" (44:16)

Eurovision 2022 Review Series

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. When you subscribe, please rate and review us. We welcome your feedback and the ratings will help other Eurovision fans find us.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or find us on Twitter @eurowhat.

Special Guest: Justin Ladia.

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

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Episode 148: One More Google

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 15 Mar 2022 00:00:00 -0500

In the last week of Eurovision Selection Season, we have a manageable number of internal selections to process and ease into the sunset with chill vibes from three national finals.

One More Google Summary

Tuesday: Switzerland (2:02)
Wednesday: Georgia and Cyprus (4:52)
Thursday: Belgium, United Kingdom, and Greece (10:44)
Friday: Austria (22:57)
Saturday: Sweden's Melfest, Iceland's Songvakeppnin, and Portugal's Festival da Cancao (27:18)
Coming up this week: Israel, Malta, Azerbaijan, Armenia (40:41)

Spotify Playlists

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. When you subscribe, please rate and review us. We welcome your feedback and the ratings will help other Eurovision fans find us.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or find us on Twitter @eurowhat.

Episode 143: Oops! All Screens!

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 08 Feb 2022 00:00:00 -0600

North Macedonia, Ireland, Israel, and Italy have determined their songs for Turin, and that was only about 1/3 of Eurovision Super Saturday number 1 for the 2022 season. We recap this weekend's non-stop content stream.

Oops! All Screens! Summary

Eurovision 2022 Hosts (1:22)
North Macedonia runs "Circles" around Andrea (3:50)
Brooke representing Ireland? "That's Rich" (6:02)
Michael Ben David wins X Factor Israel with "I.M." (12:08)
Cosa Sta Facendo Maneskin? Italy Picks "Brividi" Edition (15:52)
Super Saturday: Melfest, EMA, Supernova, Selecrtia Nationala (21:23)
This week: Song drops, NRK MGP, Pabandom is Naujo, Eesti Laul, VidBir, Una Voce Per San Marino (31:48)

Spotify Playlists

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. When you subscribe, please rate and review us. We welcome your feedback and the ratings will help other Eurovision fans find us.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or find us on Twitter @eurowhat.

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Episode 142: Convoluted

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 07:15:00 -0600

Moldova made a surprise internal selection and Spain made its Eurovision selection at last week's Benidorm Festival. We discuss these songs and look ahead to the first Super Saturday of 2022!

Convoluted Summary

Zdob si Zdub will represent Moldova again (1:15)
Spain choose Chanel's "SloMo" at Benidorm Fest (4:14)
Pabandom and MGP (8:48)
Cosa sta facendo Måneskin? Sanremo Edition (16:49)
Midweek Selections: Eesti Laul, North Macedonia, Ireland (17:48)
Super Saturday: Iceland, Melfest, Israel, EMA, Supernova (20:45)

Spotify Playlists

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. When you subscribe, please rate and review us. We welcome your feedback and the ratings will help other Eurovision fans find us.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or find us on Twitter @eurowhat.

Episode 126: A Song Called Hate

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Mon, 19 Jul 2021 23:00:00 -0500

Film buff and Eurofan Evan Stewart joins us to discuss the Hatari documentary A Song Called Hate.

A Song Called Hate Summary

Eurovision Again: 1980 (0:57)
News Desk: Belarus, Italy, Måneskin
A Song Called Hate intro
Welcome, Evan Stewart!
Let's Talk About the Documentary
Who is the audience for A Song Called Hate?
Would you recommend this movie?

Links / Credits

Cover art: Andres Putting | Eurovision.tv
#62: Morocco 1980
A Song Called Hate Homepage
Episode Transcript

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. When you subscribe, please rate and review us. We welcome your feedback and the ratings will help other Eurovision fans find us.

Want to support the show? Join our Patreon! Listener support has helped with getting episode transcriptions and refreshing our website.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or find us on Twitter @eurowhat. Special Guest: Evan Stewart.

Episode 122: Revised Head Canon

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 25 May 2021 11:00:00 -0500

Ryan's back! We help to provide a revised head canon to fill the gap between 2018 and 2021 and review this year's Eurovision Song Contest.

Revised Head Canon Summary

Welcome back, Ryan!
Grand Final Thoughts and Stats (8:12)
Semi-Final 1 Stats (16:42)
Semi-Final 2 Stats (23:58)
Final Thoughts (35:37)

Episode 121: Eurovision 2021 Grand Final Preview

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Fri, 21 May 2021 09:00:00 -0500

33 songs competed on the Eurovision stage Tuesday and Thursday but only 20 advanced to the 2021 Grand Final. Who will win the Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam?

Eurovision 2021 Grand Final Preview Summary

Discovering Peacock will be carrying Eurovision
Where Can I Watch the Eurovision Song Contest in the US?
First Semi-Final (3:22)
Second Semi-Final (7:23)
Grand Final Thoughts (13:38)

Episode 120: Eurovision 2021 Semi-Final Preview

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Sun, 16 May 2021 23:00:00 -0500

The Eurovision 2021 Semi-Final Spectacular is here! We make our picks for the 20 songs we think will qualify for the Grand Final in Rotterdam.

Eurovision 2021 Semi-Final Preview Summary

News
- The American Song Contest
- Where Can I Watch the Eurovision Song Contest in the US?
- Rehearsals: Covid Incidents (No Spoilers)

Semi-Final 1 Predictions (6:36)

Semi-Final 2 Predictions (15:25)

Episode 115: Will It Play in Winnipeg?

