The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

Bulgaria returns to Eurovision following a three-year absence. We take a look at the country's history at the Contest: a rough start in its initial tenure, a renaissance after its first hiatus, and looking ahead to how Bulgaria's next tenure may go.

Rough Summary

Selection Season So Far: Moldova, Malta, Luxembourg, Georgia, Israel, Switzerland (0:40)

Join the EuroWhat? AV Club (4:29)

Bulgaria's History at Eurovision (6:30)

How is Bulgaria selecting for 2026? (28:32)

Subscribe

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you want even more EuroWhat? in your life, join the EuroWhat? AV Club on Patreon! You can join for free to get virtual high fives and a monthly newsletter featuring:

previews of upcoming episodes,

North America tour dates for Eurovision alumni

National Selection dates

Tidbits we can't get to on the main show

We also have the EuroWhat? AV Club Podcast, a monthly bonus episode for paid members exploring Eurovision-adjacent TV, movies, books, and more. And if there is a season 2 of the American Song Contest... well... :::monkey's paw intensifies:::

Luxembourg returned to Eurovision in 2024 after a 30-year hiatus. When they left the Contest, they were tied with Ireland and France in having won the most times at 5 wins apiece. We’ll explore Luxembourg’s incredible run and see how they’ve adapted to the modern era as we preview the third edition of the Luxembourg Song Contest.

Bad Lucksembourg Summary

Luxembourg Stats at Eurovision (1:20)

Luxembourg Hosting Eurovision (4:55)

Luxembourg Song Contest 2026 (17:02)

Subscribe

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you want even more EuroWhat? in your life, join the EuroWhat? AV Club on Patreon! You can join for free to get virtual high fives and a monthly newsletter featuring:

previews of upcoming episodes,

North America tour dates for Eurovision alumni

National Selection dates

Tidbits we can't get to on the main show

We also have the EuroWhat? AV Club Podcast, a monthly bonus episode for paid members exploring Eurovision-adjacent TV, movies, books, and more. And if there is a season 2 of the American Song Contest... well... :::monkey's paw intensifies:::

Moldova has returned to Eurovision after a one-year break and has selected 16 songs to compete for a trip to Vienna in May. Malta has also streamlined their process a bit and will select their entrant from among 18 hopefuls. We’ll take a look at the history of these two countries and preview the selections that will be taking place on Saturday, January 17.

Folklore & Rock & Roll Summary

End of 2025 News (1:19)

Moldova at Eurovision (4:46)

EuroWhat? AV Club (Patreon) (30:26)

Malta at Eurovision (32:23)

Subscribe

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you want even more EuroWhat? in your life, join the EuroWhat? AV Club on Patreon! You can join for free to get virtual high fives and a monthly newsletter featuring:

previews of upcoming episodes,

North America tour dates for Eurovision alumni

National Selection dates

Tidbits we can't get to on the main show

We also have the EuroWhat? AV Club Podcast, a monthly bonus episode for paid members exploring Eurovision-adjacent TV, movies, books, and more. And if there is a season 2 of the American Song Contest... well... :::monkey's paw intensifies:::

How do fans cope when the object of their fandom becomes problematic? Dr. Zoë Jay returns to the show to share insights from her research within the Eurovision community about this topic through the Eurovisionaries project. We also discuss ideas for fans who may be approaching 2026 with the mindset of new year, new me, new special interest.

Dr. Zoë Jay

Dr Zoë Jay is a researcher in international politics at the University of Helsinki. She is the lead investigator of the Eurovisionaries Project, which explores how Eurovision fans think about and participate in cultural diplomacy and international politics.

📸 Cover photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Discomfort Summary

New Insights from the Eurovisionaries Project (2:07)

What do we do with our problematic faves? (11:17)

Grief (21:15)

New Year, New Me, New Special Interest? (28:18)

Subscribe

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you want even more EuroWhat? in your life, join the EuroWhat? AV Club on Patreon! You can join for free to get virtual high fives and a monthly newsletter featuring:

previews of upcoming episodes,

North America tour dates for Eurovision alumni

National Selection dates

Tidbits we can't get to on the main show

We also have the EuroWhat? AV Club Podcast, a monthly bonus episode for paid members exploring Eurovision-adjacent TV, movies, books, and more. And if there is a season 2 of the American Song Contest... well... :::monkey's paw intensifies:::
Special Guest: Zoë Jay.

With the passage of the EBU's new Eurovision rules, Israel will be in Vienna while the Netherlands, Spain, Slovenia, Ireland, and Iceland have withdrawn from the Contest. We’ll be discussing the fallout from the decision and figuring out how we’ll be navigating 2026...

Kerflooey Summary

What happened at the EBU General Assembly Meeting (1:11)

What is happening after the Eurovision vote? (19:16)

What will be happening? (26:59)

Subscribe

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.