Countdown recap for Wednesday 1 September 2021.
Anne says September is "World Funfair Month". "Fun and fair" accurately describes her, it would seem.
C1: Champion Steve Gamble (2 wins, 196 points.) Former runner. Returnee from 2002.
C2: Challenger Kevin Wenn. Used to smell armpits for a living, but now works for a company that develops toothpaste and mouthwash. Toothpaste taste tester - try saying that quickly - now looking at whisky and vodka-flavoured toothpaste.
DC: Susie Dent and Johnny Vaughan.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: P O R U O S A H I
R02: I D E Y A C R E M
R03: 50, 25, 7, 9, 3, 10. Target: 404.
TTT: CHEEKBUS - "Hire the lady's services for absolutely nothing."
R04: T O N A P U G L A
R05: F T A I M S U I O
R06: 50, 9, 1, 6, 9, 7. Target: 172.
R07: F S E E V N I S P
R08: R O T E L U S K O
R09: 100, 8, 1, 9, 4, 3. Target: 452.
TTT: PUTSMILE - "The sort of mash that won't put a smile on your face."
R10: D S N O I U T L A
R11: D E M W O N R A E
R12: S I D N E G E C G
R13: R P A A E W R L S
R14: 50, 75, 6, 3, 5, 7. Target: 612.
R15: G E R M S E N S E (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: P O R U O S A H I
Steve: HOURS (5)
Kevin: PARISH (6)
DC: POORISH (7) RUPIAHS (7)
OT: OPHISAUR (8) OPHIURAS (8)
Score: 0–6 (max 8, jos 7)
Darren-o-meter: 0/1 (0%)
Kevin takes an early lead as Susie misses two extremely obscure eights.
Round 2: I D E Y A C R E M
Steve: CREAMED (7)
Kevin: CREAMED (7)
DC: MEDIACY (7)
OT: AMERCED (7) DECAMER (7) MEADERY (7) RACEMED (7)
Score: 7–13 (max 15, jos 14)
Darren-o-meter: 0/2 (0%)
A flat round and both contestants have the same word.
Round 3: 50, 25, 7, 9, 3, 10. Target: 404.
Steve: 404. Mistake in working.
Kevin: 406. Mistake in working.
RR: 404. 9 × 50 − 25 − 7 × 3 (10)
Score: 7–13 (max 25, jos 24)
Both contestants blunder here and it's left up to Rachel to finish off one of their solutions.
Teatime teaser: CHEEKBUS -> BUCKSHEE
Anne asks Kevin about the ins and outs of how to taste toothpaste professionally.
Round 4: T O N A P U G L A
Steve: PLANT (5)
Kevin: PLANT (5)
DC: NOUGAT (6) ATONAL (6) GALANT (6)
OT: ANGULOA (7) PATAGON (7) PLATANO (7)
Score: 12–18 (max 32, jos 30)
Darren-o-meter: 0/3 (0%)
Only five, whilst Johnny is overly happy with NOUGAT and ATONAL. Shouldn't get too happy on that one, mind you.
Round 5: F T A I M S U I O
Steve: FAMOUS (6)
Kevin: FAMOUS (6)
DC: SFUMATO (7)
OT: MAFIOSI (7)
Score: 18–24 (max 39, jos 37)
Darren-o-meter: 0/4 (0%)
Johnny refuses Susie's help for SFUMATO. FAMOUS is the contestants' offering.
Round 6: 50, 9, 1, 6, 9, 7. Target: 172.
Steve: 171.
Kevin: 172. (50 + 7) × (9 − 6) + 1 (10)
Score: 18–34 (max 49, jos 47)
Kevin takes an important 10 points here, with Steve only one away. The gap goes out to 16 points.
Anne, who has been bitching about Johnny all afternoon (she's not the only one) asks about Johnny's most disappointing interviews: Stephen Seagal, who thought Johnny was from his PR department; Anne helps him out by name-dropping Brad Pitt, who he held up by smoking a cigarette and Pitt thought he was Norwegian; Johnny then switches tack and talks about an incident with Curtis Stigers, when Johnny locked him in a cupboard on The Big Breakfast which he still held a grudge about.