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 13 Apr 2021 11:00:00 -0500

Graphic designer Justin Ladia joins us from Winnipeg to help us close out the first semi-final of the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest. North America has opinions!

Will It Play in Winnipeg? Summary

Welcome back, Justin Ladia!
- Twitter | Instagram | Website

Semi-Final 1 Part 3:
- Israel - Eden Alene - "Set Me Free" (2:28)
  - Trijntje Oosterhuis (Netherlands 2015) "Walk Along"
- Romania - Roxen - "Amnesia" (10:03)
  - Movies on Freeform
- Azerbaijan - Efendi - "Mata Hari" (16:39)
  - "Cleopatra" "Live" "Performance"
- Ukraine - Go_A - "SHUM" (22:50)
  - Internet Encyclopedia of Ukraine: Winnipeg
- Malta - Destiny - "Je Me Casse" (30:41)
  - Every Stefon Ever

Episode 104: Où est la Discoteque?

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 26 Jan 2021 11:00:00 -0600

Norway opts for a preliminary "Hero", Lithuania takes us to the "Discoteque", and France gets ready for you to decide their Eurovision entry.

Où est la Discoteque? Summary

Israel selects "Set Me Free" for Eden Alene (1:27)
Other news: Vasil is back for North Macedonia, Portugal and Finland release songs, Cyprus drops in February (4:49)
Lithuania Pabandom is Naujo Week 2: The ROOP visits the "Discoteque" (7:04)
Norway Melodi Grand Prix: Raylee is a "Hero", Mike is a villain (11:46)
France C'est Vous Qui Décidez Preview (22:24)

Episode 103: Pabandom is When?

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 19 Jan 2021 11:00:00 -0600

Lithuania's Pabandom is Naujo and Norway's Melodi Grand Prix have begun and we are optimistic about Eurovision Selection Season 2021.

Pabandom is When Summary

Process updates: France has a date, Finland has a slate, Israel has to adjust, Italy's gonna Italy (1:36)
Lithuania's Pabandom is Naujo Heat 1 (9:47)
Norway's Melodi Grand Prix Heat 1 (17:07)

Episode 102: Hoe is de Zorg?

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 12 Jan 2021 11:00:00 -0600

We have songs to talk about! Israel and Norway have Eurovision tracks in the wild while we consider the optics of putting on the Contest amid a pandemic.

Hoe is de Zorg Summary

Process updates: Greece, France, Finland, Sweden (1:25)
Israel: Three songs (leaked) for Eden (7:18)
TV This Weekend: Norway's NRK Melodi Grand Prix and Lithuania's Pabandom is Naujo (19:01)
What are the four Eurovision scenarios? (28:13)

Episode 101: Disco Toilet

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 05 Jan 2021 11:00:00 -0600

From Albania's FiK selection to Senhit's latest disco cover to the results of ESC 250, we discuss a lot of Eurovision news from over the holidays.

Disco Toilet Summary

Anxhela Peristeri wins Albania's Festivali i Këngës with "Karma" (1:41)
Selection season updates (10:10)
- Lithuania, Croatia, and Italy announce contestants
- Belarus is open for submissions
- Serbia's Hurricane and Ireland's Lesley Roy are coming back
- Spain will use a national final for Blas Cantó's song
- Israel announces three songs for Eden Alene
- Slovenia will use EMA to select Ana Soklic's song
- San Marino's Senhit covers Abba's "Waterloo"
- Iceland's Daði needs a choir (Google Drive)

ESC 250 Results and Analysis (25:07)

Episode 100: Spotify Warped

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 11:00:00 -0600

We're celebrating 100 episodes and the end of 2020! After checking the news, we look at our Spotify Wrapped, ESC250 ballots, and our origin stories.

100: Spotify Warped Summary

Eurovision at the Grammys (1:41)
New Eurovision Logo for 2021 (5:05)
Selection updates: Israel, Estonia, France, Sweden, Portugal, Croatia, Italy (6:31)
Festivali i Këngës Picks (11:49)
Spotify Wrapped or Warped? (22:04)
Our ESC250 Ballots (30:30)
How did we get radicalized into Eurovision? (35:50)

Episode 98: Let’s Talk Turkey

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 17 Nov 2020 11:00:00 -0600

Turkey was last at Eurovision in 2012. We wanted to take this opportunity to comb through its history at the Contest and gobble up any information we could find.

Let's Talk Turkey Summary

Corrections: Stupid Sexy Flanders Edition
News (3:15)
- Belgium's Hooverphonic changes its lineup
- Ben Dolic won't return to represent Germany
- Albania's Festivali i Këngës releases 26 songs and its (tentative) schedule
- Israel hops online to choose Eden Alene's song
- Estonia announces the 24 entries for next year's Eesti Laul

Turkey at the Eurovision Song Contest
- Debut (13:17)
- 1980s (22:41)
- 1990s (28:39)
- Every Way That I Can and beyond (34:07)

Episode 97: Eurovision AV Club

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 03 Nov 2020 11:00:00 -0600

We could all use a distraction during *gestures at universe*. Here are some picks for Eurovision-adjacent media from our AV club.

