Four televised shows to choose the Spanish entry were broadcast live from TVE's studios in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona, and were hosted by Anne Igartiburu, with the previous Eurovision entrant Daniel Diges reporting from backstage. The first show was broadcast on 28 January 2011.
Format
24 acts were selected by a panel of experts through casting calls. The 24 candidates were divided into two heats. At a first stage, the 5-member jury panel had to knock out four acts, thus only 8 were eligible to go through to the semifinal. Five of them qualified from each show for the semifinal - three voted by the audience and another two by the jury. In the big final of the Spanish selection, the three finalists first performed three different candidate songs each. As a result, the final only featured 9 of the 20 songs selected by the panel from an open submission. After the performances, each jury member awarded 3, 2 and 1 point to the songs by each artist. As a result, each act was left with the song with most points for the final vote. The last decision was taken by the audience, who chose the winning combination that became the Spanish representative in Eurovision 2011.
Shows
Heat 1
The first heat was held on 28 January 2011. Each candidate covered past Eurovision Spanish entries and winning songs. The 5-member jury panel first eliminated four acts. Then, the top three chosen by televoting and another two chosen by the jury qualified for the semi-final. Guest performances included Soraya Arnelas, Pitingo and Albert Hammond.
Heat 2
The second heat was held on 4 February 2011. Each candidate covered past Eurovision Spanish entries and winning songs. The 5-member jury panel first eliminated four acts. Then, the top three chosen by televoting and another two chosen by the jury qualified for the semi-final. Guest performances included Malú, David Civera and Merche.
Semi-final
The semi-final was held on 11 February 2011. The 10 remaining acts competed, which they once again performed Eurovision classics. Only three of them advanced to the final, one was voted by the audience and another two by the jury. Guest performances included Sergio Dalma, Pastora Soler and David Ascanio.
Final
The final was held on 18 February 2011. The winner was chosen in two rounds of voting. In the first round, the three finalists first performed three different candidate songs each. After the performances, each jury member awarded 3, 2 and 1 point to the songs by each artist. As a result, each act was left with the song with most points for the final vote. For the final, Merche was replaced by Sole Giménez in the jury panel. In the vote to select Lucía Pérez's song, both "Que me quiten lo bailao" and "Abrázame" got twelve points. According to the rules, in case of a draw the song with most top marks by the jury had to qualify. Despite this, Lucía Pérez and part of the audience in the studio showed that they preferred "Abrázame". The jury discussed what to do for a moment, but decided to stick to the rules and chose "Que me quiten lo bailao" eventually. In the second round, televoting chose the winning combination that became the Spanish representative in Eurovision 2011. Lucía Pérez won the final with 68% of the total vote. It was also revealed that the second and third placed acts got 20% and 12% of the votes respectively in the final vote, but without giving the names. It wasn't until 2020 when Blas Cantó revealed that he and his group came second. Guest performances included Daniel Diges, Sole Giménez, Albert Hammond and Blue.
At Eurovision
Spain automatically qualified for the grand final, on 14 May 2011; as part of the "Big Five". During the placement draw, Spain got a wildcard, allowing them to choose the running order they will perform in the final, and picked 22nd position. Spain voted in the first semi-final, on 10 May. On 14 May, Spain placed twenty-third with 50 points.
Split results
In the Final Spain came 23rd with 50 points: the public awarded Spain 16th place with 73 points and the jury awarded 24th place with 38 points.
