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....most crazy national final formats
esctoday.com TOP TEN: No. 3 and 2
National final formats that met one or more of the following criteria were considered:
- strange/complicated/unsual voting system
- overly lengthy process/unusual selection of finalists
- high effort turns out to be needless
This list is about formats, so strange/unexpected results and bizarre entries, performances and presentations are not considered.
So we continue...
No. 3 - Evrobahenni-2010
The Ukrainian national selection in 2010 is very special for one reason: It is most likely the only time that a broadcaster organised two entirely different national finals with both of them not featuring the song that would eventually represent the country in Eurovision...
Originally, Vasyl Lazarovich was chosen internally to represent Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010. In the first national final, he presented five songs and none of them was met with an enthusiastic reaction from the audience or the jury. At the end of the voting, I love you... was the chosen song. Less than two weeks after the national final, NTU announced that a new national final would be organised due to personnel changes within the broadcaster. The deadline to submit entries for Oslo was coming closer, but within only one week, the broadcaster managed to organise a new national final with 20 performers and songs. Vasyl Lazarovich also competed again. At the end of the voting, Alyosha was the winner with her song To be free. However, this did not put an end to the story: As the song was published before October 2009, it was disqualified. NTU was granted a new deadline and eventually, the song Sweet people was sent to the Eurovsion Song Contest in Oslo.
Although all odds seemed to be against them, this national selection did pay off for NTU. Ukraine finished 10th in the final in Oslo and was even seen in sixth place by the juries.
Vasyl Lazarovich with I love you...:
No. 2 - Eurovizija 2006
In 2006, the Lithuanian broadcaster proved that it is possible to make a national selection more complicated than you would ever think it were possible...
The 2006 Lithuanian national selection began in January with three heats featuring 28 newcomers. The top four of each heat, chosen by televoting and a jury, managed to go forward to the quarter final in February. From those twelve songs, six were chosen to move forward to the semi finals. Those six entries met no less than 19 other ones by more experienced artists. Three semi finals were held, the first two with nine songs each and the third one featured seven songs. Televoting selected the top five songs in the first two semi finals and the top four songs in the third semi final to move forward to the final. The jury then selected another two wildcards out of the semi finalists to compete. In the final, LT United were the winners getting about twice as many votes as the runner-ups InCulto, who would represent Lithuania in 2010. None of the 28 acts that had to go through the heats managed to reach the top three.
Although the heats and the quarter final turned out to be quite useless, LT United's We are the winners was a success in the Eurovision Song Contest. The song finished sixth in Athens, which is still the country's best result.
InCulto with Welcome to Lithuania:
Tomorrow, we will introduce the no. 1 on the list.
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CHIARA FROM MALTA: PLEASE WATCH:
http://www.oikotimes(...)articles&id=8557
To success on Eurovision you need a good song. You can do the best national final ever but if you don't have a good song in it, you'll fail at Eurovision.
I love you was better than sweet people
anyone agree
LOL, Vasyl's song is funny! I know I'm crazy saying this but I actually prefer it to 'Sweet People', that song is overrated and annoying. Anyways, that whole selection process was just crazy glad it's on this list.
vasil was awful 
Bulgaria 2009 was so pathetic too! all those rounds at the beginning
serbia & montenegro 2006 was silly and so was Hungary 2009
I agree Derek that was disgusting.......voting right and not participating.
Serbia & Montenegro 2006 has to be #1. More than one final, no participant sent, but still retained voting rights. It doesn't get more strange than that.
My Favourite is still Belarus 2010. Maybe not that complicated, but long Prozess, strange Decisson & anyway funny Statements 
i think hungary 2009 ( maybe it was 08 ) will be winner . they change singers and songs many time ))))
I think if it comes down on complicatedness and length of the selection process, nothing beats Bulgaria 2008.
@ Shevek
It was really nice today and they say that tomorrow it will be over 20 degrees (that's too hot for this latitude lol)
not Evrobahenni-2010 but Evrobachennia-2010
Well Spanish NFs are big contenders for the first spot (which of these: 2007, 2008, 2009 or 2010??), but as many said Serbia & Montenegro 2006 could also win because it was a failed mixed of three different finals that ended up with no participation at all.
I also miss in this rank other nonsense procedures like Bulgaria 2008 (with disasteorus end), Belarus 2010 (impossible to understand, with two different broadcasters switching) or even France 2006, that was stupid, messy and the winning song was finally not performed at ESC.
I reckon Serbia & Montenegro 2006 will be the first.
Man, Ukraine is such a clumsy country when they have to choose...
@Paschalis
I agree , for sure (well I'd be surprised if not!) that the Spanish NF will be first on the list..I mean any kind of voting system since the famous "Internet voting" system was allowed, or in fact before that with those crazy endless meaningless programmes (that nobody watched) that gave us D'Nash for example...Spain no 1 in crazy national final format! I mean we got chililiquatre and could have ended up with "Popstar queen", that's why TVE changed voting system beforehand (weighted voting to the jury) JUST IN CASE she qualified! (then they disqualified her just to be sure, but based on their own voting system), they couldn't do the same for Jon Cobra but paid the price for the most disgusting show live for ages on TVE..and why I really think TVE should be no 1 is the fiasco of the ESC semi-final last year!
The Ukrainian 10 NF made its way to this list. This is my first year following the nfs and I was amazed first and then fed up at what happened in this country. Alyosha is a talented singer/performer, but I only brouht myself to aknowledge "Sweet People" after May 29th. I do hope that things will improve in 2011. This being said, Ukraine 10 was good stuff, unlike the usual fare that emanates from Kiev.
"Plus this ukrainian participation is going to remain as the one saved by the juries instead of televote..the ukrainians should be worried..their neighbours and friends hav connected them to cheap pop and extravaganza on stage..alyosha was so different..probably they did not believe this is ukraine thus not voting for her !"
I believe you may be right, just me and my guitar. We'll see what the future brings.
PS: Paschalis, I hope that the Norwegian weather is treating you better.
Ukraine 10 NF format can rank that high in craziness!! by sending their best singer ever.. then i really love cheating system. Alyoasha was fantastic!
Ukraine 2010 is going to remain a notorious one that's for sure...such a set up..pure circus of interests really..!
Plus this ukrainian participation is going to remain as the one saved by the juries instead of televote..the ukrainians should be worried..their neighbours and friends hav connected them to cheap pop and extravaganza on stage..alyosha was so different..probably they did not believe this is ukraine thus not voting for her !
lol so much craziness
Now I bet the spanish national finals will be first!
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