Eurovision AV Club Summary

News: 41 Countries to Participate at Eurovision 2021, Daði & Gagnamagnið for Iceland, Senhit covers "Rise Like a Phoenix" (2:38)
Selection Season process details: Lithuania's Pabandom is Naujo, Finland's UMK, Croatia's Dora, Denmark's Melodi Grand Prix (7:56)
ESC 250 voting opens November 9 (13:19)
Eurovision Book Club! (16:11)
- Three Minutes of Eternity (Amazon)
- Being Conchita: We Are Unstoppable (Amazon)

Eurovision Movie Club! (29:16)
- Monsterman (Amazon Prime)
- Souvenir (Trailer)
- Cupcakes (Trailer)

Episode 95: Six on Stage

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 06 Oct 2020 11:00:00 -0500

Will Howells has created a database called Six on Stage, cataloguing every performer on the Eurovision stage. We chat with him about the project and get caught up on the news.

Six on Stage Summary

How to build a database (1:03)
Watching and re-watching (and re-watching) Eurovision (12:16)
The singers under the stairs (20:36)
News
- 4 plans for Eurovision 2021 (37:06)
- Country updates: Sweden's Melfest schedule, Belarus drops VAL, Dream Team journal (41:36)
- "Congratulations" and happy birthday to Senhit (49:11)
- Hatari's A Song Called Hate premieres (52:18)
- Eurovision in the Wild: America's Got Talent, Just Dance 2021, the People's Choice Awards (53:39)

Episode 94: Double Trouble

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 15 Sep 2020 11:00:00 -0500

Ben flies solo again with another audio essay, this time looking into performers who made double, triple, and even quadruple visits to the Eurovision stage.

Double Trouble Summary

Eurovision, Again? (0:55)

Defining a "Lead Artist" (2:00)

Golden Boy (3:17)

The Four-Timers Club (4:25)

Three is a Magic Number (9:04)

CAROLA (11:00)

Close Close Close, but No Cigar (13:07)

Second Time's the Charm (15:36)

Glow-Ups (17:33)

The Direct Opposite of a Glow-Up (20:50)

Failure to Launch (24:58)

Keep That Same Energy (25:56)

What's Another Year? (26:50)

Episode 90: Wine Aunt Energy

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 21 Jul 2020 11:00:00 -0500

We open up our mailbag and a chilled bottle of pinot grigio as we get caught up on Eurovision news from the last month.

Wine Aunt Energy Episode Summary

Mailbag (1:27):
- How to pronounce "Niamh"
- Bucks Fizz boiled sweets
- The worst Halloween candy
- Bruno Toniolli

No, really, are "Husavik" and "Jaja Ding Dong" eligible for Oscars? (6:30)

#EurovisionAgain (13:10)
- Copenhagen 2014
- Jerusalem 1999

Eurovision Back for Good (20:43)

Returning artist updates (24:09)
- Moldova
- Greece
- Israel
- Slovenia
- San Marino

Artists not returning (41:58)
- Croatia
- France
- Italy
- Albania
- Germany

Episode 80: This is Fine

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 10 Mar 2020 11:00:00 -0500

We made it through the end of Eurovision Selection Season! Well, the competitions in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Portugal, at least.

This is Fine Summary

Eurovision in the Wild: Geeky Podcasters Edition (1:07)
Coronavirus shenanigans (2:48)
Georgia's Tornike Kipiani tells Western Europe to "Take Me As I Am" (5:30)
Eden represents Israel and Ethiopia with "Feker Libi" (8:46)
Netherlands adds to the "Grow"-ing field with Jeangu Macrooy (11:03)
Gjon's Tears shed for Switzerland with "Repondez-moi" (14:29)
Denmark says "YES" to Ben and Tan (18:53)
The Mamas make a "Move" for Sweden (23:58)
"Looking Back" at Aksel's UMK win in Finland (29:18)
Portugal chooses Elisa's "Medo de Sentir" (34:37)

Episode 76: Sanremo LXX (Long, Xtra Xtra)

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 11 Feb 2020 17:00:00 -0600

Saturday proved to be a marathon as Australia, Latvia, and Italy chose their Eurovision entries and a whole bunch of other countries made progress.

Sanremo LXX (Long, Xtra Xtra) Summary

Eurovision in the Wild: Oscars 2020 Edition (1:43)
Israel selects Eden Alene (7:00)
Australia Decides on Montaigne (8:36)
Latvia chooses Samanta Tina (13:47)
Malta's X Factor belongs to Destiny (21:06)
Italy's Sanremo 70 ends with Diodato win (23:00)
Other checkins: Lithuania, Sweden, Iceland, Ukraine, Norway (30:46)

Episode 63: Flags on the Play

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 18:00:00 -0500

Who knew that flags—symbols of national identity—could have political implications at the Eurovision Song Contest? Drink!

Flags on the Play Summary

News (1:48)
Flags at the Eurovision Song Contest (12:05)
Controversy 1: Israel 2000 (15:21)
Controversy 2: United Kingdom 2007 (23:49)
Controversy 3: Russia 2015 (33:17)
Controversy 4: Armenia 2016 (40:10)
Controversy 5: Iceland 2019 (43:49)

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

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Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

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Episode 61: It’s Rotterdam! Ahoy!

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 10 Sep 2019 18:00:00 -0500

Happy Eurovision New Year! We're talking about Eurovision 2020's host country the Netherlands and the host city of Rotterdam.

It’s Rotterdam! Ahoy! Summary

Happy Eurovision New Year! (1:23)
The Mailbag (4:58)
- Prioritization Grids: Random and Normal
- Fun with our Eurovision Lyrics Generator
- Eurovision in the Wild: From Russia with Love Edition
- Please Clap

The Netherlands at the Eurovision Song Contest (12:13)

Ahoy, Rotterdam! (22:00)

Episode 60: Hallelujah

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 27 Aug 2019 18:00:00 -0500

With Tel Aviv about to pass the Eurovision hosting baton to Rotterdam or Maastricht, we watch the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest to see what has changed in the last 40 years.

