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Eurovision 2022 Albania : Ronela Hajati – Sekret

Will Ronela be the sekret to success for Albania?

Albania send it’s first uptempo song to Eurovision in 12 years with Ronela’s Sekret. Sekret has a strong instrumental hook with a passionate performer. However in it’s current form there are several red flags. Ronela comes across as too aggressive, almost giving death glances to the camera at moments. The song itself is messy in structure and the lighting is too dark. If it went to ESC in it’s current form it would be a borderline qualifier at best.

However, there is a lot of potential for Albania. Ronela has confirmed the song will undergo a revamp by British-Dutch producer, “Diztortion”. Issues with the: staging, lighting and camera angles can all be ironed out. Albania have had issues in the past with staging production but Ronela is a big & well connected artist who will likely have the funding to hire someone experienced like SJB.

It is difficult to predict where Albania will place this year with so much work to be done. If everything falls into place then I can envisage a Hurricane like result with strong regional televote support along with votes from the diaspora. There is some evidence to suggest this could be the case with the NF performance trending on Youtube across the balkan nations as well as diaspora nations such as Germany, Italy and even the UK.

Eurovision 2022 Czech Republic: We Are Domi – “Lights Off”

Will it be lights on or light off for the Czech Republic in Turin?

After an early online selection the Czech Republic has selected We Are Domi, an electro-pop band formed in the UK, with “Lights Off”. It is a modern and radio-friendly entry performed well by the band’s lead singer. Jurors are likely to rewards the commerciality of this effort, much like they did in the national final where the band dominated the international jury voting section and with Norway in 2017.

There could be concerns on the televote side of things. The track could struggle to stand out in an 18 song semi final depending on the running order. A strong staging package will be needed to ensure it stands out from the rest of the crowd. There are already successful elements of this in the NF performance with the effective lighting.

A strength for this entry is the charisma and vocal ability of the lead singer. She already connects well with the camera and comes across as likeable. All in all, I envisage a result closer to Norway 2017 than Poland 2018 but staging will remain key to the ceiling for Czechia.

Prediction: Borderline Qualifier (15th – 21st in Grand Final)

Eurovision 2022 Bulgaria : Intelligent Music Project – “Intention”

Bulgaria starts off the race to Turin with a new delegation at the helm. They present the Intelligent Music Project with the rock song “Intention.”

This is an incredibly low effort from a nation that previously was incredibly focused on PR and marketing strategies. It is not difficult to tell there is an entirely new team in charge this year. BNT seems to have lost interest in Eurovision and we could even say this is an “intentional” step towards non-qualification to justify a withdrawal in 2023. Allegations of corruption have also rocked the whole selection process this year.

The song itself lacks any hook and with more rock entries expected it will have no USP. Not even some of Sacha Jean Baptise’s best staging work would save this entry. As William Lee Adams said, “this is my bottom 1 not my top 1.”

Prediction: Non Qualification

SCD Week 11: Stephenson Stumbling

Dan Walker defied the odds last week and continues his run on the show. Like we predicted last week Tilly was dragged down to earth, scoring even below Dan. This sealed her place in the dance off. We expected Dan to get more public votes than Tilly and Rhys. Dan escaped the dance off thanks to not coming dead last on the scoreboard with the public pushing him through.

It looks like producers may not be so adamant on dragging down Dan after all and feel comfortable continuing his story. Dan returns with a ballroom dance this week which could set him up to exceed his series high of 31 points. Although it is likely he will score in the bottom 2 we cannot underestimate Dan’s public vote capability.

Rhys has been given an Argentinian tango. Though this seems like a good dance on paper they are following on from John & Johannes’s spectacular AT pimp-slotted performance from last week. They set the bar high and could draw comparisons. It is also important to point out that Nancy does not have a history of performing the AT so we could see her struggle. We also have to stress how poorly Rhys has been performing in the public vote, almost every week he has escape the dance off has been thanks to the judge’s points.

This series has seen a trend for dancer to score low a week after they have topped the leaderboard. We saw this with Tilly’s elimination just a week after scoring a perfect 40. This might spell trouble for John who takes on the salsa. AJ interestingly will also take on the salsa, possibly leading to the judges drawing on comparisons. John is also due an early running order slot, so there is a chance he could delve into the dance off.

