294675 | 19 May 2025 | 12:25

The magnificent musical show "Drops", broadcasted at the national stadium "Vasil Levski", showed that as a nation we boldly embrace the professional risk and opportunity to create a TV show that no one else in the world has dared to do

"Like two drops of water"-

"The cream" of musical imitation

Professor Dr. Margarita Pesheva

They say that milk is known by its cream, which is obtained when heated. If it is thick and good, the milk is real, but if it is thin - the milk is "diluted" with water... The popular TV show for musical imitations "Like two drops of water" just a few hours ago ended its thirteenth, fatal season with a grand concert at the national stadium "Vasil Levski". The musical show of the stadium happened here - the construction of the stage lasted 10 days, the musical imitations were performed in front of 40,000 spectators at the stadium and two million viewers in front of TV screens. They were broadcasted on six huge LED screens, giving them epic and monumental scale. "The broadcast of "The Drops" at the national stadium is an absolute world precedent - says Maggie Halvadzhian. The main thing is that we managed to maintain the format of "The Drops" as a TV show, we did not allow it to turn into a regular concert." "It always seems impossible until it's done" says Nelson Mandela. Cream.

Let's see what secrets the

MYTHICAL NUMBER 13 hides?

Why are people so afraid of the fatal number 13? In the Bible, Judas Iscariot, the betrayer of Jesus, appears as the thirteenth guest at the Last Supper (Jesus' last supper with the apostles before his crucifixion). The fear of the number 13 is mainly prevalent in Western culture. According to a study by the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, North Carolina, over 80% of tall buildings in the United States do not have a 13th floor. Many hotels, hospitals, and airports also avoid the number 13 for room and exit numbering.

In our country, the TV show "Like two drops of water" confidently and unwaveringly welcomes its thirteenth, fateful season. The word "fateful" has a rich synonymous vocabulary, meaning inevitable/ unavoidable/ fateful. Inevitable is the excellent professional selection of the participants, among which there are famous singers, actors, TV hosts, and producers. In this fatal 13th season, they unequivocally demonstrate that they possess the necessary musical and acting talent and successfully step into the "shoes" of world-renowned performers of iconic songs. It is inevitable to face the challenge of stepping out of their comfort zone through excellent transformations into unusual characters and musical hits. It is crucial that the final of the show is held at the national stadium "Vasil Levski". In the recent editions of the show, the audience and viewers have been extensively informed about the preparation process and the challenges facing the television team. It is indisputable that this fatal 13th season of "The Drops" is without a doubt the strongest in the entire history of this TV format in our country. Cream.

Let's see what the concept of "imitation" means.

According to Wikipedia, "imitation" (from Latin imitation - copying) is a specific behavior in which "an individual observes and repeats the behavior, gestures, and clothing of another individual". In "Interpretive Dictionary of Idiomatic Combinations", "imitation" means "accurate reproduction, mimicry, imitation". And the verb "to imitate" means "to accurately reproduce, to mimic skillfully". Or television imitation, in this case, offers the viewer a relatively accurate reproduction of a specific musical work as a form (musical and acting performance) and content (music and lyrics). It necessarily reproduces/imitates literally everything contained in the music video - the artist's physical appearance, their clothing and screen behavior, the orchestra and ballet's participation. This is a particularly challenging professional task for a music imitation show - everywhere in the world.

But "The Drops", now in its 13th season, excels at this truly difficult professional task. They owe their tremendous success mainly to the comprehensive media depiction of each musical imitation, presentation, and to some extent, the precision of its numerous details (music, performances, lyrics, dances, costumes, hosts, gestures, facial expressions).

Every musical imitation on the small screen must meet the basic requirements of a TV show. The show must be "translated" into a popular and understandable language for the audience and viewers, which is mainly done through comedic means. According to aesthetics professor Isak Pasi, the means of comedy in popular culture are: exaggeration and its opposite, diminishment, excessive brevity and surprise.