Hallelujah Summary

Welcome back, Chris King! (1:28)
Netflix Eurovision casting news: Dan Stevens and Demi Lovato (3:04)
Host City Announcement Friday (5:43)
The 1979 Eurovision Song Contest (7:39)
- Postcards (11:40)
- Performances (19:33)
- Did the correct entry win? (39:04)
- The Aftermath (44:38)

Episode 54: Madame X is Eurovision

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 04 Jun 2019 18:00:00 -0500

Maura Johnston joins us to discuss Madonna's Eurovision performance, Madame X, and how the Queen of Pop can navigate 2019.

Madame X is Eurovision Summary

Welcome, Maura Johnston!
Grand Final scoreboard updates (3:32)
Hatari wins Iceland Kids' Choice Awards (8:01)
Eurovision in the Wild: Billboard Edition (9:06)
Barbara Dex update (10:10)
Madonna: Eurovision, Madame X, and 2019 Pop (14:47)
What other superstars should Eurovision seek out? (40:50)

Episode 53: Satisfactory Winner

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 21 May 2019 17:00:00 -0500

André Durham from Eurovision Obsession joins us to discuss the Eurovision 2019 Grand Final and dig into the semi-final data.

Satisfactory Winner Summary

Duncan Laurence's "Arcade" from the Netherlands wins (3:13)
Semi-Final 1 Data Dump (10:41)
Semi-Final 2 Data Dump (18:00)
How did the auto-qualifiers do? (25:37)
The Eurovision viewing experience (31:57)
Awards! (45:37)

Episode 51: Eurovision 2019 Semi-Final Predictions

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Sun, 12 May 2019 23:00:00 -0500

Happy Eurovision week! Ben and Mike have done their rankings, mixed them with other data, and have made their picks for which songs will make it to the Grand Final.

Eurovision 2019 Semi-Final Predictions Summary

SPOILER WARNING This episode will discuss details from the rehearsal clips on Eurovision's YouTube page. It will be safe to listen to the Semi-Final 1 section on Wednesday to find out how ~~wrong wrong wrong~~ accurate we were and we clearly indicate when the Semi-Final 2 section begins.

Is Eurovision Geoblocked? (1:02)
Interval Acts confirmed (2:08)
Our rankings process (6:04)
Semi-Final 1 Predictions (8:33)
Semi-Final 2 Predictions (21:23)

Episode 50: The Mountaintop

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 07 May 2019 17:00:00 -0500

Dave Steeves joins us to discuss the Eurovision auto-qualifiers as we ask the eternal question "Could Spain, France, Germany, Italy, the UK, and the host country advance if they had to compete?"

The Mountaintop Summary

Language musing (1:56)
EBU Eurovision Podcast (4:08)
Hatari Merch (5:55)
Spain - Miki - "La Venda" (8:43)
France - Bilal Hassani - "Roi" (12:54)
United Kingdom - Michael Rice - "Bigger Than Us" (18:11)
Italy - Mahmood - "Soldi" (25:45)
Germany - S!sters - "Sister" (32:14)
Israel - Kobi Marimi - "Home" (39:07)

Episode 43: The Ones That Got Away (2019)

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 19 Mar 2019 17:00:00 -0500

Another Eurovision Selection Season is behind us, but we are still holding out hope for a strong write-in campaign for six entries that didn't make the cut.

We welcome back Noam Roth to the Eurowhat! He gives us an update on what's going on in Tel Aviv as the city gets ready to host the Contest. Then we hand out our honorable mentions for this year's selection season entries that have a place in our hearts even if they don't have a place on the Eurovision stage.

The Ones That Got Away (2019) Summary

Our bracket winner is... (1:17)
How are things in Tel Aviv? (2:00)
The Ones That Got Away (8:26)
Noam's Eurovision Prediction (29:21)

Episode 42: Madness!

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 12 Mar 2019 18:00:00 -0500

The madness of Eurovision Selection Season has come to an end. With 16 songs to discuss, we change up the format to get into competition mode.

Madness! Summary

We Stan Hatari: Öskudagur edition (2:01)
Eurovision Madness Bracket! (4:11)
Round of 16 (6:59)
Round of 8 (20:18)
Final Four (30:22)
The Grand Final (35:06)
VOTE in our Twitter poll

Episode 39: Eurovision is a Whole Mood

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 19 Feb 2019 17:00:00 -0600

All the things happened this past weekend in Eurovision-land and the trend that's emerging: Eurovision is in a mood.

Eurovision is a Whole Mood Summary

Australia locked in until 2023! (1:39)
Israel chooses Kobi Marimi (2:36)
Poland announces Tulia (5:01)
Greece announces Katerine Duska (7:11)
Dora: Croatia chooses Roko Blazevic's "The Dream" (8:46)
Eesti Laul: Estonia chooses Victor Crone's "Storm" (11:27)
Supernova: Latvia chooses Carousel's "That Night" (14:39)
EMA: Slovenia chooses Zala Kralj & Gašper Šantl's "Sebi" (18:24)
Selectia Nationala: ~~Wiwiblogs~~ Romania chooses Ester Peony's "On a Sunday" (21:21)
Semi-final checkins: Iceland, Sweden, Hungary (drama!), Lithuania, Ukraine, Portugal (30:47)

Episode 33: Welcome to 2019

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Wed, 09 Jan 2019 01:00:00 -0600

Happy new year! Now that we can begin 2019 in earnest, we have our first Eurovision entry up for discussion.

