Countdown recap for Tuesday 8 June 2021.
Nick moans about crisp sandwiches and chip butties. He claims he's lived long enough...
C1: Champion Louis Ross (7 wins, 650 points.) "Gunning for a teapot" claims Nick. Close enough.
C2: Challenger Jason Butler. "Bonjour", he announces himself. But from Sittingbourne, not France. Enjoys karaoke.
DC: Susie Dent and Dr Phil Hammond.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: E I O K S G N C O
R02: D P E R L I H Y E
R03: 50, 8, 7, 2, 6, 1. Target: 241.
TTT: BOILMENU - "It's where you might find Alfred in his element."
R04: T N I E S R V E M
R05: O U E S B D F D A
R06: 100, 2, 7, 5, 2, 9. Target: 372.
R07: E I E H S G P O A
R08: T W M E I E L N O
R09: 100, 9, 7, 1, 4, 7. Target: 387.
TTT: AIRTENTS - "These chemicals charge a lot more after 10pm."
R10: S C E U T L E N A
R11: I A I P L R S J E
R12: D B U I S D G A I
R13: O U E T F C R N U
R14: 50, 4, 2, 3, 9, 8. Target: 182.
R15: S O N S B E A R D (conundrum)
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Round 1: E I O K S G N C O
Louis: COOKING (7)
Jason: SOCKING (7)
DC: COOKIES (7) COGNISE (7)
OT: NOOGIES (7) OGONEKS (7)
Score: 7–7 (max 7, jos 7)
Darren-o-meter: 0/1 (0%)
Sevens all around to get us underway.
Round 2: D P E R L I H Y E
Louis: HELPED (6)
Jason: REPLIED (7)
DC: HIRPLED (7)
OT: REEDILY (7) REYIELD (7) YIELDER (7)
Score: 7–14 (max 14, jos 14)
Darren-o-meter: 0/2 (0%)
Louis misses what I thought was a fairly obvious seven, and Jason takes the lead.
Round 3: 50, 8, 7, 2, 6, 1. Target: 241.
Louis: 241. (6 − 1) × 50 − 7 − 2 (10)
Jason: 241. (6 − 1) × 50 − 7 − 2 (10)
Score: 17–24 (max 24, jos 24)
Not quite Ariana level, but still easy enough.
Teatime teaser: BOILMENU -> NOBELIUM
"It's a chemical element", defines Susie. You don't say.
Round 4: T N I E S R V E M
Louis: INVERTS (7) (stick with)
Jason: REINVEST (8) (risky)
DC: NERVIEST (8)
OT: MISENTER (8) TIERSMEN (8) VIREMENT (8)
Score: 17–32 (max 32, jos 32)
Darren-o-meter: 0/3 (0%)
Wonderful risk from Jason, who is on 4/4 maxes and takes the lead out to 15 points.
Round 5: O U E S B D F D A
Louis: ABUSED (6)
Jason: ABUSED (6)
DC: DOUSED (6) ABODES (6)
OT: ADOBES (6) DAUBED (6) DAUBES (6) SABOED (6)
Score: 23–38 (max 38, jos 38)
Darren-o-meter: 0/4 (0%)
Round 6: 100, 2, 7, 5, 2, 9. Target: 372.
Louis: 372. (2 + 2) × (100 − 7) (10)
Jason: 372. (2 + 2) × (100 − 7) (10)
Score: 33–48 (max 48, jos 48)
thank u, next...
Dr Phil gets his CLANGERS out, then moans about people not remembering it:
- Connect
- Learn
- Be Active
- Notice
- Give Back
- Eat Well
- Relax
- Sleep
Yeah, very memorable(!)
Round 7: E I E H S G P O A
Louis: HOAGIES (7)
Jason: APOGEES (7) ("I think")
Score: 40–55 (max 55, jos 55)
Darren-o-meter: 0/5 (0%)
Louis and Jason see the two and only sevens. Jason is still on a max!
Round 8: T W M E I E L N O
Louis: LOWEITE (7) (stick with)
Jason: OILMEN (6) (not written down)
DC: MELONITE (8)
OT: MOLINETE (8)
Score: 47–55 (max 63, jos 63)
Darren-o-meter: 0/6 (0%)
Jason's max game is off as he can only see a NWD 6. Louis finally wakes up, it would seem, with a wonderful mineral spot for 7. Dictionary Corner say anything Louis can do, we can do better, and come up with a mineral 8.
