Monday 17th August 2015 (series 73, prelim 36)

[Andy McGurn]

Countdown recap for Monday 17 August 2015.

C1: Champion Kevin Breeze (3 wins, 267 points.) Kevin Breeze – A winner of three games thus far scoring 89 points in all of them. Nick tells him that he’ll need to look to break free of that score today.

C2: Challenger Mike Tapia – A print finisher from (somewhere)-on-sea, he has a notable music collection about which he has been interviewed on Japanese television. He explains that this happened by chance when he was spotted in a record shop. Mike seems pleased that he had his moment on Japanese TV.

DC: Susie Dent and Gyles Brandreth.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: D T M G A I O S A
R02: R E O P N U B S E
R03: 2, 4, 4, 6, 100, 25. Target: 884.
TTT: PLAYEXPO - "its not lower, its most definitely ire"
R04: C A O T N T I O D
R05: L W T E A I R S A
R06: 9, 9, 2, 8, 5, 50. Target: 262.
R07: C T R E U O M R E
R08: H P I A K T F E R
R09: 6, 5, 1, 2, 10, 100. Target: 715.
TTT: DATAURGE - "Forget Anne Robinson, this is when Anne became Robinson"
R10: Z U E L S G I A P
R11: J D V S I O U R A
R12: Q E I T G L O A R
R13: S M D O E U B N E
R14: 8, 6, 10, 2, 10, 7. Target: 356.
R15: F A T D I N G L E (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Enjoy the show.

Round 1: D T M G A I O S A

Kevin: GOATS (5)
Mike: MOATS (5)
DC: MASTOID (7)
OT: ADAGIOS (7) AGAMIDS (7) DIATOMS (7)
Score: 5–5 (max 7)

Its fives to start for the contestants but there were a few sevens in there that will be very familiar to members of this forum


Round 2: R E O P N U B S E

Kevin: SUPERB (6)
Mike: BONERS (6)
DC: UNROPES (7)
OT: BOREENS (7) BOURNES (7) BURPEES (7) ENROBES (7) OPENERS (7) REOPENS (7) UNROBES (7)
Score: 11–11 (max 14)

SUPERB from Kevin and Mike keeps pace with the champion due to his BONERS.


Round 3: 2, 4, 4, 6, 100, 25. Target: 884.

Kevin: -
Mike: -
RR: 884. ((100*2)+24+4)*4 (10)
Score: 11–11 (max 24)

Both contestants draw a blank here giving Rachael the spotlight to demonstrate the solution.


Teatime teaser: PLAYEXPO -> APOPLEXY

Round 4: C A O T N T I O D

Kevin: ACTION (6)
Mike: incoat
DC: COTTON (6)
OT: ANODIC (6) ATONIC (6) CATION (6) CONOID (6) DACOIT (6) INTACT (6) OCTANT (6)
Score: 17–11 (max 30)

The champ takes the first lead of the day with the straightforward ACTION. Mike has missed it though and has to try an invalid word which does not pay off.

Round 5: L W T E A I R S A

Kevin: RETAILS (7)
Mike: WAITERS (7)
DC: LARIATS (7)
OT: AERIALS (7) ATRESIA (7) REALIST (7) SALTIER (7) SALTIRE (7) TALWARS (7) WAILERS (7) WARIEST (7) WASTREL (7)
Score: 24–18 (max 37)

The contestants both get their first max of the game in this round with a brace of very recognisable sevens.
Round 6: 9, 9, 2, 8, 5, 50. Target: 262.

Kevin: 261.
Mike: 262. (50*5)+((9-8)+2+9) (10)
Score: 24–28 (max 47)

Likely the pressure got to Kevin here as he misses an easy numbers game. The lead switches as challenger Mike makes no mistakes.

DC Guest – Nick plugs Gyles new book which he has a copy of which he shpws to camera. Gyles then speaks about his time as an MP when one of his constituents wrote to him stating she was 111 years old. The punchline to the story is that she was dead by the time he visited her as it turns out he’d misread and she didn’t mean “111” she meant “ill”.


Round 7: C T R E U O M R E

Kevin: REMOTER (7)
Mike: morter
OT: ERECTOR (7) REROUTE (7)
Score: 31–28 (max 54)

Kevin has the advantage of having heard DC get REMOTER on one of his earlier shows, this was from a different recording day so Mike will not have been there to hear it so does not have the same advantage.
With that Kevin has retaken the lead.


Round 8: H P I A K T F E R

Kevin: PIRATE (6)
Mike: TRIKE (5)
DC: FAKIR (5) PHREAK (6)
OT: FATHER (6) KHARIF (6) PARKIE (6) PHATER (6) PRATIE (6) TEPHRA (6) THREAP (6)
Score: 37–28 (max 60)

Kevin edges this round six to five enabling him to increase his lead a little. The gap is still single figures however so its still close and could go either way.

Round 9: 6, 5, 1, 2, 10, 100. Target: 715.

Kevin: 715. ((6+1)*100)+10+5 (10)
Mike: 715. ((6+1)*100)+10+5 (10)
Score: 47–38 (max 70)

Both Mike and Kevin have missed some numbers games earlier but neither misses this one and the gap is still at nine.

Teatime teaser: DATAURGE -> GRADUATE

Round 10: Z U E L S G I A P

Kevin: PILES (5)
Mike: PLAGUES (7)
DC: PLAGES (6)
Score: 47–45 (max 77)

If Mike had just taken the U out of his word he would have equalled DC.


Round 11: J D V S I O U R A

Kevin: ADVISOR (7)
Mike: VOIDS (5)
DC: VARIOUS (7) SAVIOUR (7)
Score: 54–45 (max 84)

Kevin regains the nine point lead he lost in the last round with the excellent ADVISOR, but Mike isn’t out of it yet.

OoW- Susie explains the meaning of the word OPPORTUNE which has a nautical origin. Also BONANZA which has a related origin.

Round 12: Q E I T G L O A R

Kevin: GLOATER (7)
Mike: GLOATER (7)
DC: LEGATOR (7)
Score: 61–52 (max 91)

Its a max for the contestants and DC get the only other max available.

Round 13: S M D O E U B N E

Kevin: MOUNDS (6)
Mike: MODES (5)
DC: DEBONES (7) EMBUSED (7)
OT: BEMUSED (7) MENUDOS (7) UMBONES (7)
Score: 67–52 (max 98)

Ouch, that lapse could be crucial for Mike. It looked like going to a crucial but with just two rounds left Kevin takes a lead of more than ten for the first time. Could this be decisive?

Round 14: 8, 6, 10, 2, 10, 7. Target: 356.

Kevin: 357. (((8-2)*6)*10)-(10-7) (7)
Mike: -
RR: 356. (((7*10)-10)*6)-(8/2) (10)
Score: 74–52 (max 108)

Mike makes a good decision to choose six small but he can’t get there and Kevin confirms his fourth win. No chance of another score of 89 though.

Round 15: F A T D I N G L E

Mike buzzes on 10 seconds to say DEFLATING which is correct.
Final Score: 74–62 (max 118)

Mike finishes the game with the conundrum spot, but Kevin takes the day again and is now on four wins.

Just one more show this week before its horse racing and then Jonathan Wynn’s “debut” on Monday. I think its fair to say that Jonathan will be one of the favourites for this series.

Its Countdown in Milton Keynes on Saturday, so best of luck to all who will be in attendance and especially to Zarte who will be hosting. Im sure this event will go well....



Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=73