Sam Ryder has been called as winner of the Eurovision, but sadly it was during a rehearsal for Saturday's final.
Tonight at 8pm GMT, millions of Eurovision watchers will get to view all 25 countries in this year's final.
By the time fans around the world sit down to watch the Eurovision Song Contest, acts will have endured countless rehearsals.
More importantly, contestants will have taken part in the jury show - when each act performs for the juries from each participating country.
But the legendary song contest is well known for its suspenseful reveals, which is why some found it odd that UK entrant Sam Ryder was called a "winner" during a rehearsal on Friday afternoon.
A member of the press who was the rehearsal at Turin’s Pala Olimpico arena took to Twitter to post: “They just said it. ‘The winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 is the United Kingdom., Even just hearing that out loud sounds weird”, Chronicle Live reported.
Another reacted: “ OK well the UK won the fake Jury results...this means they won't win the actual thing lmao.”
After the rehearsals, things got much more serious for all those involved when they performed for the juries, to determine their scores before viewers across the continent and Australia have their say in the crucial televote.
And it was during Friday afternoon’s rehearsal that UK entrant Sam was called as the winner, with some unsure whether that was a good thing or not. A member of the press who was the rehearsal at Turin’s Pala Olimpico arena took to Twitter to post: “They just said it. ‘The winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 is the United Kingdom., Even just hearing that out loud sounds weird.”
Another reacted: “ OK well the UK won the fake Jury results...this means they won't win the actual thing lmao.”
After the rehearsals, things got much more serious for all those involved when they performed for the juries, to determine their scores before viewers across the continent and Australia have their say in the crucial televote.
Tickets were on sale to be at the jury final and those who saw Sam in action had some very positive things to say about his performance. The BBC Eurovision account tweeted: “Our man @SamRyderMusic has JUST sung his head off in the #Eurovision Jury Final! And he smashed it.”
A Eurovision expert reacted: “ Another big favourite with the crowd tonight. Sam Ryder’s vocals are completely insane, and he exudes joy from start to finish.”
