AGI – Sarah Toscano, singers category, won the 2024 edition of ‘Amici’, prevailing over dancer Marisol in the final. In the final of the 23rd edition of the popular Canale 5 talent show hosted by Maria De Filippi, the 22-year-old singer triumphed. Second place for the dancer Marisol Castellanos followed by Petit, Dustin Taylor, Holden and Mida.
The second place, however, consoles itself with two important awards: the student of the teacher Alessandra Celentano, winner of the dance category, won a full scholarship to the Alvin Ailey School in New York. Marisol also won the Critics’ Award, worth 50 thousand euros in gold tokens. The Radio Award was won by Holden, while the Special Friends Award for communication, worth 40 thousand euros, went to the singer Petit. The Oreo Award was won by Dustin, while the Marlù Award went to all six finalists of the 23rd edition of the Canale 5 talent show: Mida, Holden, Sarah, Petit, Dustin Taylor and Marisol Castellanos.
“The jury of journalists awarded the critics’ prize to Marisol and, in this sense, my vote was decisive.” Late at night, after the final of ‘Amici’, Giulia Bertolini, journalist of ‘Superguida TV’, one of the jurors of the Canale 5 talent show, explains to AGI why it was Maria De Filippi who triumphed in the 23rd edition of Maria De Filippi’s programme. the 22-year-old singer Sarah Toscano who beat Marisol Castellanos in the final and reveals how the critics’ prize went to the dancer born in Cuba 18 years ago, but who moved to Biella with her parents as a child. “The journalists had given the same votes to Marisol and Holden so, one can say, my vote for the dancer was decisive in making her win the critics’ prize”, she says.
He then explains why, in his opinion, the televoting rewarded Sarah Toscano, born in Vigevano in 2006 (she turned 18 right inside the Amici school) who won a prize pool of 150,000 thousand euros. “Sarah was chosen by the public for her career in school – explains Giulia Bertolini – here she demonstrated her insecurities and fragilities. Until Lorella Cuccarini gave her a good scolding and she started to believe it and we saw it safer on the scene. She is a very versatile singer capable of moving from a song by Ricchi a Poveri to one by Donatella Rettore and has an international tone”. She then recalls that last year it went exactly the opposite: “Angelina Mango had won the critics’ award and came second in the final, while the dancer Mattia Zenzola came first”.
The singers Holden and Petit were especially disappointed with this final, but were awarded respectively with the Radio Award and the Special Friends Award for communication, worth 40 thousand euros. “Holden has always been intemperate and made excessive use of autotune – says the ‘Superguida TV’ journalist – but despite this he was liked. Also because his abuse of autotune was less noticeable live. He has great skills, it just needs to reduce the use of autotune a little,” he adds.
For Petit, however, the Amici juror explains that she was a bit hopeful that she could make it to the final duel. “It would have been nice to have a couple in the final as happened three years ago with Sangiovanni and the dancer Giulia Stabile with whom he was engaged and who won that edition – explains Giulia Bertolini – in fact Petit and Marisol are a couple”. Finally, a final critical consideration: “We on the jury were convinced that Petit would reach the final and we were surprised by the televoting that rewarded Sarah – he explains – because we thought that the Sanremo phenomenon would be repeated when Geolier flew up the rankings because he was the most voted in Naples and Campania. However, things didn’t go that way with Petit and Sarah was preferred.”
