Entertainment Talk

First time watching Eurovision as an American and I have so many questions

A friend from Germany made me watch the final and honestly it was the most fun I've had in front of a TV all year. Bulgaria's Dara won with 516 points for "Bangaranga" and the UK got... one point?? Is that normal?

Also I read that five countries stayed away and only 25 were in the final. Europeans, please explain the vibe to me. Is it a joke contest or do people take it seriously? Because the people in that arena looked SERIOUS.