The Great British Bake Off final might have lured in an audience of 15 million viewers, but a small group of analysts at Marketing Metrix would have been celebrating just as much as winner Candice Brown after predicting the victor for the second year running.
Using big data techniques, the team developed an algorithm that predicts the types of contestants most likely to reach the final and win the competition.
Information was compiled about each of the 59 contestants and 44 episodes from series one to five to form one dataset. This dataset was then audited to reveal a bit more about the contestants and assess if there were the correct ingredients for an algorithm.
Last year, Marketing Metrix successfully predicted that Nadiya Jamir Hussain would come out on top but the 2016 series provided more than a few potential sticky situations.
This year’s model (pictured) actually predicted that Candice’s fellow finalists – Jane and Andrew – would be out of the competition virtually before co-presenter Sue Perkins could say “on your marks, set, bake”.
However, Candice’s prosecco-soaked berries and pistachio jewels, topped with a miniature Queen Victoria crown, combined with pig-shaped sausage rolls in her showstopper, finally won over the judges.
For real Bake Off fans, Marketing Metrix has set up a competition so you can see how you would fare on the show. Visit the website to see if you could be a potential winner >
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