Countdown recap for Thursday 12 August 2021.
It's International Youth Day, so Anne does a "woe is me" act, and Rachel raises her it's World Elephant Day
C1: Champion Matt Gould (4 wins, 313 points.)
C2: Challenger Jason Bird. Moved from Somerset to Kirkby. Blames his fiancée's parents. Book-keeper and accounts assistant.
DC: Susie Dent and Nina Wadia, who's just been announced as a contestant on this year's Strictly Come Dancing.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: W F R G O I D A S
R02: R A T E F I N M U
R03: 75, 3, 8, 6, 7, 2. Target: 500.
TTT: SELLCUES - "(no clue given)"
R04: G A S O C O K T D
R05: S N G H E O E R I
R06: 75, 25, 4, 3, 7, 4. Target: 866.
R07: N S D A O E S A P
R08: L U G E S I R T E
R09: 25, 3, 7, 9, 5, 10. Target: 591.
TTT: EVILTOTE - "Popeye's girlfriend was very good at managing her weight."
R10: N I R O D U L Z E
R11: M T N A O I A S M
R12: P I B E H E T S O
R13: L Y P T U O A E B
R14: 25, 50, 100, 4, 8, 6. Target: 780.
R15: I L O V E U N O T (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: W F R G O I D A S
Matt: RADIOS (6)
Jason: FOR (3)
DC: FROGS (5)
OT: AROIDS (6) DORGIS (6) DWARFS (6) FIORDS (6) OWARIS (6) RADIFS (6)
Score: 6–0 (max 6, jos 6)
Darren-o-meter: 0/1 (0%)
Not the best ever start we've seen by a challenger. RADIOS is there for six, as in "he radios in".
Round 2: R A T E F I N M U
Matt: RUMINATE (8)
Jason: unrate
DC: URINATE (7)
OT: RUMANITE (8)
Score: 14–0 (max 14, jos 14)
Darren-o-meter: 0/2 (0%)
Turns out you cannot unrate as a verb, and despite this Matt leads heavily already...
Round 3: 75, 3, 8, 6, 7, 2. Target: 500.
Matt: 500. (75 − 3) × 7 − 8 ÷ 2 (10)
Jason: -
Score: 24–0 (max 24, jos 24)
Oh dear.
Teatime teaser: SELLCUES -> CLUELESS
Round 4: G A S O C O K T D
Matt: STOCK (5)
Jason: DOCKS (5)
DC: COOKS (5) TACOS (5)
OT: OCTADS (6)
Score: 29–5 (max 30, jos 29)
Darren-o-meter: 1/3 (33%)
Everyone misses the darren as Jason finally gets himself off the mark.
Round 5: S N G H E O E R I
Matt: SHORING (7)
Jason: SINGER (6)
DC: RESHOEING (18)
Score: 36–5 (max 48, jos 47)
Darren-o-meter: 2/4 (50%)
RESHOEING wasn't in until recently. It must have been hyphenated, because it's a word given in Back To The Future Part III.
Round 6: 75, 25, 4, 3, 7, 4. Target: 866.
Matt: 869. (75 + 4) × (7 + 4) (7)
Jason: -
RR: 866. (75 × 4 − 3) × (7 − 4) − 25 and (75 + 4) × (7 + 4) − 3 (10)
Score: 43–5 (max 58, jos 57)
Rachel almost lets Matt off the hook here before deciding to point it out anyway.
Ironically, given her announcement this morning, Nina talks about when she worked with Len Goodman... And also Chris Eubank. She laments the lack of confidence coaching in schools. A very short anecdote; I have enjoyed Nina more this week than I did in her first week.
Round 7: N S D A O E S A P
Matt: PASSED (6)
Jason: SPADES (6)
DC: POSES (5) POSADAS (7) DAPSONE (7)
OT: PAESANOS (8)
Score: 49–11 (max 66, jos 64)
Darren-o-meter: 3/5 (60%)
Sixes for each of the contestants, so at least Jason won't be troubling the lowest scorer record, and the eight goes begging.
