Dobbo

Damn I thought this was my safest entry of the year! But then when DanBet predicts us out that's 99.9% of time a death knell so I was already mentally prepared. Really thought the dancebloc would EAT this one up, I need to reassess my loyalties jk 😜 But seriously I'm more upset about Zanmatony, that would have been an EASY 18 for me in the final, what an entry!

So tatu vs who last 2?

BIG HYPE to BIG CHEMISTRY

This is my fave entry of yours in a good while, hoping it can defy the DNQ preds!

De Zerbi looking like to be the guy, a sensible choice compared with some of the ridiculous names being thrown about. Still don't think anything will change and Spurs will be relying on other teams losing more to survive.

I found quite a bit of filler myself but then I wouldn't put this as a personal fave subgenre. That said, I have a good 5 or 6 I'll be taking away as top discoveries.

BJSC 119 Host Country: Lotunia Overview A first voyage to Lotunia beckoned for 119 where the pressure was very much now off following our DNQ last time out. That said, there was still a tiny chance of finishing in the EOY top 10 for the first time ever but this would require 2 massive results in the remaining contests that year. Outside of BJSC, it was around this time that I'd started getting into unsolved mysteries and other miscellaneous crime stories of the past and this relatively new interest no doubt churned out the inspiration for our entry choice, which was most appropriate given this contest took place in and around Hallowe'en. Unovia would win their second contest, exactly 2 years after their first with one of the largest winning margins of the year. Dobago's Entry Result: 35th Having consumed a wide range of true crime YouTube content it probably should have come as no surprise that the algorithm would eventually spit out something from SKYND, an Australian duo whose singles discography reads like a Netflix docuseries of creepy and infamous real world cases of years gone by. The Elisa Lam story is one of the most disturbing yet fascinating unsolved mysteries of all time with a large virtual footprint and indeed its own series on the Flix. The title of this song alone certainly piqued my interest given it was a name I was familiar with but I wasn't expecting something quite so compelling as what I heard. Featuring haunting spoken word sections and a lyrical reference to "4-2-6-2-10-5-1" (a combination of lift numbers which spawned a resultant elevator game online trend), the song fuses industrial rock elements with dark, demonic EDM production to capture a real sense of foreboding dread. As mentioned, this certainly made sense as a "throwaway" entry given the proximity to Hallowe'en and with very few expectations it ended up qualifying before an unsurprising bottom 5 finish. Amusingly, prior to the results thread I had predicted a 35th place finish and that is indeed exactly how things played out. It's a fun and creative entry based upon a dark, real-life event but not one that would ordinarily get wheeled out outside of a specifically-themed listening session. Winning Entry Country: Unovia In a year of very little Dobagan support to winners, we were at least able to offer some mealworm points to this catchy house track which as mentioned romped to victory by a massive 59 points. Despite not having been entered to the competition before, Franky Wah was a name I recognised although had never sought to delve into any of his content. This track is a very accomplished-sounding slice of house with a suitably effective, eerie vocal overlay. Certainly my personal highlight is the thumping, techno production in the refrains but overall, it's nothing particularly standout which on reflection joins the list of winners whose success surprises me somewhat. Clearly it received strong support across both the pop and dance blocs, which is generally something which has been almost mandatorily required to challenge for victory for many a year now. 18-Pointer Country: Kluminican Republic: (result: 20th) The revisiting of 'Cruel Summer' a couple of contests back got me thinking of other novelty entries we had enjoyed and subsequently rewarded handsomely and in no time at all up springs this absolute nugget. With the heart-breaking DNQ of 'Trip To Ireland' still fresh in the memory, I had everything crossed again from the other semi-final that this similar-sounding and delightfully bonkers ditty would be rewarded with a qualification and thankfully, this time around that was what occurred. Hardstyle was certainly en vogue within Dobagan shores at this time and this entry perfectly captures that prevailing balls to the wall sound and sprinkles in schlager elements with the warbling yodels and numerous lyrical references to the popular liqueur. Which results in the exact kind of bonkers novelty that is right up our proverbial. But aside from that, it simply is a great song on its own merits, balancing the fun and quirky elements just about right. It very pleasingly finished inside the top 20 by a solitary point. This is the sort of song I would LOVE to see at Eurovision with a full-scale accompanying dance routine, make it happen one day someone! This was an easy 18 for us with 15 going to the electrifying techno banger that was '9 Times' and 13 to our favourite song from our semi, the admirably strong Kamferdrops follow-up of 'f*** You, Jag Älskar Dig'.

Well I won't be watching this as I don't have HBO Max and have no desire to get it just because of this.

+5 PinkPantheress - Stateside +4 BTS - Swim +3 Olivia Dean - So Easy (To Fall In Love) +2 Sam Fender & Olivia Dean - Rein Me In +1 Harry Styles - American Girls -1 Sombr - Homewrecker -2 Bella Kay - iloveitiloveitiloveit -3 Alex Warren - FEVER DREAM -4 Olivia Dean - Man I Need -5 Zara Larsson - Lush Life

And its chart run is gonna hark back to the McFly days!

Yeah it's definitely Rehab now. Penate come on one more push to make top half against the odds!

The start of this season is very reminiscent of last season where the experienced guy in the fastest car wins the opening round but then his younger, less experienced teammate goes on a run of wins to make things rather interesting! The big challenge for Kimi will be when the European season starts where he performed very poorly last season but so far it's very impressive that's he already at George's pace in both quali and the race. And yes the safety car timed well for him but this is part of F1 and has been for yonks.

The shortest Tudor reign since Lady Jane Grey!

No still better than Frank De Boer. But bottom 5 of all time definitely.

Marquez is not just not at the races this season it seems, some silly mistakes and outright lack of pace. This Bezzecchi domination is certainly unexpected and incredible that's he managed what the likes of Agostini, Rossi and Marquez never managed with over 100 consecutive laps led, a very cool if niche record.

Well it was pretty clear from the start it was gonna be a long one much like Russia Ukraine which looks no closer to ending than it did on day 1.

Viper having the gall to call Lewis a troll and then does that lol

Oh yes the POHZE pronunciation is truly iconic and something me and my stepsisters used to sing OTT all the time.

Has a 100% spoken word song ever won BJSC before?

I would never use such hyperbolic statements! 😅

Oops I'm out then!

That's the most weirdly specific stat I've ever read in my life.

Elliot's career has been totally destroyed from that Villa move...

Decent track but much prefer Some Girls which came after.

Blimey how has that guy still got the motivation to be a manager? Nearly killed him at Palace didn't it...