Everyone’s A Winner is one of the shows that begins the countdown to Eurovision 2023 before it reaches fever pitch for Saturday's final. Eurovision fan and former X Factor contestant Fleur East hosts a Eurovision-tastic countdown of the show’s 20 most popular losers — acts that missed out on the top spot but still went on to become massive hits!
Everyone’s A Winner takes place in Liverpool and sees Fleur East plus a who’s who of celebrities enjoy a nostalgic look back at some of the most memorable Eurovision moments, from Sam Ryder’s Space Man to Cyprus’s answer to Beyoncé, and a shock act in the countdown’s number one spot!
So here’s everything you need to know about Fleur East’s pre-Eurovision party Everyone’s A Winner on BBC1 including a chat with Fleur herself…
Eurovision Song Contest: Everyone’s A Winner release date
Fleur East’s Eurovision Song Contest: Everyone’s A Winner will be shown on Friday May 12 at 7.30pm on BBC1 and BBCiPlayer, just in time to get us in the mood for the Eurovision Grand Final in Liverpool the next day!
What is Everyone’s A Winner about?
In Everyone’s A Winner, Fleur East counts down Eurovision’s most streamed and downloaded losing acts, and is joined for the extravaganza for some Eurovision facts and gossip by UK 2018 entrant SuRie, Radio 1 DJ Dean McCullough and Paul Jordan, aka Dr. Eurovision, who actually has a PhD in the subject!
Celebrity Eurovision superfans, such as Claire Sweeney, Blue’s Duncan James, TV presenter Lauren Layfield, The One Show’s Owain Wyn Evans, and Tia Koffi from RuPaul’s Drag Race UK fame, also give their take on the memorable hits that didn’t quite make the number one spot.
Meanwhile, acts in the top 20 (in no particular order!) include an Armenian entry that came 20th in Turin last year, Italy’s Francesco Gabbani, who came on stage in 2017 with a dancing ape, and a 2018 tearjerker from Michael Schulte from Germany.
Interview: Fleur East on Everyone’s A Winner
Are you a fan of Eurovision?
Fleur East says: "Oh my gosh, I've always loved Eurovision! One of my earliest memories was going round to my best friend's house and it was the year that Katrina and the Waves won. We were in at the bottom of her garden singing Love Shine a Light at the top of our voices to the point where her neighbour screamed at us to shut up because we were just on a loop singing that song! I remember it so fondly!"
How has the chart for Everyone’s A Winner been compiled?
Fleur says: "To work it out we needed to have entries that had garnered more than 30 million streams worldwide, and then we then combined those with the number of views on the Eurovision YouTube. What I love about Everyone's A Winner is that among my peers we have this running joke that I’ve never won anything. But all these entries are an example of how people can lose but still go on to have incredible careers. I hope people will watch the show and have so many fond memories of some fantastic songs and some iconic Eurovision moments!"
What’s your personal favourite song from this top 20 list?
Fleur says: "‘It has to be Dadi Freyr and Think About Things from 2020, the year Eurovision didn’t happen because of the pandemic. I’ll always remember when I first heard this song and I was like, this is incredible! It’s such a shame they didn’t get to perform it at Eurovision. Nobody knows what would have happened and if that song would have won. But it’s such a huge hit – I still have it on my playlist!"
Are there any others that stand out?
Fleur says: "Obviously Sam Ryder and Space Man. It was such a big song for us. What was so great about Sam was that you could see how much he genuinely loved being on that stage, and that he really respected Eurovision. He still talks about the experience with such love and fondness and he’s been a big part in this shift in terms of how Eurovision is viewed here. Up until then we hadn’t been doing too well, but Sam changed that!"
What do you think are the magic ingredients that make a good Eurovision performance?
Fleur says: "You need to be memorable because anything goes in Eurovision! No costume is big enough and you can throw absolutely everything at the staging – fire, smoke, water, like everything! You've got to have that real magic something that stays with people."
Why do you feel people love Eurovision so much?
Fleur says: "I feel like it's because it's such an accepting community and it brings people together. It’s about unity – everybody feels like they belong when they're part of Eurovision. Like I said, anything goes, so there are no rules when it comes to self-expression. It’s just a place where people can be open and be true to themselves."
Where will you be watching the Eurovision this year?
Fleur says: "I'm very excited to say that I’ll be watching it live! It's funny because at the start of this year I had friends booking hotels left, right and centre and doing everything they could to get tickets. But I just had this gut feeling that I was going to be there. Then I got asked to host Everyone's A Winner, and I was like, okay I'm one step closer. Then a couple of weeks later, I was told that I’m actually going to be there, and I can’t wait!"
What do you think the atmosphere is going to be like in Liverpool?
Fleur says: "Amazing! After Sam Ryder’s performance, I feel like everybody's reenergised and we're taking Eurovision a lot more seriously than before. More people are talking about it this year, it’s like there's a fire that's been lit up in the nation. So I think people will be screaming for [our UK entrant] Mae Muller.’
With your experience in the music business, what advice would you give Mae Muller?
Fleur says: "Just to fully embrace it and grasp the opportunity. It’s such a huge platform. She needs to go out there and absolutely smash it and not hold anything back. But I'm really excited for her because I feel we’re finally we're on a good streak now. Sam Ryder’s put us in a good place, and now we're hosting. So I think it's a really special year for her to be to be representing us and I think she's going to do really well. The song is good, a lot of people like Mae, she’s very enthusiastic and brings a lot of passion to the stage. It feels like we’re on a good roll, so fingers crossed!"
Would you ever consider being our UK entrant at Eurovision?
Fleur says: "There's been a rumour for the past three or four years that I'm going to be doing Eurovision. I think it's such an incredible platform and such a great thing to be a part of. It would be an incredible thing to do, so never say never!"
Is there a trailer for Eurovision Song Contest: Everyone’s A Winner?
There’s no trailer yet form the BBC for Eurovision Song Contest: Everyone’s A Winner but the show’s a corker, so we’ll be sure to post a trailer here just as soon as it lands!