This week's episode starts with some Eurovision in the Wild. Ben rocked a Swedish pop music quiz while Mike spotted Englebert Humperdinck (ESC 2012) on the way to Detroit. We also discuss the ESC 250 countdown and some of the surprises in this year's edition.

We also have some updates on how preparations for Tel Aviv 2019 are moving along. Florian Wieder's stage concept has been announced and the outdoor cats among us may be interested in some new accommodations that will be available for this year's Contest. We also confirm that Mike and Ben are not outdoor cats.

The main event is Albania's selection for Eurovision 2019. Although the selection process could have used some tightening up from a production standpoint (sorry, @ESCAlbania), we're optimistic about "Ktheju tokës" by Jonida Maliqi.

We're also optimistic about Cyprus, Spain, and San Marino's selections—unless the Human Ken Doll comes out to play. Selection season is upon us, and we are ready for the shows this weekend!

Eurovision in the Wild (1:17)
ESC250 (6:12)
Tel Aviv 2019 Updates (8:44)
Albania chooses "Ktheju tokës" by Jonida Maliqi (11:57)
Cyprus Update (21:19)
San Marino Trolls the Internet (23:46)
Spain Chooses 10 Finalists (27:46) Editor's note: Spain's final will be January 20
This weekend's calendar (29:08)

Links

Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Episode 30: Dustin the Turkey Day

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Wed, 21 Nov 2018 02:00:00 -0600

Happy Thanksgiving! We're talking turkey this week and that means either the country or Ireland's Dustin the Turkey. Guess what we chose.

Before we gobble up our main topic of Dustin the Turkey, we check in with how Eurovision planning is going in Tel Aviv. We have our final count of participants—42!—and an indication that tickets for the Contest could be up for grabs next month. We also recommend booking your lodging now if you are planning on going, otherwise you may find yourself camping in the suburbs of Tel Aviv.

Our favorite scrivener Jan Ola Sand is the star of This Week in Boycotts and he is not here for your political shenanigans. He's also most likely not a fan of being in a segment called This Week in Boycotts. Meanwhile on the X Factor UK, Brendan Murray is not a fan of the themes of movies or big bands when it comes to song selections. Will he be a fan of ABBA in next week's semi-final?

Also, Junior Eurovision is a thing.

As for our main topic, we travel back to 2008 when the people of Ireland decided that they should be represented at Eurovision by a somewhat surly puppet named Dustin the Turkey. His song "Irelande Douze Points" may live in infamy, but was it a good Eurovision entry?

Gather the family, scoop up some Irish stew (or goulash if you prefer), and enjoy this week's episode!

Dustin the Turkey Day Summary

42 Countries (1:37)
Eurovision Tickets (3:39)
Hotel Alternatives in Tel Aviv (5:32)
This Week in Boycotts: Jan Ola Sand (7:03)
The Ex-Eurovision Contestant Factor: Movies, Big Bands, and ABBA (8:36)
Junior Eurovision (13:36)
Dustin the Turkey (14:42)

Episode 29: Start Voting Now

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Wed, 07 Nov 2018 02:00:00 -0600

How does the voting process work at Eurovision? If you think it's confusing now, the history of voting at the Contest has many surprises.

With mid-term elections happening this week in the US, we wanted to talk about how voting works when the consequences aren't as... consequential. One can dream, right?

Speaking of, we discuss next year's slogan "Dare to Dream" as well as other preparations currently taking place in Tel Aviv. If you're planning on going to the Contest, you may need to pack some Dramamine if you haven't booked your hotel yet.

There is some good news: the stage will be designed by a firm very familiar with Eurovision and other high profile music events, including the X Factor. We check in with how Brendan Murray is doing on the UK edition. ... Um... Dare to Dream...

Finally, we dive into the history of all the different methods used to distribute points at the Eurovision Song Contest. Point pools, age-defined juries, and potential 14-way ties are just some of the quirks that used to be part of the competition. We also explore how ties factor into the festivities.

United States, start learning about Eurovision voting now!

Start Voting Now Summary

Dare to Dream and other preparations (1:22)
The Ex-Eurovision Contestant Factor (8:23)
This week in boycotts (13:10)
Voting at the Eurovision Song Contest (1956-1974) (14:39)
The Usual Way (1975-2015) (20:05)
The Current Method (2016-Present) (25:30)
Tie-Breakers (30:30)

Episode 27: Orchestras, Synthesizers, and Lulu

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Wed, 10 Oct 2018 06:00:00 -0500

Orchestras used to be a requirement at the Eurovision Song Contest. In this episode, we take a look at the evolution of live (and "live") music at the competition.

We're getting close to having a final-ish guest list for the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest with 40* countries confirming their interest.((Armenia confirmed after we recorded.)) Yes, it's still a Facebook Maybe at this point and there are still three countries who have been invited but haven't responded. RETURN OUR CALLS, MOLDOVA.

After we check in with the Irish boycott situation and Cher's foray into Abba's catalog, we dive into the history of the music of the Eurovision Song Contest. Orchestras used to be a thing for the first 20 years of the competition. Once backing tracks were introduced in the mid-1970s (Hi again, Abba!), it was only a matter of time before Eurovision would catch up with a more modern pop sound. ... I mean, 25 years? We're now 20 years beyond that revolution and we're still encountering new sounds that run afoul of Eurovision's definition of a song. It's beyond fascinating.