AJ & Rose look like they have their semi final spots booked already. Rose had a bit of a dip last week but still performed strongly with social media stats. This week she goes back to the ballroom where she is much more suited. We could see Rose returning to the top of the leaderboard as we get closer to the final and the show realises she is the inevitable winner.

This looks set to be another close week with Dan, Rhys and John battling for the last 2 spots in the semi. Dan does have the capability to outpoll both but again much depends on their position on the scoreboard. If we’ve learnt one thing this series it is to not underestimate Dan.

Recommended Bets:

Back Rhys Stephenson for Next Elimination @ 2.5 (Betfair Sportsbook)

SCD Week 8: Dragging Down Dan

Last week saw housewife favourite Tom Walker eliminated after falling into the dance off with Rhys Stephenson. Rhys was deservedly saved after improving from his original performance, where he had made a few mistakes.

It looks like last week was a close run for John, with social media stats suggesting it was very close between him and Tom to enter the dance off. Sunday night’s results show had seen twitter ablaze with many furious at Dan surviving yet again.

This week sees Dan taking on the rumba, which some have called the “dance of death.” Males in particular have struggled with the rumba in recent years. In the last 3 series the average lowest score for the rumba is a measly 19/40. Dan also enjoyed the pimp slot, so it is possible he could get a very early slot this week. Plus, Craig is likely to return this week and he has consistently scored Dan very low dishing out a 4, 5 and 6 in the last 3 weeks. It does look like at this stage of the game the odds are very much stacked against Dan’s continued defiance.

Tilly scored a perfect 40 last week, leading to a swathe of backlash from Twitter fans. This week she has been lumbered with a samba. Like the rumba this has historically been a difficult low scoring dance. Tilly has struggled when tasked with faster dances, as we have seen in week 7 and 8 where she was relegated to the dance off. I envisage this trend continuing and expect Tilly to enter the danger zone once more. She is likely to score more than Dan, however her public vote base is much lower and volatile.

Dance off survivor, Rhys, is set to take on the waltz. This is another difficult dance but Rhys has scored well with ballroom dances, which he has shown to be much more comfortable with. Plus he is likely to receive a sympathy bounce after hitting the bottom 2 last week. However, Rhys probably has the weakest public vote base of all contestants remaining and has relied on the judge’s points saving him from the dance off. He cannot be ruled out from hitting the dance off again.

AJ, John and Rose will almost certainly dominate the scoreboard this week. AJ will have the “Couple’s Choice” dancing to Janelle Monáe’s ‘Make Me Feel’, a song choice that certainly raises some eyebrows. After what was probably a near miss from the dance off, John takes on the Argentinian Tango which looks set to be a surefire hit. John & Johannes have not had the honours of closing the show yet, so could take this on this week to set up a very high scoring mark. Huge favourite Rose will dance to the dramatic paso which should delight the public vote. If producers want to create any type of unpredictability this is probably the last week to do so, hence Rose may not score as highly.

This is an unpredictable week with the 6 contestants firmly divided into 2 tiers. Dan, Tilly and Rhys all could go. Normally we see the novelty cut at this stage of the competition. Dan will have a difficult task to escape the danger zone after being given the dance of death and an early slot looks likely. There is always the unpredictability of the British voting public though…

Recommended bets:

Back Dan Walker for Next Elimination @ 2.0 (Smarkets)

Back Tilly Ramsay for Bottom 2 (Betfair Exchange)

Who We Are

I was thrust into the world of specials betting in 2016 after successfully backing Ukraine to win Eurovision at 20-1 and then witnessing Saara Aalto almost crossing the Finnish line in X Factor 2016.

Since then, I have immersed myself into specials betting earning a high 4 figure profit every year on a limited budget. I have traded on markets such as: Eurovision, X Factor, Strictly Come Dancing, I’m A Celebrity, Dancing On Ice and Eurovision National Selections (mainly Melodifestivalen).

TVTips.UK will allow me to share my insight and betting tips on a wide range of reality tv shows as well as politics across the globe.

Stay tuned for some previews coming soon!