Eurovangelists

Another Grand Final has come and gone, and hoo boy, what a year for Eurovision! A new winner, a first-time winning country, drama, intrigue, hot mic moments - everything a fan could want out of a Grand Final. While we've got more opinions to come next week in our yearly Eurovangies awards, this week we've got our immediate thoughts about the contest. Jeremy mourns for his beloved Sam, Dimitry's pleased to Australia return to what they do best, and Oscar says Biiiiiiitch!

The New York Times articles discussed on this week's episode: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/11/world/europe/eurovision-israel-gaza-netanyahu.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/11/world/europe/eurovision-israel-votes.html

This week's companion playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4wKOZdC2xwpGdfkSl7N8zl

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joineurovangelists

Eurovangelists is an American Eurovision podcast, made in the US for Eurovision fans worldwide. The Eurovangelists are Jeremy Bent, Oscar Montoya and Dimitry Pompée.
The theme was arranged and recorded by Cody McCorry and Faye Fadem, and the logo was designed by Tom Deja.
Production support for this show was provided by the Maximum Fun network.
The show is edited by Jeremy Bent with audio mixing help was courtesy of Shane O’Connell.
Find Eurovangelists on social media as @eurovangelists on Instagram and @eurovangelists.com on Bluesky, or send us an email at [email protected]. Head to https://maxfunstore.com/collections/eurovangelists for Eurovangelists merch. Also follow the Eurovangelists account on Spotify and check out our playlists of Eurovision hits, competitors in upcoming national finals, and companion playlists to every single episode, including this one!

It's nearly time for the Grand Final, and whether you're watching or not this year, we wanted to celebrate songs that conjure up the feeling of pan-European unity and joy that Eurovision truly represents. Inspired by a listener postcard, we go through a playlist of songs that have something to say about the world, or about Eurovision itself. Jeremy's a man in a hamster wheel, Dimitry risks it all to give Portugal douze points, and Oscar picks a song because he feels good. 

Read our song guide for this year's contest on Pop Heist: https://popheist.com/eurovision-2026-song-guide

Read The Eurovision 2026 Boycott Explained on Pop Heist

Send the EBU an email re: your concerns about their Eurovision decisions: [email protected]

List of 2026 alternative viewing options & watch parties (send more if you have them!)

This week's companion playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5DSdZqdp8JgNZlVz8EAvPV

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joineurovangelists

Eurovangelists is an American Eurovision podcast, made in the US for Eurovision fans worldwide. The Eurovangelists are Jeremy Bent, Oscar Montoya and Dimitry Pompée.
The theme was arranged and recorded by Cody McCorry and Faye Fadem, and the logo was designed by Tom Deja.
Production support for this show was provided by the Maximum Fun network.
The show is edited by Jeremy Bent with audio mixing help was courtesy of Shane O’Connell.
Find Eurovangelists on social media as @eurovangelists on Instagram and @eurovangelists.com on Bluesky, or send us an email at [email protected]. Head to https://maxfunstore.com/collections/eurovangelists for Eurovangelists merch. Also follow the Eurovangelists account on Spotify and check out our playlists of Eurovision hits, competitors in upcoming national finals, and companion playlists to every single episode, including this one!

Eurovision season wouldn't feel complete without a visit from Tobias Larsson, Eurovision fan & historian, to tell us the backstory of another ESC luminary. This time it's Udo Jürgens, the man who gave Austria their first win and sold over a hundred million records worldwide. It's a fun look at one of the most successful singers & songwriters in ESC history, and we're glad to celebrate Udo just before the contest returns to Vienna for Eurovision 2026 60 years after his win. Jeremy's mixing gin & rum, Dimitry thanks the jury, and Tobias is sticking with some Greek wine.

Read Tobias's Eurovision blog, Tobson och alla bidragen, here (translation available on site!): https://allaeurovisionsbidrag.blogspot.com/

Watch many of the Udo Jürgens songs discussed in this episode on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2kzuDfVXpE&list=PLd2EbKTi9fyWXqeHvk0Yx5D2mbtii9t0U&pp=sAgC

This week's companion playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/458lJsAOGpxZyXc2w7BCmX

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joineurovangelists

Eurovangelists is an American Eurovision podcast, made in the US for Eurovision fans worldwide. The Eurovangelists are Jeremy Bent, Oscar Montoya and Dimitry Pompée.
The theme was arranged and recorded by Cody McCorry and Faye Fadem, and the logo was designed by Tom Deja.
Production support for this show was provided by the Maximum Fun network.
The show is edited by Jeremy Bent with audio mixing help was courtesy of Shane O’Connell.
Find Eurovangelists on social media as @eurovangelists on Instagram and @eurovangelists.com on Bluesky, or send us an email at [email protected]. Head to https://maxfunstore.com/collections/eurovangelists for Eurovangelists merch. Also follow the Eurovangelists account on Spotify and check out our playlists of Eurovision hits, competitors in upcoming national finals, and companion playlists to every single episode, including this one!

While we're not doing as much predicting this year, you better believe we've got opinions about our favorites, so we're welcoming back pop music expert Dave Holmes of International Waters to take a look at what we're liking in 2026. Jeremy's dancing on the table, baby, Dimitry is always mindful of his Croatia history, Dave shocks us with his #1 pick, and Oscar just wants more.

Linda Lampenius on Baywatch in 1999: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELYPQ7tw7mE

This week's companion playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0ipIZVcS6eqQ0h0NZ5vk03

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joineurovangelists

Eurovangelists is an American Eurovision podcast, made in the US for Eurovision fans worldwide. The Eurovangelists are Jeremy Bent, Oscar Montoya and Dimitry Pompée.
The theme was arranged and recorded by Cody McCorry and Faye Fadem, and the logo was designed by Tom Deja.
Production support for this show was provided by the Maximum Fun network.
The show is edited by Jeremy Bent with audio mixing help was courtesy of Shane O’Connell.
Find Eurovangelists on social media as @eurovangelists on Instagram and @eurovangelists.com on Bluesky, or send us an email at [email protected]. Head to https://maxfunstore.com/collections/eurovangelists for Eurovangelists merch. Also follow the Eurovangelists account on Spotify and check out our playlists of Eurovision hits, competitors in upcoming national finals, and companion playlists to every single episode, including this one!

Hey Eurovision fans: we're in the middle of the MaxFunDrive, Maximum Fun's annual fundraising drive to keep the lights on and help support our show. We've got a taste of our episode with film critic Alonso Duralde of Maximum Film watching an absolutely terrible VHS version of an arguably worse musical, Cliff Richard's Heathcliff. We didn't like it, but we did like talking about it. Take a listen to part of the ep, and if you'd like to hear the rest, click the link below and become a member!

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joineurovangelists

Eurovangelists is an American Eurovision podcast, made in the US for Eurovision fans worldwide. The Eurovangelists are Jeremy Bent, Oscar Montoya and Dimitry Pompée.
The theme was arranged and recorded by Cody McCorry and Faye Fadem, and the logo was designed by Tom Deja.
Production support for this show was provided by the Maximum Fun network.
The show is edited by Jeremy Bent with audio mixing help was courtesy of Shane O’Connell.
Find Eurovangelists on social media as @eurovangelists on Instagram and @eurovangelists.com on Bluesky, or send us an email at [email protected]. Head to https://maxfunstore.com/collections/eurovangelists for Eurovangelists merch. Also follow the Eurovangelists account on Spotify and check out our playlists of Eurovision hits, competitors in upcoming national finals, and companion playlists to every single episode, including this one!