Back on November 30, when Swedish bookies UNIBET unveiled their first set of betting odds for Melodifestivalen 2016, they ranked Wiktoria Johansson dead last among the 28 acts. They put her odds of winning down at 100/1 and she shared last place with Saraha, who will perform in Semi Final 3, and Mimi Werner, who crashed out of Semi Final 1.
Well what a difference a killer live performance makes. After Wiktoria qualified for the final on Saturday, bookies slashed her odds to 4/1, making her their third favourite alongside Ace Wilder, and putting her just behind front-runners Molly Sandén (19/10) and Robin Bengtsson (7/2), who qualified last week.
On Tuesday, following the leak of Molly’s track “YOUniverse”, they narrowed Wiktoria’s odds yet again, dropping her down to 3/1. That moved her past Robin and Ace Wilder, who now sit in fourth and fifth position, respectively. Isa is in sixth, with Lisa Ajax, Oscar Zia, Swingfly and Panetoz rounding out the Top 10. This makes Wiktoria the front-runner among the eight acts that have survived the competition thus far. Interestingly, she also came tops with each of our jurors in our reaction video, which you can watch below.
Melodifestivalen 2016: Our Top 8 (as of February 15)
Wiktoria interview after her first rehearsal
Wiktoria chats in her hotel ahead of Semi-Final 2
Wiktoria reacts to qualifying for the final
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I am sorry, but this feels like a good performance gimmick not really suited for an average song.
Isa or Ace Wilder’s feel a lot more modern and catchy!
The hope is that in final Denmark male option won against two ladies. I’m not gay, but it will be better when final of Melodifestivalen will be dominated by women, but the winner will be man this year.
OK, we can hate Samir & Viktor, David Lindgren or Robin Bengtsson, but the real craps this year are Ace Wilder, Isa and Wiktoria. Probably Molly Sanden also will be bad. Theoretically this is time for women, but each streak ever ends.
Wiktoria won’t win.She is the reason why Krista didn’t qualify!
I am not a fan of her because her voice needs improvement but she looks like a dear to me. Maybe it is her time to shine despite there are still the rest of the favorites in MF. Let’s just wait for Molly Sanden to perform.
I actually like Wiktoria’s song better than Isas and what Mollys seem to be. It’s lighter and catchier and sounds spotless live. I don’t like all those dramatic “modern? female songs, which lack a good melody and are tiring on the ear. For me right now it’s Wiktoria, Ace and Robin.
…but her song is terrible!
Her only edge against everyone else is her live performance. Song-wise this might not even scrap the Top 10 at ESC. Molly PH and Isa’s songs are way better.
1. Wiktoria 9.5/10
2. Molly Pettersson Hammar 9.0/10
3. ISA 8.5/10
4. Ace Wilder 8-/10
5. Robin Bengtsson 7.5/10
6. Samir och Viktor 6+/10
7. David Lindgren 4.0/10
8. Albin och Mattias 3.5/10
Wiktoria killed it live, of that there is no doubt. I was seriously impressed by her vocals, but the song left me cold, it’s quite boring and repetitive (just like Hunger and Faller). The staging, like many have said, had nothing to do with the song and it even looked a bit cheap (too much 3D showing off to be taken seriously). If they had projected some road trip inspired imagery it would have made much more sense. I don’t want her to win or believe that she will, but if she does then at least we can be sure… Read more »
The hype for this trash is laughable. Strange how she’s the only newcomer to get a SVT choice spot especially in a semi with 3-4 established stars .
Robin Bengsston – clear these b**ches away! 🙂
I don’t really care for “Save Me”, though Wiktoria did sing it well. Her staging was more of a graphic designer/programmer showing off what they can do. The graphics didn’t fit the song at all. And why is she using the Wonder Woman logo in a song where she’s asking to be saved? I felt that Krista, Isa, and MPH all had better songs and performances. I really hope this doesn’t win–it’s repetitive and whiny.
I also have a strong feeling Wiktoria will win. The whole performance is really good. This year will be a tight race between few favourites. So Wiktoria, Robin Bengtsson, Ace Wilder..
I add myself to the crowd of people not seeing anything special in Wiktoria. The song is pretty average, not bad, not great either, and not even the staging is as impressive as I thought it would be, it doesn’t offer anything new.
My favourites so far remain Robin and Ace, but we still have another two semi finals left.