Get ready for a teach-in and grab the moment to listen to this episode!

Orchestras, Synthesizers, and Lulu Summary

Eurovision guest list (1:19)
MyHeritage sponsorship (4:31)
Eurovision in Asia not a thing (7:07)
The next stage (9:10)
Gimme gimme gimme Cher's new album (13:19)
This week in boycotts (14:29)
Live music at Eurovision (15:35)

Episode 26: Tel Aviv and Other Headlines

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Wed, 26 Sep 2018 06:00:00 -0500

Tel Aviv will be hosting Eurovision in 2019! I mean, we pretty much knew that, but now it's official!

On this episode of the Eurowhat Podcast, we check in with the venues around Tel Aviv that will be hosting the big events in May. Will the Tel Aviv Convention Center be big enough to hold the Eurovision fandom? How is the green room supposed to work? And are hotels already busting budgets for fans?

In case Tel Aviv doesn't work out as an option, details about Eurovision in Concert in Amsterdam have been revealed. Speaking of the Netherlands, we have the final recap of Glennis Grace's journey on America's Got Talent. Did she triumph through adversity, despite having to perform with Bebe Rexha?

Finland's UMK, Sweden's Melfest, and Iceland's Söngvakeppnin have been added to the calendar, while Ireland's songwriters have been murmuring about a possible boycott. We don't talk about Junior Eurovision—there's too much to discuss with the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships instead. Oh! And Ralph Siegel's birthday is coming up! Happy birthday, buddy!

So much to celebrate in this episode—download and join the fun!

Tel Aviv and Other Headlines Summary

Tel Aviv is the host city! (1:15)
Eurovision in Concert (5:46)
This is not an America's Got Talent podcast (7:12)((h/t to Who Weekly's This is not a Westworld Podcast))
Participants Update (10:22)
Ireland Boycott? (14:52)
This is definitely not a Junior Eurovision podcast (15:56)
Eurovision in the Wild: Rhythm Gymnastics edition (16:37)
Happy birthday, Ralph Siegel! (21:49)

Episode 25: Planning Your Eurovision Vacation

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Wed, 12 Sep 2018 06:00:00 -0500

We know the Eurovision Song Contest will be in Israel((Maybe Tel Aviv, maybe Jerusalem)) in May, so now is the perfect time to start planning your vacation!

First, Mike and Ben go over some of the news items from the last couple weeks. Will there be boycotts of the 2019 Contest? Denmark doesn't think so, while Estonia and Spain are full speed ahead on their Eurovision plans. America's Got Sweden's rig from this year's Melfest while Madame Monsieur met their song's namesake. Also: ninjas. VIP ninjas.

After playing catchup, we offer our advice on how to make your way across the pond to attend next year's Eurovision. Do you have your passport yet? How can you get to Europe/Israel and back on the cheap? Where should I stay? HOW DO I PAY FOR THIS?!

Don't panic. Place your carryon in the overhead bin and listen to this week's episode of the EuroWhat to get a head start on your European vacation.

Planning Your Eurovision Vacation Summary

Eurovision in the Wild (0:00)
Getting Your Passport (12:01)
Getting to Europe and Beyond (14:54)
Options on Where to Stay (23:49)
How to Save Up for a European Vacation (29:16)
A few more things to consider (34:47)

Episode 24: Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Wed, 29 Aug 2018 06:00:00 -0500

Israel has had a fascinating history at the Eurovision Song Contest. Now that they will be hosting the 2019 edition, we've invited Noam Roth from EuroFreak to talk about his country's participation.

Now that the budget kerfuffle is behind us and Israel's broadcaster has paid its deposit to the EBU, we can officially start talking about the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest! Noam Roth—who reached out to us on our Facebook page—joins us this week to be a tour guide through Israel's 45 years of participation at Eurovision.

Along with the past, we look toward the future in terms of evaluating possible host cities Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Eilat. Will the chart-topping success of Netta's "Toy" bring a new sound to the 2019 Contest? And will the tweaks made to Israel's selection format for next year's artist and song continue the hot streak the country has experienced?

Israel's Notable Entries

Natati la khaiai (1974)
A-ba-na-bi (1978)
Hallelujah (1979)
Chai (1983)
Derech Ha-Melech (1989)
Diva (1998)
The Silence that Remains (2005)
Golden Boy (2015)

Episode 23: That’s How You AI a Song

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Wed, 15 Aug 2018 05:00:00 -0500

We gave a computer more than 300 Eurovision Song Contest entries from the last decade and this is what it gave us. Songwriting might not be so hard after all.

The EuroWhat is back after a surprise hiatus with a jam-packed episode. First, Ben and Mike catch up on a month of random Eurovision sightings. Starbucks? NBC's daytime and nighttime schedule? Johnny Weir's Instagram? Yes, yes, and yaaaaaaaaaas. Have you encountered any Eurovision in the Wild? Let us know! Have a better name than "Eurovision in the Wild"? DEFINITELY let us know.

Then we switch gears to talk about the concept of songwriting. Britcoms have previously tackled this topic, specifically Father Ted's series two episode "A Song for Europe." Surely we could write a song better than "My Lovely Horse," right? I mean, we have just as much musical and songwriting talent as Dougal and Ted...

