When Antena 3 released the press details for the grand finale of Tu Cara Me Suena this week, a key element was missing. Ángel Llàcer, the show’s iconic president of the jury, would not be present at the final. A brief paragraph mentioned that Santiago Segura, Lolita, Chenoa, and Carlos Latre would be choosing the winner of the eleventh season of Tu Cara Me Suena. This news dashed the hopes of many who were eager to see Ángel Llàcer return after his recent serious health scare. It seemed fans would have to wait until the next season for his comeback.
However, Tu Cara Me Suena had a surprise in store for the finale, even if it was via video. Ángel Llàcer appeared, and importantly, he looked well.
The finale night itself wasn’t full of unexpected results in terms of winners and runners-up, but it turned out to be perhaps the most emotionally charged finale in the show’s history. This was largely thanks to the judges, Ángel Llàcer‘s virtual reappearance, and a poignant, though brief, farewell from Carlos Latre, who is moving to a different network and program. “May the winds be favorable to you,” host Manel Fuentes said, embracing the comedian.
“I want to thank you all. Especially Tinet Rubira, who chose me for this program, the entire team, my colleagues, you Manel, for your warmth, all the contestants who have been on the show… And truly, thank you to the audience, because this program changed my life and gives me life. Thank you from my heart,” was Latre’s short but heartfelt goodbye. Starting in September, he will be on Telecinco. Farewells are always bittersweet. A little piece of the soul dies…
David Bustamante was crowned the winner of Tu Cara Me Suena with 45% of the public vote for his moving and masterful impersonation of Antonio Molina. He dedicated his victory to his grandfather, and emotions ran high – as is typical with David Bustamante. Many viewers had tipped Raoul for the win, but he received 32% of the votes after a captivating performance as Tom Jones.
Whether Raoul had won or David Bustamante (as he did), both were considered frontrunners throughout Tu Cara Me Suena season, not just in the finale. The competition was consistently between these two. Once again, Tu Cara Me Suena followed a familiar pattern: a former Operación Triunfo contestant winning. This time, it was from the very first Operación Triunfo season. Keeping it in the family, so to speak. And as with any good finale, there was a bit of controversy, as not everyone agreed with the result, with some arguing that David Bustamante didn’t impersonate, he just sang in his own style.
Julia Medina secured third place in this season of Tu Cara Me Suena. Despite having the challenging task of opening the show with a spectacular impersonation of Céline Dion, she still managed to place in the top three. The Tu Cara Me Suena finale, in this sense, is a bit like Eurovision: performers in the earlier slots seem to have less chance than those performing later, perhaps due to the audience’s short-term memory.
David Bustamante‘s journey through Tu Cara Me Suena 11 was flawless. It was almost inevitable that the artist, a major voice for the past 20 years – since his OT 1 days – would deliver and impress. He provided many memorable moments on Tu Cara Me Suena from his very first gala, where he impersonated Manuel Turizo and shared an emotional reunion with his friend and former OT colleague Chenoa.
His first victory came in the second gala, with a Nino Bravo impersonation that left the audience completely stunned. It’s undeniable that David Bustamante has a fantastic voice, but he also skillfully embodied the mannerisms and gestures of the artists he was asked to imitate. It’s hard to forget his performance as Joaquín Sabina, arguably one of the most challenging impersonations in the eleven seasons of Tu Cara Me Suena. He nailed it, perfectly capturing that raspy, broken voice. That night, David Bustamante won Tu Cara Me Suena.
As anticipated, and as has become tradition in recent seasons and finales of Tu Cara Me Suena, Bustamante didn’t keep the €30,000 prize for himself or donate it to a single NGO. Instead, he chose to share it among all his fellow contestants this season. It’s become a classic Tu Cara Me Suena gesture.
But if there’s a classic element, a soul, a president, it’s Ángel Llàcer. A few days prior, Santiago Segura, Llàcer’s replacement on Tu Cara Me Suena, stated in an interview on Sonsoles Ónega’s program that his colleague was out of danger but had been very ill: “He was very serious, he was in the ICU, he was close to losing a leg, but luckily they caught it, they identified the bacteria.” The filmmaker also hinted at Ángel Llàcer‘s return for the next season of Tu Cara Me Suena.
Ángel Llàcer: “Tu Cara Me Suena is Life”
His predictions came true. Moments before Manel Fuentes announced the winner of Tu Cara Me Suena 11, Ángel Llàcer appeared on screen via a recorded video message. “Good evening. How much I wanted to say this and be there with you all. I’ve had a setback, as many of you know, and I need to be at 100% to be president of the jury,” he began. Tu Cara Me Suena and the Gestmusic team had prepared a surprise, a video tribute where his fellow judges and many of this season’s contestants shared heartfelt words for Ángel Llàcer: “He is the soul of Tu Cara Me Suena.”
But it was a phrase shown in the video, originally spoken by Manel Fuentes in one of the Tu Cara Me Suena episodes, that gave everyone goosebumps: “Tu Cara Me Suena is life.” “I want to thank my Atresmedia family, my Gestmusic family, everyone who makes this program, all my colleagues, all the viewers, my dearest jury members for all the messages of affection and support you’ve sent me. Because when someone is ill, those messages of love and support, that’s what gives life. This program too, and we are enjoying it today. When I am at one hundred percent and feel super powerful, I will return, but that will be in the next season.” And they will be waiting for him, we will be waiting for him, because indeed, the soul of Tu Cara Me Suena is Ángel Llàcer.
It’s unimaginable what Ángel Llàcer must have gone through in recent months. Initially, doctors were unsure what was wrong with him. The actor had traveled to Vietnam, where he suffered food poisoning and had to go to a hospital. There, as he recounted, “the doctors treated me and gave me antibiotics for five days, but it seems the bacteria stayed inside me.”
The Catalan actor returned to Spain, but his condition worsened. Unable to bear the pain, he went to the hospital and was urgently admitted. The first days were terrible. “With severe stomach pain, blood in the stool, and increasingly high fever,” Ángel Llàcer described a few weeks ago.
After numerous tests, doctors discovered the cause. During the food poisoning in Vietnam, he contracted a rare bacteria called Shigella. The bacteria that attacked Ángel Llàcer typically multiplies in the intestine, but it can spread to any part of the body. The actor was “very screwed,” even “could have died,” but ultimately, antibiotic treatment and surgeries saved his life.
His video appearance was the moment of the night, the moment many were waiting for, and certainly the moment he was anticipating. He surely would have loved to be at the grand finale in person, to jump on the judges’ table, tease Chenoa and Lolita, run down the stairs into the audience, hug Carlos Latre, kiss Manel Fuentes. Simply to be there. He was, in a way. And even without the video, Ángel Llàcer‘s presence would have been felt; he has been with the show in spirit throughout these months.
Tu Cara Me Suena will return next year, and so will Ángel Llàcer. Last night, its grand finale achieved a 21.3% audience share, concluding its eleventh season – yes, the eleventh – with an average of nearly 20%. The program has once again been a resounding success. Entertainment has triumphed again. A triple crown for Tu Cara Me Suena, for David Bustamante, and for… Ángel Llàcer.
