Bulgaria comes out of nowhere to win Eurovision, and Israel is runner-up

Bulgaria won the tumultuous and contentious Eurovision contest on Saturday, besting Israel in what turned into a musical and geopolitical clash in its final moments.

After being outside the top five finalists on Saturday in Vienna, Bulgaria improbably won both the jury vote and the popular vote among the 25 finalists thanks to pop star Dara ‘Bangaranga’ on the dance floor to claim its first ever Eurovision title.

No one knows what “Bangaranga” means, but Dara said on the show on Saturday that it is “the feeling everyone has the moment you choose to lead through love and not fear.”

But Bulgaria was just one of the biggest stories of the night. In a year marked by boycotts and harassment over Israel’s participation, the Middle Eastern country rose to the lead midway through the popular vote after finishing eighth in the jury vote, and held that lead until the last possible second, when Bulgaria’s result was announced. The presence of Israeli Noam Bitan in a split screen with Bulgaria’s Dara led to boos and calls for solidarity with Jews to the song “Am Yisrael Chai” in the background while the entire world – or at least the 160 million people watching Eurovision – held its breath over who would finish first.

A child of French immigrants to Israel, Petain became a favorite thanks to his inflammatory, toxic love story anthem “Michel,” which some see as a metaphor for Jews’ strained relationship with Europe.

Romania took third place with “Choke Me,” sung by goth-dressed physics graduate student Alexandra Capetinescu. Semi-finalists Finland, Australia and Greece all finished outside the top three.

Bulgaria achieved its first victory after joining only in 2005 and passed the semi-finals for only the fifth time. Israel joined Eurovision in 1973 and was seeking its fifth title. The country also came in second place last year, with Nova massacre survivor Yuval Rafael, who is also a writer on the film “Michelle”, receiving a large portion of the public vote.

The event concluded a week-long competition at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria, where 25 countries competed in the final (full list below). With five countries boycotting Israel, Vienna has deployed 500 private security personnel, 180 new cameras, counter drones and sniffer dogs to confront the threats. Meanwhile, the city has teamed up with an FBI task force in New York to monitor cyber threats. Next year’s final will be held in Bulgaria.

Here are the 25 finalists:

More to come.