That bit went on for 4.5 minutes...
Round 7: F S E E V N I S P
Steve: SPINES (6)
Kevin: ENVIES (6)
DC: PENISES (7) PENSIVE (7) FINESSE (7)
OT: NEVISES (7) SENSIVE (7) VESPINE (7)
Score: 24–40 (max 56, jos 54)
Darren-o-meter: 0/5 (0%)
I'm surprised both contestants, being men, missed PENISES, especially Steve who can get there with SPINES+E. But naturally, Johnny sees it immediately.
Round 8: R O T E L U S K O
Steve: LOOTERS (7)
Kevin: RETOOLS (7)
DC: rotelos LOOKERS (7) ROOTLES (7)
OT: ROOKLETS (8)
Score: 31–47 (max 64, jos 61)
Darren-o-meter: 1/6 (17%)
Both players on seven. Johnny thinks a pizza cutter is called a ROTELO, which it may well be, but not in English it's not.
Round 9: 100, 8, 1, 9, 4, 3. Target: 452.
Steve: 452. (4 + 1) × 100 − (9 − 3) × 8 (10)
Kevin: 458.
Score: 41–47 (max 74, jos 71)
And Steve undoes the damage of the previous numbers round with his own 10-point gain.
Teatime teaser: PUTSMILE -> LUMPIEST
Round 10: D S N O I U T L A
Steve: ASTOUND (7)
Kevin: OUTLANDS (8)
OT: ADUSTION (8) TOULADIS (8)
Score: 41–55 (max 82, jos 79)
Darren-o-meter: 1/7 (14%)
OUTLANDS - a word I'm familiar with thanks to Sky Sports and Daft Punk. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHms5x_ ... nnel=OSRN2
Round 11: D E M W O N R A E
Steve: demeanor (US spelling)
Kevin: remowed
DC: RENAMED (7)
OT: DEMOWARE (8)
Score: 41–55 (max 90, jos 86)
Darren-o-meter: 2/8 (25%)
Nul points all around here, as something can't be REMOWED^ and DEMEANOR^ needs a -OUR ending.
Susie gives the origin of the letter X, including some of its uses, including as a kiss (which began in 1765), but "X marks the spot" particularly came into its own in the Chicago gangsterism of the mid-20th century as censorship in the newspapers for corpses. Johnny keeps interceding again with "hmmm", which is REALLY annoying.
Round 12: S I D N E G E C G
Steve: engines (phantom N)
Kevin: SEEDING (7)
DC: CEDING (6) SECEDING (8)
Score: 41–62 (max 98, jos 94)
Darren-o-meter: 3/9 (33%)
Susie somehow manages to define SECEDING without anyone mentioning Brexit.
Round 13: R P A A E W R L S
Steve: PEARLS (6)
Kevin: PALER (5)
DC: sprawler
OT: ASPRAWL (7) PALWARS (7) PARERAS (7) PARRALS (7) PARRELS (7) REWRAPS (7) WARPERS (7)
Score: 47–62 (max 105, jos 100)
Darren-o-meter: 3/10 (30%)
Everyone misses several sevens, whilst Steve manages to keep the game alive with a six to Kevin's five.
Round 14: 50, 75, 6, 3, 5, 7. Target: 612.
Steve: 609. (7 + 5) × 50 + 6 + 3 (7)
Kevin: -
RR: 612. (50 + 75) × 5 − 6 − 7 (10)
Score: 54–62 (max 115, jos 110)
Kevin plays safe but blunders, letting Steve in and setting up a crucial conundrum...
Round 15: G E R M S E N S E
Kevin buzzes on 5 seconds to say MESSENGER which is correct.
Final Score: 54–72 (max 125, jos 120)
And just as the fifth light comes on, Kevin buzzes in with MESSENGER (don't shoot them!) and dethroning Steve, meaning we won't have three consecutive octochamps for now. We're just over a third of the way through the series, so there's plenty of time yet.
"Johnny, thank you very much: you don't need to say anything." Even Anne's had enough of Johnny's crap. Rachel berates Kevin for cinnamon toothpaste. And that's enough for today.
Join us again for Countdown. Goodbye.
Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=84