Portugal Claudia Pascoal Eurovision 2018 O Jardim

We’ve got boundless love for every Eurovision act, even if it’s not always love at first sight. The average Eurovision viewer, though, needs to fall in love with a song instantly. If that doesn’t happen, there’s a good chance that an act will end up last on the scoreboard.

Nonetheless, last-place finishers often develop a strong cult following in the months and years after the contest.

Some months back, we asked you to vote for your favourite last place Eurovision finalist of the 2010s. And the results are in! What losers were your winners?

After counting a total of 6,593 votes, we can confirm that Portugal’s Eurovision 2018 act, Cláudia Pascoal with “O Jardim”, is your favourite last place Eurovision finalist of the 2010s.

Portugal’s Cláudia Pascoal is your favourite last place Eurovision finalist of the 2010s

After finally winning in 2017, Portugal was thrilled and hyped when it came to hosting Eurovision. Broadcaster RTP again was searched for the perfect song through Festival da Canção. But this time, the emotional yet modern and fresh sounding winning song “O Jardim” didn’t enchant Europe as Salvador did. But though she came last, Cláudia can be proud to be the only Portuguese singer to ever represent their county on home soil.

However, our readers had lots of love to shower upon both Cláudia and Isaura. “O Jardim” picked up 1,589 votes or 24.1% of all votes cast.

In second place we have Germany’s Eurovision 2015 singer Ann Sophie with “Black Smoke”.

Eurovision 2015 – or as we call it: the year of drama! For the first time ever, the Eurovision winner wasn’t the public’s favourite. Sweden’s Måns Zelmerlöw won the competition over televoting winner Il Volo from Italy. Well. Meanwhile, Ann Sophie from Germany didn’t even come close to winning. After the German national final already went down in history – the public’s winner refused to go to Eurovision and second-placed Ann Sophie sang in Vienna instead – she placed last in Austria with zero points. Austria also got no points at all. However, due to a tiebreaker rule determined by the running order, Austria was placed one spot higher than Germany on the scoreboard.

“Black Smoke” attracted 1,208 votes or 18.32% of all votes cast.

The top three is rounded out by another German act — Jamie-Lee with “Ghost” from 2016.

Yes, Germany is the only big five country to win in the 2010s. But that doesn’t mean, it doesn’t know how it feels to fail hard. For the second year in a row, Germany placed last. This time with former The Voice winner Jamie-Lee Kriewitz. The disconnect between her anime-inspired style and melancholic song probably jarred with viewers.

Nonetheless, our readers still hold a soft spot for “Ghost” awarding it 740 votes or 11.22% of all votes cast.

Poll results: Who is your favourite last place Eurovision finalist of the 2010s?

  1. Eurovision 2018: Cláudia Pascoal “O Jardim” (Portugal) 24.1% (1,589 votes)
  2. Eurovision 2015: Ann Sophie “Black Smoke” (Germany) 18.32% (1,208 votes)
  3. Eurovision 2016: Jamie-Lee “Ghost” (Germany) 11.22% (740 votes)
  4. Eurovision 2012: Tooji “Stay” (Norway) 10.48% (691 votes)
  5. Eurovision 2014: Twin Twin “Moustache” (France) 9.93% (655 votes)
  6. Eurovision 2013: Ryan Dolan “Only Love Survives” (Ireland) 8.11% (535 votes)
  7. Eurovision 2019: Michael Rice “Bigger Than Us” (United Kingdom) 7.23% (477 votes)
  8. Eurovision 2011: Anna Rossinelli “In Love For A While” (Switzerland) 6.72% (443 votes)
  9. Eurovision 2017: Manel Navarro “Do It For Your Lover” (Spain) 2.35% (155 votes)
  10. Eurovision 2010: Josh Dubovie “That Sounds Good To Me” (United Kingdom) 1.52% (100 votes)

Total Votes: 6,593

Is “O Jardim” really the best last-placed grand final song of 2010s? Which performance did you vote for? Let us know in the comments.

Vote in all of our Eurovision polls.

32 Comments
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Alex
Alex
3 years ago

Germany 2016 had a nice song but they ruined it themselves by keeping this horrible and awkward styling which did not fit the song’s mood.

Germany 2015 is still a mystery, how this performance/song ended up last. I think it was almost top 10 in 2-3 countries but still, so unfair.

Portugal 2018 was great but i can see that it didn’t click with the viewers as it’s a song that is not very TV friendly and memorable. I think that’s the problem with Portugal and their format.

Stephanie
Stephanie
3 years ago

I actually liked the song of Portugal as well the both entries of Germany. They didn’t deserved to be last at all.

Jake
Jake
3 years ago

O Jardim was likely doomed because both juries and the Portuguese diaspora didn’t feel like they had to vote for it after winning last year. I think it explains the lack of viewer votes in Spain and France. Which always support Portugal even with inferior entries. I also think it paled in staging compared to the other emotional songs that year—Germany, Ireland and Lithuania. Portugal always struggle with staging. I never understood why Isaura came onto the stage at the end—she should’ve been on the bridge in the distance representing the ghost of Claudia’s grandmother

Last edited 3 years ago by Jake
Marc
Marc
3 years ago
Reply to  Jake

France did give 8 points to Portugal in 2018. Switzerland as well.
I live in Spain and I was surprised Portugal got nothing. I knew it would struggle but I thought it could 2 or 3 points. If they would have sent Diogo, would have been easy 12 points though.
I agree other ballads really damaged Portugal.

Briekimchi
Briekimchi
3 years ago

To be fair, almost all of these songs were either too safe/forgettable or just outright bad. Both assessments make you a candidate for last place.
However, the one clear exception is “O Jardim”. The fact that I’m even seeing it alongside these other entries is an absolute disgrace.

