Popstars (Telefe) had special guests on the night of September 17: Bandana, the first band to win the competition back in 2001.

Lowrdez, Lissa, Virginia and Valeria joined the competition — which aims to form Argentina's next girl band — to take part in the "Bandana Special," surprising the 33 girls still in the running.

After making it through the latest elimination round, it was time for the next challenge: performing, in six groups of five, a song by the iconic act, including "Guapas," "Maldita noche" and "Cómo puede ser." To prepare, the production gave them an hour and a half to rehearse.

At the start of the show, the panel — made up of Charly García, Nicki Nicole and Ángela Torres — dropped hints about the visit when its members appeared on stage wearing bob-cut wigs in bold colors, as a tribute to Noche, the cover of the band's second album.

Then, after asking the contestants to sing "Maldita noche" in unison, the studio lights dimmed and Bandana appeared performing their classic hit, welcomed with tears and an emotional audience.

"This moment will never come again. You'll carry this with you for the rest of your lives. You made it here because you have talent," Lissa Vera told the contestants.

"The most important thing is to find your authenticity. I never used to dance, and I still don't," Lowrdez added with a laugh.

After reflecting on the passage of time and the feeling of seeing themselves mirrored in the hopefuls, Lissa said: "I feel very old."

"Yes, yes, it's like, 'I am your future.' We thought they were going to run when they saw us. Things happened at the end of the year — I'm recovering, I'm going to be fine," Lowrdez added with humor.

"Lucky escape!" Lowrdez shot back with irony at Módica, who had been a finalist on Popstars in 2001 and had nearly become part of the band.

"Sometimes you won't feel the internal change yourselves, but the people around you will start to shift according to the energy you project outward. Keep your feet on the ground and your eyes looking forward. Keep it up and lean on each other, because the success of one is the success of all," Vera advised toward the end.

Bandana got candid about fame

While the contestants rehearsed, Martín Cirio sat down with the band and recalled his own time auditioning for the competition in the 2003 edition: "They cut me in the first round."

After casually brushing off Ivonne Guzmán's absence with the line "we have to normalize the sparks flying," Cirio joked around with them and proclaimed himself "the fifth Bandana."

The content creator asked them about the difficulties they faced in their early days as a female group. Virginia Da Cunha recalled her romance with Milton Amadeo, a former member of Mambrú, and noted that she had been forced to keep it secret.

The artists also revealed that at the height of the group's fame they were forbidden from being seen smoking and that they also faced strict dietary restrictions.

"Everything had to be explained," Valeria Gastaldi noted.

Reflecting on the quartet's current dynamic, Gastaldi concluded: "If we drift apart for too long, we end up needing each other again."

The rehearsals of the contestants with Bandana and their presentation: who was eliminated

One of the most anticipated moments of the night was watching the members accompany the girls in their preparation before their performance before the jury.

The group was divided into two to visit the rehearsal rooms: on one side, Valeria and Lowrdez, and on the other, Virginia and Lissa.

After assisting them, advising them and encouraging them, the singers gave their characteristic bandanas to the contestants as gifts. Immediately after, each quintet performed their song before the jury.

The "Souladies" relived their childhood 🥹 They sang "Guapas" and had Ángela dancing on her feet 👠🔥

— telefe (@telefe) September 18, 2026

⭐ Watch #Popstars on Telefe and @disneyplusla pic.twitter.com/MH2jVq8F96

Toward the end of the gala, none of the contestants were eliminated.

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