London, Dec 2 (ANI): Researchers at Cambridge University have uncovered the secret to winning the X Factor – sing last.

They’ve found that contestants are more likely to be voted off if they sing near the start of the show.

The researchers compiled data from 150 editions of the X Factor and Pop Idol to prove the theory that a contestant’s fate does not boil down to whether they can sing.

They found that in eight live X Factor shows this year, four singers were eliminated after being either the second or third act to perform.

When contestants performed later in the evening they were less likely to be eliminated, the study showed.

Dr Lionel Page, the behavioural economist at Cambridge University’s Judge Business School, who undertook the research with the University of London, said that none of the people who sang last on this year’s series of the X Factor had been eliminated.

“If the show is about singing, it shouldn’t matter if they were performing first or last but it does,” the Telegraph quoted Page as saying.

“We believe people tend to be biased when there is a sequence. You are influenced by the fact that you remember people depending on whether they were singing first or last. Memory can have a huge effect on how we judge performances,” he added.

However, Page said that the first singer to perform in the X Factor is not at the greatest advantage, but less likely to be eliminated than those in second or third place. (ANI)