Friday 15th October 2021 (Series 84, Preliminary 79)

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Rhys Benjamin
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Friday 15th October 2021 (Series 84, Preliminary 79)

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Annedown LXXVIII. It's Friday then... it's Saturday, Sunday, what!? (And yes, we're out of order again.)

Countdown recap for Friday 15 October 2021.

Global Handwashing Day, not that we need reminding any more - even though it's been proven to be the least important Covid measure.

C1: Champion Rachael Montgomery (2 wins, 203 points.) Not feeling confident.
C2: Challenger Tamsin Macdonald Johnston. Returnee from 2007. Married a Scot, but now lives in Essex and works in Human Resources, firing people: this time, it's personnel. Claims to have seen Countdown from the very beginning.
DC: Susie Dent and Keith Allen.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: M R B H E O O A S
R02: C G T U E O P R I
R03: 75, 5, 4, 3, 10, 10. Target: 890.
TTT: HITGENES - "It sounds like it's pouring down with bedding."
R04: L N C E E A W T O
R05: S D V G E I E R T
R06: 100, 25, 75, 5, 7, 10. Target: 209.
R07: P N F R A E U O D
R08: H N P O E U R S E
R09: 50, 8, 4, 3, 9, 5. Target: 743.
TTT: LOSTIDEA - "All alone with the electricity cut off."
R10: T D M A E A B R I
R11: N L Y M O A O F I
R12: T L N E O A S R I
R13: G S M R A U O E K
R14: 50, 1, 3, 2, 7, 8. Target: 541.
R15: F A T L E S G O N (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Enjoy the show.

Round 1: M R B H E O O A S

Rachael: BOOMERS (7)
Tamsin: BOOMERS (7)
DC: REHOBOAMS (18)
Score: 7–7 (max 18, jos 18)
Darren-o-meter: 1/1 (100%)

Sevens to get us started. Anne, amazingly, is able to correctly identify the definition of REHOBOAMS!

Round 2: C G T U E O P R I

Rachael: outprice (risk)
Tamsin: outprice (try)
DC: POUTIER (7) PICTURE (7) CUPRITE (7)
OT: GOUTIER (7) GROUPIE (7) PIGCOTE (7) PIROGUE (7) PROTEIC (7) TROPEIC (7)
Score: 7–7 (max 25, jos 25)
Darren-o-meter: 1/2 (50%)

Tamsin goads Rachel into gambling too, and it's a very good try but unfortunately, no dice.

Round 3: 75, 5, 4, 3, 10, 10. Target: 890.

Rachael: 890. (75 + 10 + 4) × 10 (10)
Tamsin: 890. (75 + 10 + 4) × 10 (10)
Score: 17–17 (max 35, jos 35)

Easy enough for both contestants.

Teatime teaser: HITGENES -> SHEETING

Tamsin is a member of the Ugly Women's Institute. That's not an institute for ugly women, that's the WI branch in Ugly.

Round 4: L N C E E A W T O

Rachael: TOWNEE (6) (risky)
Tamsin: tawnee (risky)
DC: ACETONE (7)
OT: LACTONE (7) LATENCE (7) LOCATEE (7) LOWANCE (7) TELECON (7)
Score: 23–17 (max 42, jos 42)
Darren-o-meter: 1/3 (33%)

Two risky sixes, and there's good news and bad news which gives Rachael the lead for the first time today.

Round 5: S D V G E I E R T

Rachael: DIVERGES (8)
Tamsin: DIVERGES (8)
DC: REDIGEST (8)
OT: DIGESTER (8)
Score: 31–25 (max 50, jos 50)
Darren-o-meter: 1/4 (25%)

I personally was gambling on REDIGEST, but no need to gamble as it is in. DIVERGES is the contestants' offering.

Tamsin has a Scottish husband.

Round 6: 100, 25, 75, 5, 7, 10. Target: 209.

Rachael: 209. 100 + 25 + 75 + 7 + 10 ÷ 5​ (10)
Tamsin: 207.
Score: 41–25 (max 60, jos 60)

Easier than it looks, and Rachael now leads by 16.

Keith gives us what, essentially, is his CV.

