New Year’s battle in the show "Stars": Will Denis Dorokhov lose his title?!

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Alexander Revva will perform both for himself and for Arthur Pirozhkov.

The NTV show "Stars" can confidently be called one of the most vibrant comedic projects of the past year. We’ve seen team competitions in wit before, but this time, the screen radiated such energy and enthusiasm that it was hard to believe it was real — it’s been ages since television had anything quite like this. Not to mention, the audience has never seen stars of this caliber in the role of comedians.

It’s already known that the second season of the project is on the way. But the New Year is just around the corner! To celebrate, on December 30 at 21:00, NTV will air a special episode of the show - “Stars. New Year Cup.”

Remember how, at the end of the first season, where the “Regions” team won, its captain Denis Dorokhov was named the funniest star in the country? Well, the ground has started to shake beneath Denis a bit ahead of schedule. Not waiting for spring, the teams eager for revenge will try to snatch the title from both the “Regions” and Dorokhov even now, as we approach 2025.

Dorokhov is feeling a bit melancholic. And Revva will joke for both of them

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For Denis Dorokhov, the New Year Cup is a completely new challenge.

Competing for the New Year Cup will be Dmitry Malikov and the “Team Russia”; Philip Kirkorov and the “Wrestlers”; Alexey Chumakov and the “Napoleons”; Alexander Revva and the “Studio Soyuz”; Lera Kudryavtseva and the “Raisa” team; Denis Dorokhov and the “Regions”; Miguel and the “USSR Team”; Djigan and the “Krasnoyarsk” team; Marina Fedunkiv and the “YUG Union”; as well as Azamat Musagaliev, the host of the project, along with the “Astana” team.

“We do not cling to past merits and successes, so for us, the New Year Cup is an entirely new challenge,” says Denis Dorokhov. “Since this is a comedic project, we enter the battle with a humorous mindset. But seriously, this is our farewell performance, as per the project rules, the guys must find a new star. And I, if the producers wish, will remain in the project and will have to find a new team. But it’s sad because we have grown very close with the ‘Regions’, and parting will be truly hard. For the New Year’s release, we have prepared a completely new program, which we hope will primarily delight us and, of course, captivate the viewers.”

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Philip Kirkorov is, as always, the king.

For Marina Fedunkiv, this will be one of her first appearances on TV after becoming a mother. The actress admits that motherhood is a great joy, even though it can be exhausting and leave you sleep-deprived. But filming “Stars” is a perfect reason to get back in shape and manage everything. “I’m not the person who fights tooth and nail for victory and participates just for that,” admits Marina. “From participating in the show ‘Stars’, I only gain positive emotions. In the special episode, all participants will showcase a very high level of humor.”

Other participants are also looking forward to it. “In the New Year episode, I will perform for both myself and Arthur Pirozhkov,” promises Alexander Revva. “Expect new secrets, unexpected dialogues with the jury members. It will be fantastic! I have dedicated many years to humor, and the wonderful guys from ‘Studio Soyuz’ bring me back to my youth. It feels like I’m a 27-year-old boy again, who is nervous, anxious, and might forget a joke! I see how other stars enjoy themselves when standing before the jury, playing and joking…”

Humor is good vibes and… extremity

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The main goal of Azamat Musagaliev in the battle-revenge is to cheer up the audience.

As for the humor professionals, there’s no question. But what about the captains, who haven’t been noted in this genre before? Are they ready to step into the same river again? After the trials of the first season, they are also geared up: “Our main goal on New Year’s Eve is to entertain people. We focus not on the results but on creating a good mood — both ours and the audience’s,” shared Dmitry Malikov. “Last season, I made friends with wonderful artists. For me, the most valuable thing is the people I work with. I draw inspiration from the atmosphere in the team. I hope we will succeed!”

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Lera Kudryavtseva told her team: “Joke about me however you want!”

Lera Kudryavtseva is a true TV guru, yet even she made some discoveries after participating in “Stars.” “I think I’ve only just come to understand the heaviness of the comedian's profession,” admits the TV host. “For instance, if you slightly change the intonation or pause in the wrong place, the joke becomes unfunny. This is the behind-the-scenes aspect that I encountered quite recently, so I find it all incredibly interesting. It seems to me that in humor, you are constantly experiencing extremity — something can change at the last moment. But you can’t live without laughter. I don’t like people who take themselves too seriously. As soon as I joined the project, I immediately told my team: ‘Guys, joke about me however you want!’ And even then, I think they were too protective of me in the first season, I even asked them to joke more actively!”

The most dancing captain, Miguel, doesn’t hide that he still finds it unusual to step onto the stage in this new capacity. “But in my team ‘USSR Team’, there are cool guys, and performing with them is a pleasure,” says the artist. “‘Stars. New Year Cup’ is both a competition and a celebration. I really don’t like to compete, so this aspect is more conditional for me. But when you step onto the stage, of course, you get pumped up. When I was backstage, I thought it was just another game, which means we can win, and everything inside me gathered. It was very nerve-wracking at first, but then the desire to win awakened. You never know which jokes will play out.”

It’s hard and funny for the jury members

As in the first season, the judging panel will feature Sergey Zhukov, leader of the group “Ruki Vverh!”, humorist, TV host, and showman Garik Kharlamov, rapper and producer Timati, designer, blogger, and design director of “VKontakte” Artemy Lebedev, and video blogger Valya Karnaval. Think scoring is easy? Sergey Zhukov would disagree. “It’s very hard for me to be a jury member on the show ‘Stars’,” says the musician. “First, I have to wipe away tears from laughter all day, and in the end — the most torturous part — choose a winner. But I have come to love this project and am grateful to Timur Vainshtein, Slava Dusmukhametov, and NTV for the invitation. Now it’s December — you can surely guess how challenging this time is for artists, but nevertheless, I did not hesitate to clear my schedule for this day to come to shoot the New Year’s episode of ‘Stars’, because I know I will get a boost of humor and great mood for many days ahead. The project had a fantastic first season, but the ‘New Year Cup’ turned out to be even cooler!”

Valya Karnaval has a very emotional reaction to the performances: “Each team is just in my heart!” However, this doesn’t prevent her from rationally analyzing what she sees. “If we talk about the key qualities of a comedian, first of all, it’s a sense of humor, of course,” reflects the young woman. “Secondly, improvisation and quick reaction skills will be a plus, and thirdly, of course, the ability to engage with the audience. Also, I think it’s important to be yourself, because the audience can sense insincerity.”

“Stars. New Year Cup.” 16+ December 30 at 21:00 only