Nah, let's just have a computer take care of it. In our two-step process (songwriting may not have more than two steps, after all), we compiled the lyrics of more than 300 Eurovision entries and gave them to a bot to develop a predictive keyboard. We were hoping that the bot would spit out next year's winning entry, but the technology isn't quite there yet. But if you are looking for a song title generator, we've got you covered.

Plug in your headphones and enjoy this week's episode of AI's Got Talent?

That’s How You AI a Song Summary

Eurovision in the Wild (4:19)
Father Ted "A Song for Europe" (13:44)
An Intro to AI and Markov Chains (19:29)
Step 1: Compile It (The List is Really Long) (22:04)
Step 2: We Used Botnik (That's How We Wrote a Song) (25:34)
Eurovision Song Titles (29:23)
Next Week's Episode (33:16)

Songwriting Resources

Eurovision Song Title Keyboard: https://tinyurl.com/EurowhatTitleGenerator
Eurovision Song Lyrics Keyboard: https://tinyurl.com/EurowhatLyricsGenerator
How to Write a Song for the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC Insight)

Episode 21: Putting the US in E_rovi_ion

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Wed, 04 Jul 2018 05:00:00 -0500

Happy 4th of July! In honor of America's birthday, special guest Maura Johnston joins us to discuss the prospect of the US competing at Eurovision. Could we? Should we? If we somehow got an invite, who should represent whatever our sound is?

After introducing our guest, we catch up on some listener feedback and check in with Israel's status as Eurovision 2019 host. We also start filling out our dream cast for Will Ferrell's potential Eurovision project for Netflix.

For our main topic, we go over all the criteria to be a fully eligible member of the EBU and Eurovision festivities. Even though the US will never meet the current eligibility requirements, we speculate on who could possibly fly the flag at Eurovision. Is American pop in 2018 too egocentric? Are there any stars who are big enough (but not too big) to compete? And just how many failed talent shows have we watched over the last two decades?((A lot... like... a lot a lot.))

Will there be fireworks in this debate? Download this week's episode!

Putting the US in E_rovi_ion Summary

Listener Feedback (4:33)
Israel Update (5:30)
Will Ferrell's Netflix Project (6:31)
Eurovision Eligibility (10:22)
Should the US participate if given the chance? (14:10)
Who should represent the US at Eurovision? (19:05)

Episode 19: Eurovision Drag Race

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Wed, 06 Jun 2018 05:00:00 -0500

Happy pride! The Eurovision off season can be a drag, so let's talk about drag at Eurovision!

First up, we check in with how Eurovision 2019 prep is going. Short version: it's been three weeks; cool yer beans. There have been a couple of Eurovision sightings in the US, including "Toy" in Times Square and San Marino(?) on the Billboard Charts(????).

As for the main topic, Ben and Mike take a tour of Eurovision's surprisingly brief drag history. Are there really only five entries? And where are the drag kings and other ways to play with gender? Join us as we spill allllll the tea.

Eurovision Drag Race Summary

News (1:02)
Drag at Eurovision (12:59)
Drag at the National Finals (33:23)
Next time on the EuroWhat? (40:01)

Videos

Ketil Stokkan - “Romeo” (Norway 1986)
Sestre - "Samo Ljubezen" (Slovenia 2002)
DQ - “Drama Queen” (Denmark 2007)
Verka Serduchka - "Dancing Lasha Tumbai" (Ukraine 2007)
Conchita Wurst - "Rise Like a Phoenix" (Austria 2014)
The Hungry Hearts - "Laika" (Norway NF 2016)
Lolita Zero - "Get Frighten" (Lithuania NF 2017)
Dismissed - "Hearts Align" (Sweden NF 2017)

Episode 18: Indistinct Pterodactyl Squawking

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Wed, 23 May 2018 05:00:00 -0500

The gang is back together to discuss the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final. Our special guest Dave Steeves shares his experience as an audience member in Lisbon and we all weigh in on the dubious honor of the Barbara Dex award.

This week we finally check in on the Grand Final results, including Austria's surprise jury win and the awkwardness of Israel's overall win. We look at the semi-final results and which countries just missed qualifying and which countries barely made it to Saturday's show. There were some surprise entries up for consideration for the Barbara Dex fashion faux pas award, but the right country... won? Mike and our guest Dave Steeves also share stories of what it was like in the arena during the semi-finals and the jury final before sharing summer plans for the podcast.

Episode Summary

Grand Final wrapup (2:24)
Rating the rankings (21:17)
The semi-final bubbles (26:17)
Barbara Dex award (32:33)
What were the stage setups like? (38:58)
How do the results work during the jury final? (43:35)
What did you think of the hostesses? (46:39)
Programming notes (47:27)

Episode 17: Grand Final Preview

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Sat, 12 May 2018 06:15:00 -0500

The Grand Final of the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest takes place Saturday, May 12. That means this is our last chance for wild speculation. We break down what happened at the semi-finals before sharing our hopes and dreams for which countries we want to win.

This week we welcome Barbara Sawhill to the panel to chat about what happened in Tuesday and Thursday's live shows. We discuss just how wrong we were about our semi-final one predictions, particularly why some power house countries failed to advance. Although we did much better predicting the second semi-final, there were still some surprises Thursday.((Including Mike's audio failing to record, so he's sitting out this week.))

Twenty-six countries are left. Who's going to win? It's the most exciting episode of the year as we head toward one of the most exciting Eurovision Grand Final competitions in years.

Special Guest: Barbara Sawhill.