Round 9: 100, 9, 7, 1, 4, 7. Target: 387.
Louis: 387. 4 × 100 − 7 − 7 + 1 (10)
Jason: 387. 4 × 100 − 7 − 7 + 1 (10)
Score: 57–65 (max 73, jos 73)
Ariana.
Teatime teaser: AIRTENTS -> NITRATES
Surely the answer here should have been SOUTHERN RAIL?
Round 10: S C E U T L E N A
Louis: CLEANS (6)
Jason: CLEANSE (7)
DC: CLEANEST (8) NUCLEATES (18)
Score: 57–72 (max 91, jos 91)
Darren-o-meter: 1/7 (14%)
Oof, an easy stem miss from Louis that gets the lead back out to 15. Dictionary Corner take us to 8 and then to 9.
Round 11: I A I P L R S J E
Louis: JAILERS (7)
Jason: JASPER (6)
DC: jalipers PARLIES (7)
OT: PIRLIES (7)
Score: 64–72 (max 98, jos 98)
Darren-o-meter: 1/8 (13%)
Louis gets a seven to get himself back within 10 points. Dr Phil offers an invalid eight, thinking instead of JALOPERS.
PARLIES is offered by Susie, short for Parliamentary Train, which I have always felt is bureaucracy gone mad. A Parliamentary Train is a once-in-a-blue-moon train service used for the sole purpose of keeping a line or station from being automatically closed. Even the London Underground has these: Kensington (Olympia) --> Earl's Court and the Rickmansworth --> Croxley shortcut.
Susie gets an email from "Simon" as to the inconsistent pronunciations of Mary Magdalene and Magdalen College in Oxford. Mary Magdalene is the title of a very good Eurovision entry from 1999, though... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pH0SpZe9pos
Round 12: D B U I S D G A I
Louis: BAGS (4)
Jason: BUDS (4)
DC: BAUDS (5) DISBUD (6)
OT: AGIDIS (6) GADDIS (6) GADIDS (6)
Score: 68–76 (max 104, jos 104)
Darren-o-meter: 1/9 (11%)
Just fours here in this poor round. I suspect Jason was unaware of DISBUD being a word.
Round 13: O U E T F C R N U
Louis: OUTRUN (6) (stick with)
Jason: FORTUNE (7)
DC: CONFUTE (7) FROUNCE (7)
OT: COUNTER (7) COUTURE (7) FUNCTOR (7) RECOUNT (7) REFOUNT (7) TROUNCE (7)
Score: 68–83 (max 111, jos 111)
Darren-o-meter: 1/10 (10%)
Oh no! Louis "sticks with" a 6, and as he is declaring first, he has played it far too safe. Which seven he had we will never know, but Jason now has the lead above 10 points...
Rachel comments, sarcastically, that she's not offering the Rachel gamble today...!
Round 14: 50, 4, 2, 3, 9, 8. Target: 182.
Louis looks crestfallen during the clock. He knows this is Ariana levels of easy, and this will be the end...
Louis: 182. 4 × 50 − 2 × 9 (10)
Jason: -
Score: 78–83 (max 121, jos 121)
I DO NOT BELIEVE WHAT I HAVE JUST SEEN! Louis can barely contain his shock and delight when Jason messes up and declares nothing at all! From seemingly no chance Jason has let him back into the game, and now it's all on the conundrum...!
Round 15: S O N S B E A R D
Louis buzzes on 2.5 seconds to say BROADNESS which is correct.
Final Score: 88–83 (max 131, jos 131)
OH
MY
GOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
NO! NO WAY! YOU CANNOT DO THAT, LOUIS ROSS!
He's got to the promised land of octochampdom. I cannot believe it. What a finish. From 15 points down, a blunder by Jason has given Louis the win, and moves him up to number 3 seed. (Rachel says he's number four, but is presumably including Adam's tie-break con...)
Now we're in that little period of limbo whilst we find out who Anne Robinson will start with. There is one spot left in the S83 finals, but you'd need some high-scoring games to get in there...!
Join us tomorrow.
Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=83