The Exaggeration

Every exaggeration usually presents the small as large. "Drops" often use hyperboles of the small, without which popular TV culture is practically impossible. The hosts, throughout these 13 seasons, literally withdraw from their traditional role as ordinary emcees, instead using the tools of stand-up comedy, which utilizes the wide range of popular culture. Gerо and Rachkov creatively interpret the initial script, introducing a number of stylistic figures such as metonymy, synecdoche, and speech caricature. They organically participate in numerous improvisations, some of which are even excessive for the taste and understanding of the audience.

In the fatal 13th season, Rachkov briefly receives a special bracelet that allows jury member Lyubo Kirov to sanction any inappropriate improvisations by the hosts. Some restraint was achieved, the bracelet was soon removed from Rachkov's hand, but the inappropriate jokes of the hosts remained - they are usually met with great enthusiasm by the audience and viewers. They expect the show to mainly bring laughter, entertainment, witty humor, and sometimes crass jokes, which are typical for the folk culture, located in the streets, bazaars and fairs. This culture, as a rule, is exaggerated and exaggerated - this is the culture of the lower class, which recreates the rituals of eating/drinking/dining/body pleasures.

THE REDUCTION

The reductionshows the big as small. In a TV show for musical imitations such as "The Drops", the role of the coaches is particularly important, although their work is somewhat overlooked and remains somewhat in the shadow. It is the coaches who are responsible for recreating a complete imitation - both musically and artistically. The show focuses mainly on the talent and personal qualities of the performers, their artistic skills not only in imitating a specific musical style, but also in building a media-musical image of the individual performer. The judges often note that the artistic reconstruction of the entire image of a performer is even more important than their strong musical imitation.

Isak Pasi rightfully points out that "parody turns the great, important and big into small, insignificant and little". "The Drops" have been using parody for a total of 13 seasons, as the main territory of their TV show, the laughter and entertainment for the audience. In the studio and on the TV screen, viewers are greatly entertained by the unusual musical and artistic transformations - for example, Ivan Hristov as an excellent TV producer, playing the role of singer Jimmy Somerville. It must be noted his great sense of humor and self-irony: "I won't give singing, I'll give the mood... I'll be Somerville, who will most likely become a laughingstock."

Parody is the main communicative tactic of the hosts, who (especially Rachkov) subject performers, producers, judges and the audience to folk humor and quite rude jokes. In fact, no one is spared. It is the hosts Gero and Rachkov who are the connecting link of the national media culture, in which television, as a traditional media, still has its reserved place in the front row.

EXCESSIVE BREVITY

Brevity as a transformation of the big into small is an essential characteristic of humor – here and now, at the stadium or on the TV screen. Brevity is the body and soul of wit, intentionally omitting important details or emphasizing insignificant things. In "The Drops", this tool is designated for the hosts who (according to the script) use witty comparisons for the members of the jury and the performers. However, it is the hosts who, through numerous stand-up improvisations, “take over” part of the time and territory of the jury, which often causes tension between them.

On the territory of TV laughter, brevity amplifies the unbelievable, abnormal or illogical, which make things playful, and their perception - unserious. Brevity as a means of humor enhances the contrast, bringing a humorous element into the television lexicon - of the hosts, performers, audience. Hosts constantly warm up the audience with traditional echo-phrases such as: water / very cool / Ah, not again Vesselin Marinov! / this is the season of the stadium / thumbs up / down rating boards, which the jury uses in the fateful 13th season of "The Drops".

THE SURPRISE

The surprise is the main means of humor - in life and on the small screen. The power of laughter often depends on the power of surprise. The bigger the surprise, the stronger the laugh. Surprise also presents and inevitably enhances the feeling of playfulness. Isak Pasi believes that "in surprise, fantasy plays with order, with the law, with logic". Rachkov, as an exemplary student, modest and pure, is an exceptional surprise for the audience and viewers, which usually does not last long. He simply has nowhere to hide his enormous improvisational talent. A big surprise and TV provocation is the appearance on stage of the producer Ivan Hristov - naked, wearing only briefs. At first, the audience in the hall, and probably also on the TV screen, were amazed, but quickly followed a storm of laughter and applause. A real media celebration of folk square culture.

