This is brilliant. Some academic research has been done to determine if the order of performance affects the way a performer is judged on an Idol talent show. The answer: yes, it does, and in every country with an Idol series. The NZ Herald reports:
A study has found that the later would-be stars perform in a show, the better they are likely to rate.
But performing after a bad act can also rub off on the better performers.
The Idol format isn’t perfect, but it seems that generally speaking, the best performer always wins, and the other strong performers usually benefit from their appearance on the series.
Also, I wouldn’t mind being the sort of academic who watches hours and hours of Idol shows from around the world in the name of academic business research.