Round 7: P N F R A E U O D

Rachael: PANDER (6)
Tamsin: FOUNDER (7)
DC: POUNDER (7) PROFANED (8)
OT: PROFUNDA (8)
Score: 41–32 (max 68, jos 68)
Darren-o-meter: 1/5 (20%)

Tamsin hits back immediately with FOUNDER, which is an excellent seven, although Keith swears that he can take us to eight.

Tamsin says her husband is better at Countdown than her. Unfortunately, the editors missed a trick here and didn't cue in the "if you'd like to become a Countdown contestant..." bit.

Round 8: H N P O E U R S E

Rachael: PHONES (6)
Tamsin: OPENERS (7)
DC: PROUSE (6) REOPENS (7) UNHORSE (7)
OT: HEREUPON (8) PERONEUS (8)
Score: 41–39 (max 76, jos 75)
Darren-o-meter: 1/6 (17%)

Declarations are the wrong way round! Sack everyone! No max for Susie today. Tamsin wins the round again and now is within 2 points.

Round 9: 50, 8, 4, 3, 9, 5. Target: 743.

Rachael: 742. 5 × 3 × 50 − 8​ (7)
Tamsin: 745.
RR: 743. 5 × 3 × 50 − (9​ − 8 ÷ 4) (10)
Score: 48–39 (max 86, jos 85)

Rachael will be kicking herself here, as she lets go of an easy three points.

Teatime teaser: LOSTIDEA -> ISOLATED

Round 10: T D M A E A B R I

Rachael: TIMBER (6)
Tamsin: TRADE (5)
DC: BARMAID (7) RADIATE (7)
OT: ADAMITE (7) AMBRITE (7) ARTEMIA (7) BRAAIED (7) MIRATED (7) READMIT (7) TRIBADE (7)
Score: 54–39 (max 93, jos 92)
Darren-o-meter: 1/7 (14%)

Rachael extends her lead with TIMBER, and now leads by 15.

Round 11: N L Y M O A O F I

Rachael: anomoly (risky)
Tamsin: FAMILY (6)
DC: MOONILY (7)
OT: ALIMONY (7) MONOFIL (7)
Score: 54–45 (max 100, jos 99)
Darren-o-meter: 1/8 (13%)

Rachel realises all too late that she's misspelled ANOMALY, and Tamsin is thus still hanging on, like a limpet to a whale's bottom.

OOW Susie references the toothpaste tester from a few weeks ago, and talks about some silly words for things that we use every day, including the plastic bit at the end of a shoelace, for example.

Round 12: T L N E O A S R I

All together now...

Rachael: RELATIONS (18)
Tamsin: RELATIONS (18) (think)
OT: ORIENTALS (18) ROTALINES (18) TENSORIAL (18)
Score: 72–63 (max 118, jos 117)
Darren-o-meter: 1/9 (11%)

If ever there was an Ariana letters game...

Round 13: G S M R A U O E K

Rachael: MAKERS (6)
Tamsin: MORGUES (7)
DC: gruesome
OT: AERUGOS (7) MAGUROS (7) MAKORES (7) MAUGERS (7) MAUGRES (7) RAGEOUS (7)
Score: 72–70 (max 125, jos 124)
Darren-o-meter: 1/10 (10%)

An excellent letters spot from Tamsin now gets her within two points of the lead, with just two rounds to go.

Round 14: 50, 1, 3, 2, 7, 8. Target: 541.

Rachael: 541. (8 + 3) × 50 − 7 − 2 (10)
Tamsin: 541. (50 + 8 ÷ 2) × (7 + 3) + 1​ (10)
Score: 82–80 (max 135, jos 134)

Rachael has made a lot of unforced errors today, and somehow this game is going down to a crucial conundrum...

Round 15: F A T L E S G O N

Tamsin buzzes on 17 seconds to say FLAGSTONE which is correct.
Final Score: 82–90 (max 145, jos 144)

The studio is almost stunned - what a great spot from Tamsin (so much so I thought it was going to be called as incorrect) and she has defeated Rachael Montgomery, which I think is fair enough to say is a shock result.

Tamsin will be back on Monday, when we'll be joined by Leslie Joseph and Len Goodman the week after. It is Strictly season, after all.

Goodbye. ;)


Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=84
The forum's resident JAILBAKER, who has SPONDERED several times...
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