Last night saw the final and last gala of  Operación Triunfo 2017, OT La Fiesta where all 16 participants appeared on stage and treated the viewers with their performances. The 2018 Spanish Eurovision hopefuls Alfred & Amaia treated the audience with a new staging of their Eurovision entry.

Alls well that ends well! Operación Triunfo 2017 closed its doors last night after nearly 4 months on air, the Spanish talent show has become a massive hit in Spain, whilst its participants have shot to fame and gained much name and recognition in the country.

The 2018 Spanish Eurovision entry and act was determined via OT 2017. OT La Fiesta was held last night in Barcelona and was hosted by Roberto Leal.  All 16 OT 2017 hopefuls were back together on the OT stage for the last time.

Amaia & Alfred have won the hearts of the Spanish audience with their tender love story, the duo has become a phenomenon in Spain attracting masses. The lovebirds performed their Eurovision entry last night with a fresh staging mesmerising the viewers at home with their unique performance.

Amaia and Alfred perform Tu canción at OT La Fiesta

Operación Triunfo and Eurovision

Operación Triunfo kicked off in Spain in 2001 and TVE used it as the mechanism to select the 2002 Spanish Eurovision entry and act.

The first edition of the talent show was a massive hit in Spain, thus getting much exposure and mediatic coverage. Rosa Lopez was crowned the winner of OT 2001 and won the golden ticket to Tallinn with her song Europe’s living a celebration.

TVE used the same format for the following 2 years in order to select the Spanish Eurovision entry and act: Beth (2003) and Ramon (2004).

The Spanish national broadcaster axed the show after its third edition. In 2005, Spanish private television channel Tele Cinco revived the talent show and aired a total of 5 seasons and had no link to Eurovision.

We must not forget that 2 of the participants of the 4th edition of Operación Triunfo went on to represent Spain at the Eurovision Song Contest many after their participation: Soraya Arnelas (2009) and Edurne (2015).

The show was revived back in 2017 after a long break when it returned to TVE after a 13 year hiatus. Following the success of the show, the Spanish national broadcaster decided to use OT 2017 as the mechanism to select the 2018 Eurovision entry and act.

Two weeks back, Spain made its decision and selected Alfred and Amaia to defend the Spanish colours at the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest in Lisbon with Tu canción.

Spain in Eurovision

Spain debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1961 and has won the competition twice in 1968 (Massiel) and 1969 (Salome). The country successfully hosted the 1969 Eurovision Song Contest which has gone down in history as the contest where four countries won the competition (Spain, United Kingdom, France and The Netherlands).

Spain will perform in the Grand Final of the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest in Lisbon on 12 May.