There are just two weeks left until the celebration of the third edition of Benidorm Fest. However, the phenomenon that Operación Triunfo 2023 has become, monopolizing the main topics of conversation on social networks, has relegated the Benidorm Fest to the background. As if he had predicted its tremendous success, Lucas Curotto, OT contestant, claims to have had to choose the musical reality show over the Benidorm Fest.
In a conversation during breakfast, Lucas confessed to the colleagues with whom he shared a table that he had to refuse to participate in the Benidorm Fest in order to compete in Operación Triunfo: «For me, in the month of waiting here, they called me to the Benidorm Fest and I told them no because of OT. “They told me that if it is Benidorm Fest, it is Benidorm Fest, and not Operación Triunfo,” says the Uruguayan.
The video quickly went viral on Twitter, although the account that published it first and which accumulated thousands of interactions has mysteriously deleted it. Another tweet that has also been deleted is that of Rayden, a former Benidorm Fest contestant and now an advisor to the program. The author of ‘Crying Street’ used the meme of Ryan Gosling’s disbelieving reaction as a response to the video, implying that he does not agree with Lucas or that what he says is not true.
Lucas Curotto is not the only artist who has performed in both formats, as a well-known case is that of Xeinn, a participant in Benidorm Fest 2022 with his song ‘Eco’. Although he managed to reach the final, he had to end up settling for the penultimate position. The singer would try his luck again a few months ago in the OT casting and, although he passed the first phase, he was ultimately not chosen.
The truth is that the impact of Operación Triunfo 2023 was transferred yesterday to the lists of best-selling albums in Spain and today also to Spotify. Paul Thin and Ruslana’s version of the collaboration between Bizarrap and Ptazeta has debuted at number 42 on Spotify Spain, higher than any song that is eligible to represent us in 2024 at Eurovision. Other entries on the platform have been the version of ‘Blue Lights’ by the already expelled Violeta Hódar (#73) or the version of ‘Please Don’t Go’ by Álvaro Mayo (#110).
Lucas was going to be one of the 16 at Benidorm Fest, but he rejected it because of Operación Triunfo #OTDirecto15E pic.twitter.com/cfBrIxUJJl
— 𝛂lejandro | ot era (@_alejandrocg_) January 15, 2024
