I didn't watch this season of "Kokhav HaBa L'Eurovision" until the finals. Whereas Netta Barzelai's win last year was a foregone conclusion for much of the season (but was still very entertaining to watch), this year's competition was very much up for grabs and was filled with twists and turns right up until the finish. It also featured arguably the most unique collection of talent ever in the final of a music-themed reality show.
Maya Buskila was one of the most popular singers in Israel about fifteen years ago. In a reality show landscape usually populated by amateur hopefuls with dreams of stardom, this was something entirely different: a former star and gossip column regular looking for her last shot at international superstardom. Imagine a Jessica Simpson auditioning for The Voice in the US and somehow advancing all the way to the end.
Buskila made a horrible song choice in the final -- she chose Loreen's "Euphoria", which was the winning song for Eurovision 2012 and subsequently a massive hit all over Europe. It's a variation of the Whitney-Mariah reality show rule that I always used to talk about in my posts on American Idol. That is, never sing something that puts you up against an impossible standard. She finished in fourth place.
Shefita was a subject of controversy all season long. She had spent years carefully honing her act in Tel Aviv clubs, and had something of a cult following through her Youtube videos. You see, Shefita isn't a real person, she's a character played by the classically trained musician Rotem Shefi. She plays a comically exaggerated, yet endearing version of an Arab diva, complete with audacious outfits and a personalized sparkly microphone. Much like Sasha Baron Cohen took impersonations to another level by completely dedicating himself to the role, Shefi has completely immersed herself in all things Shefita and NEVER BREAKS CHARACTER. She finished in third place, after being on the bubble multiple times throughout the season and finding a way to survive every time (i.e. the producers couldn't stand to see her go home).
Katria Pouch is a Sudanese immigrant who cruised to the finals (save a small blip in the semifinals) on the strength of her dynamic, almost Tina Turner-like performances. She also courted some controversy by finding a way to get accepted onto two reality shows at the same time, which she chalked up to "gathering experiences". She is unquestionably great, but there is something missing in her act that's hard to put a finger on. Many seasons of American Idol had an R&B diva type who would reach the top four and then hit a brick wall. They were brilliant singers, and therefore good enough to avoid getting voted off, but once it was down to the last few competitors, they didn't seem special because they rarely strayed from the standard diva template of the time.
The winner was Kobi Marimi, who was actually voted off before the semi-finals and brought back as a wild card re-entrant. He has a special on-stage charisma and is a hybrid of Freddie Mercury and Andrea Bocelli. They'll stick him with a patented Eurovision-style power ballad for the competition. It's a smart marketing move because nobody's going to out-Netta Netta, so it's better to do a stylistic 180 away from dance pop and choose a singer and song that's completely different from last year in every way.
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