So it’s nothing to do with talent and all to do with running order. That’s the reason 
why Jedward were booted out of X-Factor, according to researchers at Cambridge and London universities.
But is there a lesson here for our aspiring parliamentary candidates?
Researchers who analysed data from 165 series of X-Factor and Pop Idol discovered that running order was crucial to winning.
Their study concluded that contestants who performed last were most likely to receive the highest proportion of votes, followed by those who performed first. But those who appeared second or third in a round were the most likely to be eliminated that week.
No wonder Jedward didn’t stand a chance when they performed in third place on X-Factor the day before they were eliminated. The odds were stacked against them from the very beginning. Researchers say viewers are less able to remember earlier performances and are more likely to vote for later performances which are fresh in their mind.
The study was led by Dr Lionel Page of Judge Business School, Cambridge University, and Dr Katie Page of Heythrop College, University of London. They believe the findings could be helpful for candidates who are judged sequentially, such as job interviews or competitions.
This could equally apply to political candidates when they are up for selection and take it in turns to make their X-Factor pitch. I wonder how many successful candidates were first or last in the line up on their big day.
Why are they wasting time on studies like these! Jedward should of been voted off no matter in what running order they were in…they could not sing..!! What a load of Rubbish Ellee, you would remember them if they sang first, they were awful.
It you are going for an interview, normally you can do the job, I would hope so, and you never know in what order you are going to be interviewed.
Hi Ann, I know. This post is meant to be tongue in cheek 😉
“No wonder Jedward didn’t stand a chance when they performed in third place on X-Factor the day before they were eliminated.”
Absolutely! Well, that and the fact they were crap.
It was good that the Conservative Party had its conference last this year. Saying that, I could just about stomach a Labour Government, and I could just about tolerate Jedward winning the X-factor. But both simultaneously? I’d emigrate to Greenland.
No but seriously, Ellee, this is a psychological phenomena. Those who perform, are remembered by the judges above all others. So, if you are slated to make a speech, ask that you go on stage before an audience last. This explains why I lost a high school speech contest on the subject of “God, Flag and Country”.
Michael, I am making a Toastmaster speech tomorrow evening and will be last in the pecking order. Unfortunately, it’s not a competition, but it’s good to know its content could be best remembered though; it’s about my love of walking.