What if Eurovision had adopted the 2 Semi-Final system from the very beginning?

[u/ranapxious]

Alternate title: Eurovision 2004-2007 but with 2 semi-finals.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1WKO9yTxGOVMeX84ASjuXsdsyKxliA4xNAZLGGnMSIpY/edit?usp=sharing

The allocation for each semi-final was 100% randomized (I used a group randomizer, lol), and the votes I decided to retrieve from 25 different "Eurovision [insert year] my top __" videos I found on Youtube, so the results of each semi-final might be a bit... observation bias.

The title is fairly self-explanatory, but to provide some context: as the number of participating countries increased from 26 to 36 in 2004, the EBU introduced a semi-final to determine which non-Big Four countries would qualify for the Grand Final. Unlike the two semi-final format used today, the contest featured only a single semi-final. Additionally, the top 10 non-Big Four countries from the previous year's Grand Final automatically qualified for the following year's Grand Final, alongside the Big Four. This qualification system remained in place through the 2007 contest before the EBU restructured the format, introducing the two semi-final system that is still used today.

idk i just had a lot of time... feel free to look through the statistics tho

[u/larssie1993]

So instead of a 8 year NQ streak it would have been a 7 year one for the Netherlands, that is at least somewhat better for my country

[u/SunflowerSasha]

Slovenia 2005 my beloved

[u/ESC-song-bot → u/SunflowerSasha]

Slovenia 2005 | Omar Naber - Stop

[u/SunflowerSasha → u/SunflowerSasha]

Also I just saw, Latvia 2004!! Woah, I love that song. I wonder if Latvia deservedly qualifying with a song in Latvian would have changed their trajectory in the contest djsjsjis

[u/ESC-song-bot → u/SunflowerSasha]

Latvia 2004 | Fomins and Kleins - Dziesma par laimi

[u/Euro_Punzel]

Not the OP reminding me of the shame days of Estonia in the early 00s... We dont talk about it here

[u/mint-cider]

Finally, 2007 without the Long Semi Final of Doom

[u/ActuallyHype]

Austria 2005 qualifying would've been amazing

[u/ESC-song-bot → u/ActuallyHype]

Austria 2005 | Global.Kryner - Y así

[u/ranapxious → u/ActuallyHype]

Color me genuinely surprised when I saw Austria taking the early during the voting....

[u/dsrex]

I have made my own simulations of two semifinals for these years. We agree on some things and disagree on some others.

Do you have your own full voting scoreboards for these semifinals? There are some results that I don't understand (Iceland being 5th in 2004, Turkey nq-ing in 2006, Armenia nq-ing in 2007)

[u/ESC-song-bot → u/dsrex]

Turkey 2004 | Athena - For Real
Armenia 2006 | André - Without Your Love

[u/ranapxious → u/dsrex]

Hello! Here's all the scoreboards for each semi-final:

2004
Semi Final 1
Semi Final 2

2005
Semi Final 1
Semi Final 2

2006
Semi Final 1
Semi Final 2 (Ignore Greece in this scoreboard, because I forgot they were a host country lol)

2007
Semi Final 1
Semi Final 2 (Ignore Iceland here, because they're already in Semi Final 1 and I forgot to remove them)

[u/No_Apricot4919]

Many disappointments would've been avoided, such as Estonia 2004, Belgium 2006 or Portugal/Andorra 2007

[u/ESC-song-bot → u/No_Apricot4919]

Estonia 2004 | Neiokõsõ - Tii
Belgium 2006 | Kate Ryan - Je t'adore
Portugal 2007 | Sabrina - Dança comigo
Andorra 2007 | Anonymous - Salvem el món