I really do not like her song neither performance.
And who is this Wictoria? Where did she really come from into the not-debutant-welcoming world of Melfest?
I want to see Isa or Molly PH winning. Not Molly Sanden or Wictoria.
And with reference to my last post, I can already picture MPH stealing it. The year after Loreen’s big ESC victory, the MF winner came out of Andra Chansen, and it was someone few had expected (Robin Stjernberg), though he had a very good song. Now the year after Måns’ big win at ESC, in Andra Chansen we have, alongside MPH, a bookie’s favorite (Isa)…
…But what do Robin and MPH share that makes me think MPH could steal it? Very little or no graphic displays/props in the background. Spotlights and smoke/fire, but that’s it.
Wiktoria should win
It has the amazing live performance, her voice has so much soul I love the country-pop element and the amazing soulful break.
The song is uplifting and very current. Plus she has an amazing team behind her and I am rooting for her.
My second pick so far would be Robin …. I am in love with his staging and how tv friendly it was.
Isa is way to dramatic and seems kinda forced …….. Safura moment of 2016.
Youniverse sounds really good. Modern and fresh!
Interesting…A far cry from where she was on the bookies’ boards when they announced the 28 participants. She was next-to-last.
I have a feeling that, if they find themselves fighting over every last vote available to them, Molly P.H. will win, and deservedly. I can already picture a possible stage setup for MPH and her performance if she wins MF; a darker theme, something that would go perfectly with the lyrics.
This is Melodifestivalen 2014 all over again. Established singer the favorite to win until cool newcomer comes along and then there’s a battle between the two of them in the final.
It even has a previous runner-up competing in the first semi-final with a much weaker song (Yohio & Ace Wilder).
So there are all these anti-Molly Sandén vibes going on not because of the song leaking accidentally (or not) but the fact that she has been “ruled” as the supposed already chosen winner, which apparently seems piss a lot of people off because it all sounds like a Christer Björkmann plan and not an authentic televoter’s honest choice. The amount of stuff people find just to showcase anti-Sweden or anti-SVT feelings. Well the next step is to … boo against Sweden during Eurovision instead of the most desperate country who always wants to win Eurovision no matter why or how:… Read more »
It’s beyond unbelievable … So now what really matters to truly make any average load of crap be praised by bookmakers is … the staging … umm .. what’s next .. not singing .. pure instrumental … or what? I guess Nocturne will be surpassed anytime soon by 3 minutes of pure silence but a lof stage lasers and outfit effects and shadow storytelling … and God knows whatever else is there to be invented. They call this the era where only sight matters but brains are turned off unable to connect all other 4 senses properly … and nobody… Read more »
I’m sorry her song is just way too overhyped. It’s whiny, the staging for Melfest didn’t fit the song at all, some of the lyrics are lazy. I don’t get why people are going so crazy over this.
Wiktoria will be a big star, let me tell you. She was amazing on stage and it’s her first single. It’s hard to believe.
Wiktoria’s song is nothing special and I don’t see the hype over it. If she didn’t have the great staging there’s no way the song would’ve gone directly to the final and I think it would’ve struggled to even make it to Andra Chansen. It’s sad that great songs like I Will Wait and Hunger don’t get to go directly to the final due a weak song having better staging then them…
U should stop judging Molly ….
What if it’s not her fault that song has been leaked? U judge her song and u heard only 30 seconds… What if her performance will be good? What if the whole song is so much better than it seems now?
I didnt like Ace based on snippet, and now I think that her song is so much better than Busy Doin’ Nothing.
“Save Me” seems hugely overrated to me. I really don’t get what makes people like it that much.
1 Isa
2 Robin Bengtsson
3 Ace Wilder
4 Molly Petterson Hammar
5 Wiktoria
6 Albin & Matthias
7 Samir & Viktor
8 David Lindgren
We all now that Molly wili win and SVT want also to Molly to win the MF and maybe thanks to overrated juries points win at Eurovision 2016.
After snippet of Molly song, song is not good for win the MF, this is best her song at MF much better than 2 songs from past at MF.
For me Wiktoria, Isa, Robin and even Ace Wilder have better song than Molly.
It’s a flat voice sung by a girl with a weak voice.
Only the staging saves it but it’s still awful.
Robin Bengtsson or Isa for me.
I STILL HAVEN’T HEARD HER SONG!!!!! 🙁