Thursday 17th June 2021 (Series 83, First Quarter Final)

Rhys Benjamin · Post by **Rhys Benjamin** » Thu Jun 17, 2021 2:33 pm

It's our first quarter final, and in 8 days' time we will know who has won Nick Hewer's final series of Countdown.

Countdown recap for Thursday 17 June 2021.

Nick talks about a "last man standing" marathon (to make a spurious connection to Countdown), where you ran a 4.16-mile lap until you basically dropped dead.

C1: Luke Boynton (8 wins, 1032 points.)
C2: Dave Lomax (5 wins, 488 points.)
DC: Susie Dent and Rufus Hound.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: S B N A O O P E M
R02: S H R U A E Y P A
R03: 50, 25, 75, 100, 9, 4. Target: 452.
TTT: LATEKEYS - "When at sea, this will help the crab see."
R04: D S F O I I N R E
R05: C T R I U E D A S
R06: 50, 5, 10, 1, 7, 6. Target: 537.
R07: L V T U E I E W E
R08: R T G A I L O N T
R09: 50, 75, 25, 100, 2, 5. Target: 491.
TTT: MISTERIT - "The mister isn't ever going to suffer from it."
R10: R M T E O U H D K
R11: S N R O I E E S L
R12: M D W U A I P L N
R13: R F T O O E P R V
R14: 75, 4, 2, 8, 10, 10. Target: 992.
R15: B I L L Y E N I D (conundrum)

And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Enjoy the show.

Round 1: S B N A O O P E M

Luke: BEMOANS (7) (stick with)
Dave: BEMOANS (7)
OT: AMBONES (7) MOPANES (7) NABOOMS (7)
Score: 7–7 (max 7, jos 7)
Darren-o-meter: 0/1 (0%)

Whatever Luke was thinking of here, he does the right thing to stick with the seven, as it cannot be beaten.

Round 2: S H R U A E Y P A

Luke: HEARSAY (7)
Dave: SHAPER (6)
DC: PHASER (6) PHRASY (6)
Score: 14–7 (max 14, jos 14)
Darren-o-meter: 1/2 (50%)

Ah, there he is. Lovely bit of darrenage to open up an early lead.

Round 3: 50, 25, 75, 100, 9, 4. Target: 452.

Luke: 452. 50 × 9 + 100 ÷ (75 − 25) (10)
Dave: 451.
Score: 24–7 (max 24, jos 24)

Luke extends his lead with a poor miss from Dave, to take the scores 17 points apart.

Teatime teaser: LATEKEYS -> EYESTALK

Round 4: D S F O I I N R E

Luke: RESINOID (8)
Dave: DERISION (8)
DC: IRONISED (8)
OT: IRONSIDE (8)
Score: 32–15 (max 32, jos 32)
Darren-o-meter: 1/3 (33%)

Eights for our two contestants, as well as a third eight for dictionary corner.

Round 5: C T R I U E D A S

Luke: ACRITUDES (18)
Dave: CRUDITES (8)
Score: 50–15 (max 50, jos 50)
Darren-o-meter: 2/4 (50%)

Luke turns on the style with a wonderful nine, Dave cannot get more than eight and the gap opens up once more.

Round 6: 50, 5, 10, 1, 7, 6. Target: 537.

Luke: 537. 50 × 10 + 5 × 6 + 7 (10)
Dave: 537. 50 × 10 + 5 × 6 + 7 (10)
Score: 60–25 (max 60, jos 60)

Ariana.

Rufus tells us another poem and tries to start one even more bleakly than his pandemic ones, opening with "God is dead". I assume that has more impact if you are not an atheist, not least because this poem misuses a lot of Bible phrases...

Round 7: L V T U E I E W E

Luke: ELUTE (5)
Dave: WEEVIL (6)
OT: TELEVIEW (8)
Score: 60–31 (max 68, jos 66)
Darren-o-meter: 3/5 (60%)

Luke can only see five, which creates a delighted Dave to beat him on a round for the first time, with an excellent spot of WEEVIL. Dictionary Corner can't beat it, although there was an eight there.

Round 8: R T G A I L O N T

Luke: ROTATING (8)
Dave: ROTTING (7)
DC: TRIGONAL (8)
OT: RATTLING (8)
Score: 68–31 (max 76, jos 74)
Darren-o-meter: 3/6 (50%)

Normal service is resumed. Eights for Luke and Dictionary Corner, but just seven for Dave.

Round 9: 50, 75, 25, 100, 2, 5. Target: 491.

Luke: 491. (100 − 2) × 5 + (75 − 50) ÷ 25 (10)
Dave: -
Score: 78–31 (max 86, jos 84)

Dave misses this solve which isn't a million miles off the round three solve.

Teatime teaser: MISTERIT -> METRITIS

Round 10: R M T E O U H D K

Luke: MOUTHER (7) (very risky)
Dave: hurted
DC: MOUTHED (7)
OT: DOUTHER (7)
Score: 85–31 (max 93, jos 91)
Darren-o-meter: 3/7 (43%)

Luke's risk pays off with a seven that works to extend the lead to 54 points.

Round 11: S N R O I E E S L

Luke: lesioners (try)
Dave: SIRENS (6)
DC: SENIORS (7) IRONLESS (8)
OT: REINLESS (8) ROSEINES (8)
Score: 85–37 (max 101, jos 99)
Darren-o-meter: 3/8 (38%)

Luke tries a nine which isn't there as an agent noun. There is an eight in Dictionary Corner.

Susie gets a question from Natalie Davies, asking why something goes pear-shaped when it goes wrong.

Round 12: M D W U A I P L N

Luke: MAUDLIN (7)
Dave: UNPAID (6)
Score: 92–37 (max 108, jos 106)
Darren-o-meter: 4/9 (44%)

Round 13: R F T O O E P R V

Luke: FORETOP (7) (I think)
Dave: REPORT (6)
DC: POOTER (6)
OT: OVERTOP (7) POOFTER (7) POTRERO (7) PROFERT (7) REPROOF (7) TROOPER (7)
Score: 99–37 (max 115, jos 113)
Darren-o-meter: 4/10 (40%)

Luke's 7 is a good gamble this time, but with many more 7s available (and more common words) I suspect he'll be slightly disappointed not to have seen TROOPER, for example. Susie perhaps deliberately leaves out the F in her word..

Round 14: 75, 4, 2, 8, 10, 10. Target: 992.

Luke: 990. Mistake in working.
Dave: 985. Mistake in working.
RR: 992. (10 + 2) × (75 + 8) − 4 (10)
Score: 99–37 (max 125, jos 123)

Both contestants make a mistake and it's left to Rachel to tell us how to do it.

Round 15: B I L L Y E N I D

Dave buzzes on 6 seconds to say INDELIBLY which is correct.
Final Score: 99–47 (max 135, jos 133)

Dave buzzes and almost apologetically says INDELIBLY (which sounds more like "INBEDIDLY") and it is revealed to be correct, leaving Dave somewhat red-faced and Nick, who always loves it when the loser gets the conundrum, smiling.

It's Luke's lowest score in this run but he's safely through. Who will join him tomorrow?

Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=83