THE HOSTS - CARNIVAL LAUGHTER

At the carnival or fair, the existence of man becomes "visible and audible", it is presented on the media stage by the hosts, who are the strong "connection" between the performers/audience/viewers. Ralchkov and Hero are excellent hosts who strictly do not follow the pre-written script, but constantly create new and new word plays and improvisations. In the semi-final, Ralchkov used the following rude humor: "I would have given birth to Sting, and to Uncle Vesselin..." But this unfinished humor is part of the culture of TV entertainment, which is sometimes rough, unfinished, even sexist, filled with liberating laughter. As the host of "The Drops," Dimitar Ralchkov categorically established himself as the best TV host of entertainment TV shows in our country. It is his idea to constantly engage in word duels with jury member Vesselin Marinov, which are met by the audience with an explosion of carnival laughter. Rachkov and Hero present the jury with a distinctly folk-like humor at every live show – for example, in the semi-finals Veselin Marinov is presented to the audience as a singer whose "fans, instead of beer, sex, and rock'n'roll, enjoy lemonade, cake, and cough drops." In fact, part of the huge success of this music imitation TV show is due not only to the excellent selection of participants, but also to its talented hosts, who excel mainly as stand-up comedians, creating a different, unique carnival context for each musical imitation - on the vast territory of folk culture, traditionally brought to life on the square and at the fair. Cream.

The media product, the costumes, and the makeup

"The Drops" are a complex media product that must combine the dynamism of the musical show in the hall with its media exposure on the television screen. But these are two very different media objects that also involve certain differences in the architecture of the show. The humor in the hall often unfolds through the use of folk vocabulary and the non-verbal erotic gestures of the hosts, which are usually received by the audience with unprecedented enthusiasm. The musical show, performed at the stadium, is also over-exposed with costumes, colors, dances, songs, and dynamic construction of the television product, which must be equally enjoyable for both the stadium audience and the viewers in front of the small screen. This is an extremely complex creative task, whose media success depends on the precise creative recreation of the video for the song in its entirety - including costumes, dances, nonverbal cues, and characteristic gestures that showcase the unique style of each performer. The meticulously crafted costumes and makeup are an integral part of the great success of this musical show, from its creation to the present day.

The 13th season of "The Drops" stands out from all other TV shows in Bulgarian television with its exceptional accuracy in presenting the atmosphere and media details contained in the video of the imitated song. Let us not forget that every music video recreates a different era in the development of popular music, including style, messages, costumes, rhetoric, and public communication. Musical imitations meticulously recreate the major musical icons of their respective era, their views on fashion, music and social positions. It is of great importance not only to the script, musical performances, and costumes, but also to the overall direction of the show as a media product. Professional compromises are not made on this slippery media ground, no matter how difficult, sometimes even seemingly impossible it may seem. The creative success of "The Drops", both on stage and on TV, is thanks to a huge team of accomplished professionals who have given their all until the very end. Cream of the crop.

RATINGS, VIEWERSHIP

The start of "The Drops" in its 13th and fatal season, according to GARB data, achieved a record audience share of 45.7% among viewers in the active age group of 18-59 years. In this time zone, the second national television achieves three times lower result. This difference is a record for the first episode in the entire history of "The Drops" so far. Every second TV viewer has watched the first episode of the show. The start of the show reached 53,000 streaming views on Nova.bg and 5,000 views on Nova play. During the period April 21-27, 2025, "The Drops" achieved the highest rating of 16.4%, followed by "On Focus After the News", "Hell's Kitchen", Nova's news and others with a distance of 3%. Before the highly anticipated finale, the share among A4+ is 47%.

