7th for Ilinca! 7th for ‘Yodel It!’ 7th for Romania!
The Eurovision Song Contest 2017 took place at the International Exhibition Centre in Kyiv, Ukraine and consisted of two semi-finals on 9th and 11th of May, and the final on the 13th of May 2017.
Ilinca and Florea’s rehearsals in Kyiv were scheduled on 2 May and 5 May 2017. Complaints about camera work were lodged, and Florea injured himself after falling off a cannon during the first rehearsal.
The show began with a number of large toy soldiers drumming in the background. Colorful imagery was displayed during the rest of the performance, including “colorful butterflies, blue clouds, white roses, blue musical notes and images flying all over the place” along with the letters YODEL IT in different tones. The singers performed in a yellow circle, with Ilinca wearing an Athena Phillip dress designed by Rodica Puca, and Florea clothing designed by Adina Buzatu. At the end of the performance, Alex Florea appeared on a glittery cannon originally planned to shoot colorful objects—which according to the singer would have represented an “explosion of love and happiness”
Romania qualified for the Grand Final in sixth place with 174 points on 11 May 2017, ranked 15th by the jury’s 26 points, and third by the televote of 148 points. Soon after, Romania was scheduled to perform 20th in the final
On the Grand Final, Romania reached the 7th place in a field of 26 with 282 points, placed 15th by the jury’s 58 points and fifth by the televote of 224 points.