Well the second edition of 'Eurovision - Australia Decides' is over for another year and we've had some key takeaways from this year's contest (and we don't mean the kebab we had at 3am on Sunday morning).
Obviously we had our victor in Montaigne, but there was a lot more stories out of the contest this for 2020. Here's our 10 key takeaways from Australia Decides 2020.
1. Diversity in artists
Last year we could say most artists fell into some 'pop' or mainstream category with only Electric Fields arguably a Triple J type artist. This year the introduction of Didirri, Montaigne and Jaguar Jonze was a breath of fresh air and helped reach new audience.
On top of our indie artists we still had some big pop and reality show names - Casey Donovan, Vanessa Amorosi, Jack Vidgen, Mitch Tambo and Diana Rouvas to name a few. The blend of pop and indie is working really well.
2. A more open and even playing field
Last year was always going to be 'Zero Gravity' versus '2000 and Whatever' with 'On My Way' close by. In the end Kate Miller-Heidke won by 21 points getting a whopping 87 public votes.
This year we had two different winners of the jury and public vote, Montaigne only won by seven points and there was 84 points between 1st and 10th compared to last year's 117. Also nine acts received over 30 points compared to seven last year. Jordan-Ravi's 12 televote points would have been the 7th highest in 2019. All in all a much closer contest.
3. Staging jumped up a gear
The staging jumped up a notch this year with far more elements on stage to really bring the Eurovision flair to the Gold Coast. Whether it was Vanessa's overturned car, Diana's birdcage ring or gender bending trapeze musicians, it certainly captured our attention.
Add in a lot more use of dancers and choreography (Montaigne, Jack Vidgen, Mitch Tambo) and we had a much more visual show in 2020.
4. Australians lose it over international guests
The performance of Måns Zelmerlöw and the appearance of Jon Ola Sand put the Gold Coast crowd into a frenzy. If Måns fell into the crowd we're not sure he would have got out alive (or at least with all his clothing). They both brought their Eurovision gravitas to really help take this year's show to another level.
5. Måns Zelmerlöw is ridiculously good with fans
All weekend Måns was seen grabbing coffee or breakfast and very willingly and patiently taking many many many pics with fans. Included in that was Aussievision's very own Kyriakos (pictured) who managed to finally track him down and get a pic. Many may criticize Måns for doing too much, but we think he's an incredible ambassador for the contest.
6. Australians love our Eurovision Queens
We're not talking about the fans in the crowd but our amazing performers from 2016 and 2019, Dami Im and Kate Miller-Heidke. Both got incredible receptions from the crowd and will forever be part of the Australian Eurovision 'Family'. When Dami Im announced she was competing next year, the chants of 'Dami' were deafening and the crowd almost forgot Måns was there. We'd love to see even more former Eurovision artists embrace our wonderful national final in the future.
7. Didirri and Jaguar Jonze are legends
Not only did they bring their unique music to the contest, they also brought an approachable warm and friendly spirit to the show. So approachable in fact that they were selling their own merchandise behind the desk after the jury final! Their support of their friend Montaigne was heartwarming and it was a special moment when they all embraced after the show. More of these artists int n the future please!
Do support Didirri and Jaguar Jonze by checking out and buying from their merch stores:
Jaguar Jonze: http://jaguarjonze.aracastores.com/
Didirri: https://www.didirri.com/merch
8. Casey Donovan is THE darling of the Australian public
She may not have taken out the show but she is now three from three in public vote winners in 'reality' show contests. She won 'Australian Idol', 'I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here' and now the public vote at 'Australia Decides'.
She is so damn likeable, gave us a powerful and flawless vocal and would have every shot of representing Australia if she were to compete again.
9. Fans were more engaged than last year
Tickets were up this year as were the ratings. 334,000 tuned into see the winner crowned compared to 298,000 last year, showing people were more invested in the contest.
Not only that the audience got way more into the costumes and dress ups and really added atmosphere to all performances.
Additionally the official Eurovision fan club of Australia 'ESCFan - OGAE Australia', saw a huge bump in members over the weekend. The committee telling us that "the weekend brought almost 100 members to the club" with activations alongside Blink TV at the venue and also at the official after party at The Pink Flamingo.
You can join the club here at: https://ogaeaustralia.com/
10. It's probably worth bringing an umbrella
Summer in Queensland will always have mixed weather, perfect one day, a little monsoony the next. We still think it's a wonderful holiday destination and makes a great destination event for fans across Australia. But do remember to pack some wet weather gear to play mini golf in next year!
That's it for another year, we can't wait for Australia Decides 2021!
Aussievision - Australia Decides coverage
You can listen to our 'Australia Decides 2020 Review' podcast episode on:
Or wherever you get your podcasts.
You can also check out live reaction to the results inside the stadium here.