The finale of "The Drops" at the national stadium truly was a grand event in terms of audience interest. The average audience share for the four hours is 58.7% for all 4+ (rating 21.4% or 1,314,000 viewers who watched the entire broadcast) and 55% for 18-59 (rating 18.8%). The coverage is 43.4% or 2,661,309 unique viewers have watched the show at some point. This very high viewership clearly shows the great popularity and exceptional professionalism of the entire TV team of the show "Like Two Drops of Water". Cream.

THE STADIUM - THE GRAND FINALE

To carry out a live broadcast of a TV music show like "The Drops" from the national stadium "Vasil Levski" for the first time in the world is a professional risk and a huge media challenge. It is a tremendously bold creative decision, which successfully overcame the whims of the weather, the strike of the carriers in Sofia, and the great technical and media difficulties. "This is an absolute precedent in the entire world history of television!" says Magi Halvadzhian. We are the first in the world to broadcast a television show from a national stadium! I want to say it because it's very important!

The broadcasting of "The Drops" from the stadium gives the audience huge advantages, but also has its disadvantages. The advantage is the respectable scale of the spectacle, which is deliberately exaggerated as a stage, participants, iconography and scenography. The disadvantage is the media danger of the large scale of the stadium to "convert" the television format of the show into a regular concert, which did not happen.

At the stadium, the TV show had a bright, impactful picture and sound, which "leveled" the viewers from all its sectors. This was successfully achieved through TV cameras of very high class and a team of 1,500 people, who showed excellent coordination. The producers and directors of the stadium show are Kiril Kirov Kiko and Rafi Bohosyan, we have been together for 13 seasons. "Behind every great success stands a strong team. These are people with whom we are a real family," says Magi Halvadjian.

For the first time, "The Drops" had three hosts - in addition to Hero and Rachkov, Vasil Vasiliev Zueka joined, making the show even more vibrant, filled with lots of humor, jokes, and funny improvisations. Rachkov, as a host, once again displayed his talent for comedic gags. Here is a humorous dialogue at the beginning of the show between him and jury member Veselin Marinov: Marinov: "You're straight out of Belene [a prison]." Rachkov: "Well, at least you're not the prison warden..." Marinov: "Oh, you wouldn't have gotten out of there..."

In the end, three contestants reached the final: Mihaela Fileva, Ivan Hristov, and Veniamin. The big winner of the thirteenth, fateful season is Veniamin, who is considered to be the great musical discovery of this season. This is the first TV show in our country (possibly in the world) where in the final episode, not one, but two marriage proposals happened, which were met with an explosion of emotions and strong applause!

The musical show "The Drops" at the stadium was displayed on huge screens, creating the necessary emotional atmosphere and empathy for both TV viewers and the 40,000 people at the stadium, who are the first participants in the world of a fantastic TV premiere for a great TV show! Tens of thousands of viewers sang, cried and experienced our, so great and truly national success, with a lot of emotions! "Kapki is magic, they are a true miracle!" says its producer Kiril Kirov Kiko. "Life is something we all go through together. We are strong when we are together." "In Bulgaria, there are ways in which one can succeed with hard work and exceptional honesty!" says Magi Halvadjian.

The magnificent music show by "The Drops", broadcasted at the national stadium "Vasil Levski", demonstrated that as a nation we boldly embrace professional risk and have the ability to create a TV show that no one else in the world has dared to make! This is a completely new, creative phase in the development of music TV shows on a global scale. And also, this very important dose of national confidence, which we need so much! Because of Bulgarian successes and victories, the national stadium was full! Nobody was afraid of the weather and the blocked transportation in the capital city!" No one emotionally refused to experience an excellent music TV show, to show us and the whole world the high price of true professionalism! "The Drops" unequivocally proved our immense creative power and energy as a nation, which rightfully marks its excellent media products with the national slogan: "Choose Bulgarian!" Cream.