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Jury duo Rea Garvey and Conchita Wurst: “Do you think you can win this?”
Photo: André Kowalski / NDR
There is a question that reliably divides fans of the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC): Is it actually a blessing or a curse for the wealthy countries to be directly qualified for the grand finale? On the one hand, the Big Five (Great Britain, France, Italy, Spain and Germany) no longer face the risk of being eliminated in the semi-finals. On the other hand, the performers lack the practice of having sung in the big hall before. And the fact that the audience on site and at home is already familiar with the song before the finale could also be useful.
As is often the case, there is no general answer: Italy has repeatedly had good placings in recent years without qualifying for the semi-finals. Great Britain and of course Germany regularly found it difficult. In Germany, year after year, people tinker with how things could be done better.
This time we have returned to an idea that existed in 2014 and 2015: most of the places for the German preliminary round have been determined. Only one remains free and will be determined in a special competition.
The format, which is supported by NDR and HR, is called “I want to go to the ESC!” In it, 15 candidates go through a process of casting and coaching that has long been seen on shows like “X-Factor” or “The Voice of Germany« knows. Along the way, they are filtered out until at the end the audience gets to decide between four remaining hopefuls. The winner gets the final place.
“I want to go to the ESC!” lives primarily from its two jurors. Rea Garvey has plenty of experience as a “The Voice” juror, while Conchita Wurst has, above all, a victory at the Eurovision Song Contest – 2014 for Austria.
“For me, Song Contest is Christmas, Pride and Halloween in one,” says Conchita Wurst in a very fan-friendly manner at the start of the first of three episodes, which have been showing in the ARD media library since Thursday. The fourth and fifth episodes that have already been produced will be posted next week. At some point at night, all of this will also appear on linear television, but “I want to go to the ESC!” is clearly made for the media library. A lot of effort for the niche - but it is a niche that should grow among the public broadcasters.
How does it feel now, the format? At the beginning it's easy because the process is so familiar: short introduction film, greeting, singing for 90 seconds, judging banter, thumbs up or down (or in this case: heart on the desk). The fact that it is very entertaining despite all the routine is due to the chemistry between Rea Garvey and Conchita Wurst. The ESC star from Austria is constantly euphoric and quick-witted – the most common word: “fantastic”. The Reamonn rocker Garvey, on the other hand, presents himself as a realist who has seen everything. And still says “wow!” often.
Everything remains appreciative, even if there is clearly expressed criticism from both of them. “Very nice feedback,” said those assessed. It's not really clear why the five who are eliminated have to leave - but that's also because there are no freak candidates for the people's amusement. The field is noticeably diverse: a singer talks about her transition, someone wearing a jeans shirt expressly describes himself as normal, another singer talks about his large Greek family.
Five good moments from the auditions:
One candidate is a musical singer from Hamburg – and introduces herself as a gigantic Eurovision freak. “Your love for the ESC is greater than your singing,” comments Rea Garvey after her performance.
A 57-year-old from the German pop mecca of Delmenhorst appears wearing a rainbow shirt, skirt and peace necklace and sings Grace Jones' "Slave to the Rhythm." Conchita Wurst: "When people are so well trained, I sometimes lose the feeling of the performance."
Conchita Wurst flirts with a candidate (“Can I say, you look stunning”) and also likes the singing: “Then you'll nail it too. The only thing missing is the wind machine. Céline Dion – you have this power. And then at the end it says again: Ciao Cocoa!”. Rea Garvey, perplexed: “What does Chaka Khan have to do with it?”
One candidate comes from Künzelsau in Baden-Württemberg, if anyone knows that. Of course, says Rea Garvey, he has already played there. That's right, says the candidate, "this year at the company gig with my mom."
“Is everyone actually nice behind the scenes?” asks Rea Garvey, who only knows the ESC from television. »Noooo! Bitchfight!”, says Conchita Wurst: “The Polish women had Side-eye and I side-eyed them back.”
In the end there are two teams with five singers each who, in the third and final episode, work on cover versions with vocal coaches in even smaller groups. It's clear: Now the TV audience should get to know the no-names better. On February 8th, the wildcard will be awarded among the last remaining participants in a live broadcast.
The wildcard could actually be associated with the starting advantage for the “German Final”, which is available in the international final for those qualified via the semi-finals: at least there is already an emotional familiarity – assuming that the casting documentary “I want to go to the ESC!” finds enough Viewers.
Of course, the question that stands above all is: Does this complicated, multi-stage mode improve Germany's prospects in the Eurovision Song Contest? The already announced competition in the preliminary round does not sound insurmountable, at least from the names - Max Mutzke and Marie Reim are the best known. And based on the impressions of the first three episodes, there are definitely two or three talents in “I want to go to the ESC!” who don’t have to hide. “You convince me with your absolute emotion, which is adapted to your voice like a gear,” Rea Garvey once says. And Conchita Wurst feels “a connection. I feel like I understand what you're doing." However, we don't even know the song material yet.
“Do you think you can win this?” Rea Garvey asks at one point. Yes, self-confidence is necessary for the big stage, but it is not enough on its own. “I know what it's like to play in small bars,” says the Irishman at another point: “You try to get these five or 20 people together as an audience, that's the task. If you do that at 20, I swear to you, 2000, 20,000, that's a development. But you have to start here.« Classic rock 'n' roll promotion logic - but is it also true for a television event with around 160 million viewers worldwide watching?
Conchita Wurst has more of a feel for this and talks about wanting to create “big moments”. When the trans candidate Sophie says that the ESC is "always queer and weird for me," Conchita answers wisely: "All people project different things onto Eurovision, but that's definitely it." The German productions of the past few years spoke rather not because it is so clear to those responsible at NDR.
In recent months there has been speculation that NDR could soon hand over responsibility for the ESC. First the industry service “DWDL”, then “Bild” brought the Eastern broadcaster MDR into the conversation. “There are no discussions about this, and it is not an issue at the moment,” is the standard denial. Nobody wants to disrupt the ongoing selection process. But the many frustrating failures that NDR has suffered speak for themselves.
There could also be movement at the production level of the preliminary shows. Jan Böhmermann applied for the job with a music edition of his “ZDF Magazin Royale”. The fact that ESC veteran Stefan Raab founded a new company with ex-ProSieben man Daniel Rosemann also sparked fantasies in the scene. The current producers, Bildergarten Entertainment, can continue their casting show expertise known from “The Voice of Germany” in the new format “I want to go to the ESC!” They haven't managed a big elimination show yet. On February 16th they have another chance in Berlin. Maybe the last one.
“I want to go to the ESC!”: Episodes 1 to 3 already in the ARD media library. Broadcast dates on Erste: Episodes 1 and 2 on January 27th. from 11:05 p.m., episodes 3 to 5 on the night of February 3rd to 4th. from 11:55 p.m. (other broadcast dates on HR television). Episode 6 on February 8th at 10 p.m. live on NDR television and in the media library.