Round 8: L U G E S I R T E
Matt: GUSTIER (7)
Jason: LISTER (6) (risky)
DC: UGLIEST (7) LEISURE (7) GLUIEST (7)
OT: ELEGIST (7) ELEGITS (7) GESTURE (7) GLISTER (7) GRISTLE (7) GUTSIER (7) LEISTER (7) LURGIES (7) LUSTIER (7) REGLETS (7) RETILES (7) RIEGELS (7) RULIEST (7) STERILE (7)
Score: 56–11 (max 73, jos 71)
Darren-o-meter: 3/6 (50%)
FLaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat.
Round 9: 25, 3, 7, 9, 5, 10. Target: 591.
Matt: 590. (10 + 9 + 5) × 25 − 7 − 3 (7)
Jason: 590. (10 + 5 + 9) × 25 − 7 − 3 (7)
RR: 591. (10 + 5 − 7) × 3 × 25 − 9 (10)
Score: 63–18 (max 83, jos 81)
Rachel shows us the trick here is to avoid using the 9 to get to 24.
Teatime teaser: EVILTOTE -> OLIVETTE
Round 10: N I R O D U L Z E
Matt: loined
Jason: UNDER (5)
DC: NODULE (6) NODULIZE (8)
Score: 63–23 (max 91, jos 89)
Darren-o-meter: 4/7 (57%)
LOINED^ is not valid, so the gap comes down to 40 points with five rounds to go. Game on?
Round 11: M T N A O I A S M
Matt: STAMINA (7)
Jason: STAMINA (7)
DC: MIMOSA (6) ANIMATOS (8)
OT: MAINMAST (8) OMMATINS (8)
Score: 70–30 (max 99, jos 97)
Darren-o-meter: 4/8 (50%)
ANIMATOS is a very good spot from Dictionary Corner. STAMINA is ironic as it's been more of a slow start than a case of STAMINA burnout for Jason.
Susie talks about the origin of two of the nation's favourite words, discombobulated and bamboozle. She then gets dangerously close to a scene from Blackadder, talking about all sorts of words... banter, bully... "I'm anispeptic, phrasmotic, even compunctious to have caused you such pericombobulation."
Round 12: P I B E H E T S O
Matt: HOPES (5)
Jason: BEHEST (6)
DC: PHOBIST (7) BOTHIES (7)
OT: BOETIES (7) ETHIOPS (7) OPHITES (7) OPISTHE (7) PHOEBES (7) PHOTIES (7) POETISE (7)
Score: 70–36 (max 106, jos 103)
Darren-o-meter: 4/9 (44%)
Another flat round but both contestants miss the sevens. The gap is 34 points with three rounds to go. A nine is needed.
Round 13: L Y P T U O A E B
Matt: OUTPLAY (7)
Jason: poutable (risk)
DC: POTABLE (7)
OT: OPTABLE (7) OUTLEAP (7)
Score: 77–36 (max 113, jos 110)
Darren-o-meter: 4/10 (40%)
An unnecessary risk from Jason given he needed a nine to stay in the game. In any case, OUTPLAY is a good enough spot from Matt.
Round 14: 25, 50, 100, 4, 8, 6. Target: 780.
Matt: 780. 8 × 100 − 25 + 50 ÷ (6 + 4) (10)
Jason: 780. 8 × 100 − 50 ÷ 25 × (6 + 4) (10)
Score: 87–46 (max 123, jos 120)
Strange when written down, but simple enough anyway.
Round 15: I L O V E U N O T
Matt buzzes on 2.5 seconds to say EVOLUTION which is correct.
Final Score: 97–46 (max 133, jos 130)
And that's all she wrote. Matt lives for another day and moves up to #2 seed with five wins.
Join us again for Countdown. Goodbye.
Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=84