Episode 16: Semi-Final Preview

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Mon, 07 May 2018 05:00:00 -0500

It's showtime! 37 countries will be competing in the Eurovision semi-final rounds Tuesday and Thursday. We share our thoughts on the rehearsals as well as suggestions for how to make your Eurovision party on Saturday a fun experience for everyone.

Our preview begins with an explanation of how Eurovision's complicated points system works. If you are hosting a Eurovision party this year, we offer recommendations on food, party games, and viewing options in case Logo's coverage isn't your thing. Then the crew talks about the semi-final rehearsals, including which acts are most improved, which have fizzled, and which we're most excited to see. It's Eurovision Week!

Semi-Final Preview Summary

How does Eurovision scoring work in the semi-final and Grand Final? (3:07)
Tips for Hosting a Eurovision party (18:43)
How to Watch the Eurovision Song Contest in the US (25:26)
Talking about the semi-final rehearsals (30:26)
Which countries are the most improved? (32:25)
Which countries have fizzled? (41:40)
Which entries are we most interested to see? (54:45)

Episode 11: First!

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Wed, 04 Apr 2018 05:00:00 -0500

This week we begin our analysis of the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest in earnest. First up: the first half of the first semi-final! Which entries are locks for advancing to the Grand Final? Who might get help from the running order? Why is Staples playing Eurovision songs from 2016?

First! Summary

Eurovision Viewing Parties (3:50)
Why is Staples playing "Sunlight"? (5:20)
Analyzing the semi-final (9:36)

First Semi-Final Running Order

Azerbaijan - Aisel - X My Heart (9:36)
Iceland - Ari Olafsson - Our Choice (14:48)
Albania - Eugent Bushpepa - Mall (19:52)
Belgium - SENNEK - A Matter of Time (27:16)
Czech Republic - Mikolas Josef - Lie to Me (31:27)
Lithuania - Ieva Zasimauskaitė - When We're Old (37:44)
Israel - Netta - Toy (43:29)
Belarus - Alekseev - Forever (47:44)
Estonia - Elina Netšajeva - La Forza (52:22)
Bulgaria - Equinox - Bones (58:09)

Episode 9: Dita Von Teese Curtain Monster

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Wed, 21 Mar 2018 05:00:00 -0500

This week we chat about the last six entries for Eurovision 2018 with special guest Barbara Sawhill. Are we buying the hype for Israel's "Toy" as this year's favorite? Do we have "Bones" to pick with Bulgaria? What is up with Georgia's curtain lady?

Dita Von Teese Curtain Monster Summary

Eurovision in the Classroom (2:34)
Russia - Yuliya Samoylova - "I Won't Break" (9:04)
North Macedonia - Eye Cue - "Lost and Found" (18:17)
Israel - Netta - "Toy" (25:38)
Lithuania - Ieva Zasimauskaitė - "When We're Old" (39:26)
Bulgaria - Equinox - "Bones" (46:34)
Georgia - Iriao - "For You" (54.40)

Episode 5: Get Excited

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Tue, 20 Feb 2018 12:00:00 -0600

Three more songs have joined the 2018 Eurovision field—two from national selections and one from... just showing up? San Marino has a business proposition for you while Israel poses a challenge to the concept of live vocals. Plus, we get ready for the onslaught of Stupor Saturday. Get excited!

Get Excited Summary

Greece - Yianna Terzi - "Oneiro Mou" (1:36)
Belarus - Alekseev - "Forever" (8:03)
Montenegro - Vanja Radovanović - "Inje" (14:24)
Artist selections: North Macedonia, Croatia, Israel (19:27)
San Marino's investment opportunity (27:01)
Stupor Saturday prep! (35:47)

Episode 4: The Who? and the What? Now!

The EuroWhat? Podcast — Wed, 14 Feb 2018 05:00:00 -0600

Lindsey Weber from the Who Weekly podcast stops by to chat about how the Olympics are the perfect world event to prep for Eurovision before getting into the songs selected for Malta, Switzerland, the UK, Denmark, and Italy.

The Who? and the What? Now! Summary

Olympics and Eurovision (1:06)
Questions from Lindsey Weber (9:49)
Malta: Christabelle Borg "Taboo" (19:04)
Switzerland: ZiBBZ "Stones" (27:41)
United Kingdom: SuRie "Storms" (31:10)
Denmark: Rasmussen "Higher Ground" (38:03)
Italy: Ermal Meta and Fabrizio Moro "Non mi avete fatto niente" (41:31)
Upcoming Selections (47:55)

The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews - Episodes Tagged with “Israel”

Episode 301: BOOM Bangaranga

BOOM Bangaranga Summary

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Episode 300: Tu cara me suena

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Episode 299: Going Dutch

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Episode 298: Hvala, Ne

Hvala, Ne Summary

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Episode 297: Icy Reception

Icy Reception Summary

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Episode 296: All Kinds of Everything

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Episode 295: Eye-Catching

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Episode 294: Radio Friendly

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Episode 289: Rough

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Episode 288: Bad Lucksembourg

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Episode 287: Folklore & Rock & Roll

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Episode 286: Discomfort

Dr. Zoë Jay

Discomfort Summary

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Episode 285: Kerflooey

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Episode 282: Momentum

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Episode 281: Responsive

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Episode 280: Weird Little Dudes

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Episode 278: Welcome to Austria

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Eurovision Podcast Podcrawl

Episode 277: Nice

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Eurovision Podcast Podcrawl

Episode 275: Good to Go

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Eurovision Podcast Podcrawl

Episode 271: Integrity

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