The best and worst of Eurovision 2016
The tops and flops of over three hours of music and glitz on television: a guide of memorable moments from the competition's 61st edition.
- The Crimean Tatar -
It is not everyday that one gets to hear a language classified by Unesco as "seriously endangered". The talented Ukrainian singer Jamala broke down in tears as her mother tongue was heard in tens of millions of homes around the world with her song "1944", which eventually took her on to win the competition.
- Spectacular shows -
Australia's Dami Im, who finished second, came to Europe to prove that Eurovision is not only about spectacle - it can also be about great singing. After her performance Russia's Sergey Lazarev managed to impress with a climb along a wall on stage. Bulgarian Poli Genova nearly blinded even TV spectators with her spectacular light show. Rock aficionados, however rare they may be at Eurovision, may have been impressed by Georgia's Nika Kocharov and Young Georgian Lolitaz, despite their performance's outdated use of split screens.
- Announcing the winner -
The traditional tally of "12 points" was kept intact, but for the first time Eurovision maintained its suspense by saving the announcement of television viewers' votes till the end. The evening ended in a duel between Russia and Ukraine.
- "Love Love Peace Peace" -
A parody song sang by the show's Swedish hosts, Petra Meda and Mans Zelmerlow, scored a bullseye by making fun of Eurovision extravagance. It also brought back on stage a retrospective of the Finnish Lordi monsters from 2006, Russian grannies from 2012 and low Polish necklines churning butter from 2014.
- The inevitable kitsch -
The pickings were rich: the skin-tight cat-jumpsuit of the Azerbaijani singer, which had slightly ripped during the rehearsal; the Armenian competitor performed in a nearly see-through body made of cable ties; the Italian candidate waggling a seedling in her hand; the Polish singer asking "What colour is your life?" in a slightly disturbing red ringmaster's jacket; the Cypriot rockers in a cage; and the Lithuanian's white leather jacket.
- The to-be-naked singer who eventually was not -
Even if the Belorussian Ivan got eliminated already in the semi-finals, he became one of the contest's hottest topics by wanting to perform without a stitch on - and with a wolf by his side. To Ivan's disappointment, Eurovision's rules forbade both ideas. But thanks to technological creativity he could made his dream come true: briefly, in hologram.