The Eurovision Song Contest 2018 looked like it was going to be just another good year for Sweden. And of course, their 7th place is a good result once again. But they only had the jury vote to thank this year.
Sweden is always a stable powerhouse in the final of Eurovision, almost reaching the top-10 on each occasion. After the jury results came in for “Dance You Off” by Benjamin Ingrosso, he was in second place, with only Austria topping their score. The televote drastically changed things around, because they had a completely different opinion.
The 253 points and second place that gave Sweden a potential next victory was swiped away with just 21 points, and a disappointing 23rd place in the televote. The story of Sweden is one of the biggest chocks in the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest.
Benjamin Ingrosso can laugh about his bad result
Yes, it is strange to call a 7th place at Eurovision a ‘bad result’, because of course it is not. But when you are close to potential victory, a mere 21 points in the televote feels like a defeat. Thankfully, Benjamin Ingrosso can still laugh about himself, as he proved on Instagram. A selfie on a field with almost no soul in sight, quoting “Me casually posing with all of my voters.”
The joke seems to go home really when tens of thousands have liked and commented on the post. The tone of voice about the contest has remained positive in Sweden, like this article from Aftonbladet. There is no doubt we will see Sweden again in 2019, probably with another top-10 act. Especially if they please the televoter a bit more again on the stage in Israel.