Jo.
Jo.
3 years ago

finally a poll whose results I can agree on…

Joey
Joey
3 years ago

Portugal 2018 and Switzerland 2011 are my absolute favourites on this list. In my mind, there’s no way either of them should’ve finished last, they were among my favourites of their years, underrated! ?

Ieva
Ieva
3 years ago

O Jardim was my first place…

An American Eurovision Fan
An American Eurovision Fan
3 years ago

Jamie-Lee was robbed big time. she was the best one that night! Ann Sophie too!

HarpyDarper
HarpyDarper
3 years ago

Obvousley there is no way to down vote songs on the night. If something comes last doesn’t nessaseraly mean people hated it. Could be least memorable or the voters prefer different songs.

But do we think we’ll ever see that brought in in the future? Downwards voting, like Reddit? It would seem a bit harsh/mean, but intriguing. And open to corruption and pettiness.

Ashton
Ashton
3 years ago
Reply to  HarpyDarper

I rly hope not. That’s a recipe for disaster.

Stian F
Stian F
3 years ago

Ok for once i shall agree that 2010 desrved the last place in one of these polls ? though its annoying its a given based on the fans that 2010 always ends up last… That said I still think the vocal performance of “Do it for your lover” is way worse but at leset Manel Navarro gave his all and didnt look conpletely lost on stage compared to Josh Dubovie ?

Nils
Nils
3 years ago

Wow, Ryan Dolan is the best by far.

Jonas
Jonas
3 years ago

Yeah, I can never remember how they rank two entries both with 0 points. I think Austria was favoured because they performed first…or maybe the televote had something to do with it. Either way, it shouldn’t matter – they were both last!

Jonas
Jonas
3 years ago
Reply to  Jonas

Oh, wait. It says in the above article that it was because of the running order. My bad. Still, this is an acknowledgment that running order does matter – all the more reason to complain when some performers are shunted into the second slot and the favourites at 23.

Mr Vanilla Bean
Mr Vanilla Bean
3 years ago
Reply to  Jonas

How ridiculous and arbitrary. As if one zero makes a bigger number than another zero. The people making those rules must be insane.

Last edited 3 years ago by Mr Vanilla Bean
Ashton
Ashton
3 years ago

how else would you compute who gets last and who gets second last then?

Mr Vanilla Bean
Mr Vanilla Bean
3 years ago
Reply to  Ashton

They are both last, obviously. Zero is zero. And it’s not like the country who is last competes for the hosting gig, so there are zero consequences. By the running order logic (which has zero logic), you might as well give everyone performing before 20th automatic points.

Jonas
Jonas
3 years ago
Reply to  Ashton

It should only matter in a semi-final. The televote should decide that.

Jonas
Jonas
3 years ago
Reply to  Jonas

Top 10 only, of course. This just felt like extra humiliation for poor Ann Sophie. Maybe they’ve changed the rules since.

Mr Vanilla Bean
Mr Vanilla Bean
3 years ago
Reply to  Jonas

Both entries were rather random and made no compelling case to get a lot of votes, in my opinion. Often, it’s not the worst placing last, but the most middle-of-the-road.

Ieva
Ieva
3 years ago

Austria actually was my favourite that year. One of the best ESC songs of all time, in my opinion.

Marc
Marc
3 years ago

Only love survives was probably the biggest robbery. It was 14th by average in televote.
Germany 2015 or France 2014 weren’t last in any televote I think.

I like O Jardim but I’m not surprised it came last as it didn’t have to qualify and it didn’t even got points from Spain’s televote which was very telling

George
3 years ago
Reply to  Marc

Very interestingly that you calculated the average placement of Ireland that year. I always thought that it’s really unfair that the the 11th and the 25th act get the same zero points. I really hope there will be changes at the voting system someday

Marc
Marc
3 years ago
Reply to  George

I wish I calculated! Would mean we all knew all data. EBU only gave us overall average rank with televote and juries in 2013. Never points or detail by country.

TheDrMistery
TheDrMistery
3 years ago
Reply to  Marc

There is something strange with 2013, perhaps due to Azerbaijan controversy. At least 1 year later votes became transparent and they remain that way. That’s the biggest advantage of ESC this decade.

Nate
Nate
3 years ago

Only Love Survives was a banger, but what especially hurted me was Ann Sophie’s last place

Colin
Colin
3 years ago

O Jardim, Ghost, Bigger Than Us. Moustache and Black Smoke deserved a better result. None of them was my personal top 10 in given years (apart from my 10th spot for France in 2014), but all of them deserved to at least finish in mid teens. That Sounds Good to Me and Do It For Your Lover got exactly what they deserved. In Love For Awhile and Only Love Survives would be borderline qualifiers for me at best, so, whatever. I personally wouldn’t qualify Stay at all, so this was a better result.

Last edited 3 years ago by Colin
Crystal
3 years ago

There were a lot of good songs in 2018, and on top of that “Amar pelos dois” was a really tough act to follow. I wasn’t crazy about “O jardim” myself, but it didn’t deserve last either. (I thought the weakest song of that Final was “Storm”.) I also noticed that with the exception of Lena, almost all of Germany’s 2010s entries performed by a female artist or female group did pretty poorly. The two male artists representing Germany in the 2010s (Roman Lob and Michael Schulte) both finished in the top ten, and I think Ben Dolic probably would… Read more »

Raoul
Raoul
3 years ago

At least O Jardim got some justice this time round.

Alex
Alex
3 years ago

Portugal didn’t deserved last place that year. Best host country song ever.

Ashton
Ashton
3 years ago

O Jardim deserved better. O Jardim Deserved Better. O JARDIM DESERVED BETTER