Culture

Did The Ukrainian Streaker Cost Australia Eurovision?

Isaiah's not wrong: those votes "Don't Come Easy" indeed.

by Matilda Dixon-Smith  15 May 2017

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You’ve probably heard of the Ukranian streaker, notorious pest Vitalii Sediuk, who dropped his daks during former Ukranian victor Jamala’s performance at Eurovision this weekend. Sediuk, who is well-known for his “pranks” on celebrities including Gigi Hadid and Kim Kardashian (and by pranks, of course, we mean harassment and generally vile behaviour), performed his latest dog act draped in an Australian flag, sparking brief speculation that the disturbance was caused by an Aussie prankster.

If that wasn’t enough to rile you up, there’s now speculation that Sediuk’s ‘prank’ may have cost Australia valuable points in this year’s Eurovision competition. Our 2017 entrant, the gorgeous Isaiah Firebrace, killed it during the semis with his romantic number ‘Don’t Come Easy’ (because, come on, guys, it don’t come easy for a 17-year-old pop star with 1D level good looks). However, after a wonderful repeat performance in the final round, Firebrace only just made the top ten, pulling in at ninth place. However, Firebrace came fourth in the tally of the professional jury votes. Which means it was the public voting that let him down.

Because at the time of the audience tally it hadn’t been revealed that the streaker wasn’t in fact Australian, there is mounting speculation that the perception of Aussie larrikin antics overseas (my favourite thing) casting a disrespectful pall over the competition could have dropped the Australian audience vote exponentially. In the end we didn’t get a single 12-vote pledge from any of the participating countries, which is unusual considering Isaiah’s performance was considered a favourite throughout the competition.

This year the Eurovision crown was taken by the unique Portuguese performer Salvador Sobral, who won for his tender jazz-inspired number ‘Amar Pelos Dois’. Sobral, who called his win a victory against “fast food music” (ouch), was absent during rehearsals because he was awaiting news about a heart transplant surgery. I mean, damn, the guy is tailor-made for a win, so Firebrace never stood a chance.

Still, considering his early lead, it’s surprising that Isaiah’s wonderful performance just scraped a top-ten nod. And, judging by the reaction from fans online who thought Australia was responsible for Sediuk’s “prank”, the incident might indeed have bruised Isaiah’s chances at a higher rank in the final tally.

Truth be told, Australia’s position in Eurovision is already fairly tenuous. This is our third year competing as a “wildcard” entry, an offer extended to us simply because we’re the biggest fans of the Eurovision competition outside of Europe. So far we’ve always made a good showing. Last year’s entry, Dami Im, ranked second in the final tally (with “Sound of Silence” which, tbh, holds up to scrutiny a year later), and our inaugural competitor, Guy Sebastian, ranked fifth. Still, this year’s flogging in the audience votes is a clear reminder that we are there by invitation only.

The man responsible for the ‘prank’, Sediuk, could face up to five years in prison for the stunt.

https://youtu.be/2fcUASA–60