"The great opportunity"

Simone: “I have special memories of him”

On Fridays at prime time, Mark Seibert, Simone Stelzer and Josh (from left) decide who makes it through to the semi-finals of "Big Chance - Let's sing and dance"!(Bild: ORF/Roman Zach-Kiesling)

Alongside Josh and Mark Seibert, pop singer Simone Stelzer will be deciding on the last five tickets for the highly coveted live shows of "Die große Chance - Let's sing and dance" on Friday evening. She revealed to "Die Krone" when she was moved to tears and who she thought deserved to win ...

On Friday evening, the last five tickets for the semi-final shows will be awarded on "Die große Chance - Let's sing and dance". This week's jury - in which Thorsteinn Einarsson will be a permanent member during the live shows - includes three absolute thoroughbred musicians: "Cordula Grün" performer Josh, musical actor and singer Mark Seibert and pop ace Simone Stelzer!

With sweets through the recording marathon
The latter met with the "Krone" for an interview and talked about her - now second - jury experience ... "2012 was the first time I was allowed to sit in such a position. When you're younger, you're so focused on yourself, now the role as a juror is tailor-made for me," she told us, visibly happy about the challenge, "Being highly concentrated for eight hours during the recordings is underestimated by many." That's right, what is later edited into a two-hour program takes an entire day of recording. "It's a good thing we were always supplied with glucose and chocolate," laughed the 54-year-old.

Schlager star Simone Stelzer chatted to the "Krone" about her job as a TV judge ...(Bild: Andreas Tischler / Vienna Press)

Of her two colleagues, she initially only knew Josh personally, but the chemistry between the threesome was right from the start. She won't be able to watch the show herself on regular television (April 19 at 8.15 pm on ORF 1): "At that time of night, I'll still be in the car on the way home from a performance in Dresden. I'll watch it on the ORF TVthek, just like the other episodes!"

Equal opportunities or newcomer advantage? 
So it will be quite exciting to see who will make the final leap into the live shows, especially as dancers and entire dance groups have been admitted to the competition for the first time this season - much to the delight of jury member Simone!

Simone was particularly touched by the young dancer Konstantin (pictured) during the recording.(Bild: ORF/Roman Zach-Kiesling)

She also believes that the acrobatic performances have a good chance of winning: "I think the ratio of dancers to singers is balanced. I do believe that it is a bit more difficult to trigger the same emotions through dance alone as through music or singing. Nevertheless, one dance performance touched me so much that I had tears in my eyes. I particularly remember a young dancer, a teenager called Konstantin. There aren't that many talented people who you can really imagine as a first dancer in a theater or something - but with this boy I immediately thought so! I even had to give him a spontaneous hug. I hope ORF doesn't cut this scene."

Simone herself always asks herself "What touches me, what do I want to see again?", but in the end the audience decides anyway, according to the motto "May the best one win" - and that's the way it is.