Monday 22nd November 2021 (Series 84, Preliminary 105)

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Rhys Benjamin
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Monday 22nd November 2021 (Series 84, Preliminary 105)

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Annedown CIV in the week I started my final week in my current job before starting a new one next week. You wait 18 months for a job and then two come along at once...

Countdown recap for Monday 22 November 2021.

On this day in 1890, Charles De Gaulle, former French president was born. According to Anne, however, he's more well known for having an aeroport named after him. :roll:

C1: Champion Jack Millard (3 wins, 255 points.) 17, which Anne seems intent on telling us every single time. Much less make-up than last week, thankfully.
C2: Challenger Dave Godbear. Caulkhead, i.e. from the Isle of Wight. Now works for Bradford Council as an Administrative Officer in the Parks Department. Struggles, however, to actually justify his job when grilled by Anne.
DC: Susie Dent and Shirley Ballas, who has been the best of the newer judges on Strictly. Thanks to COVID-19 taking out Craig Revel Horwood, Saturday's edition had NONE of the four judges that were on the panel merely 5 years ago.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

Let's have a bit of fun, then - I'll try to write the rest of this recap in the style of Shirley's Strictly comments.

R01: T D S O U A T E G
R02: E U E R N L T M S
R03: 50, 4, 2, 10, 3, 3. Target: 822.
TTT: NUDGEPOP - "He was always being questioned about the validity of his claims."
R04: I E O L T D M S E
R05: D T P O E A C A P
R06: 50, 9, 7, 8, 1, 2. Target: 265.
R07: S N V O A I L U T
R08: E U A G D S R W N
R09: 25, 8, 3, 10, 3, 4. Target: 542.
TTT: ACTSALTY - "It proved to be the start of something that got much bigger."
R10: E I A M T R N F P
R11: B N H O I E R I T
R12: E E A K L D V R D
R13: Y N S I U A R I W
R14: 50, 7, 4, 2, 9, 1. Target: 765.
R15: S N A G A P I P E (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Enjoy the show.

Round 1: T D S O U A T E G

Jack: TOASTED (7)
Dave: TOASTED (7)
DC: OUTDATES (8) OUTAGES (7)
OT: OUTGATES (8)
Score: 7–7 (max 8, jos 8)
Darren-o-meter: 0/1 (0%)

Well, firstly, let me just start by saying what a fantastic way to open the show. A really great seven.

Round 2: E U E R N L T M S

Jack: MELTERS (7)
Dave: RELENTS (7)
DC: RETUNES (7)
OT: MUENSTER (8)
Score: 14–14 (max 16, jos 15)
Darren-o-meter: 1/2 (50%)

Well, I enjoyed this particular round, but I think if you went for the letters that the computer saw there, it could be even better next time.

Round 3: 50, 4, 2, 10, 3, 3. Target: 822.

Jack: 816. (4 − 3 + 50) × (3 × 2 + 10) (5)
Dave: 816. (not written down) (3 ÷ 3 + 50) × (10 + 2 + 4) (5)
RR: 822. ((50 × 2 − 10) × 3 + 4) × 3​ (10)
Score: 19–19 (max 26, jos 25)

Sadly, it wasn't as polished as it could have been next time. Well done for having a good go at this one.

Teatime teaser: NUDGEPOP -> OPPUGNED

Well, sadly, Jack didn't know what that meant. I also saw Jack say that he did volunteering for Dr Bernardo's before the pandemic got in the way, which is a real shame because it was very promising.

Round 4: I E O L T D M S E

Jack: modeliest (risky)
Dave: SMELTED (7) (stick with, safe)
DC: MODELIST (8) MELODIES (8) MOLESTED (8) MELODISE (8) MELODIST (8)
OT: MELITOSE (8) MESOLITE (8) MODELISE (8)
Score: 19–26 (max 34, jos 33)
Darren-o-meter: 1/3 (33%)

Unfortunately there was a slight mistake just over here, bad luck.

Round 5: D T P O E A C A P

Jack: TAPPED (6)
Dave: COATED (6)
DC: PEACOAT (7) TOECAP (6)
OT: OPACATED (8)
Score: 25–32 (max 42, jos 40)
Darren-o-meter: 2/4 (50%)

Well, this could perhaps have done with a bit more improvement in the letters.

Round 6: 50, 9, 7, 8, 1, 2. Target: 265.

Jack: 265. (not written down) 50 ÷ 2 × (9 + 1) + 8 + 7​ (10)
Dave: 266.
Score: 35–32 (max 52, jos 50)

(chants) 265! 265! 265!

So, with Shirley on her fifth series now of Strictly, she's obviously much more comfortable in the style of this particular judging. It's like Anne Robinson struggling with the podium in her particular programme. We have four amazing judges and Shirley likes to see technical skills to carry you through the show: whether the feet are at 5-to-1 or whether they're turned in and sickled, for example. Only two contestants over 40 have won this programme, but one of them was the excellent Bill Bailey, who won in the last series. She says, and she is right, that the talent in this 2021 series is very high.

Round 7: S N V O A I L U T

Jack: VAULTS (6)
Dave: VIOLAS (6)
DC: AVULSION (8)
Score: 41–38 (max 60, jos 58)
Darren-o-meter: 3/5 (60%)

It's never too early for a darren from Shirley!

Round 8: E U A G D S R W N

Jack: ungrades
Dave: GARDENS (7)
DC: DANGERS (7)
OT: ASUNDER (7) AUGENDS (7) DANSEUR (7) DUNGERS (7) DURWANS (7) GANDERS (7) GERUNDS (7) NADGERS (7) NUDGERS (7) REDAWNS (7) SUGARED (7) SUNWARD (7) UNWAGED (7) WANDERS (7) WARDENS (7)
Score: 41–45 (max 67, jos 65)
Darren-o-meter: 3/6 (50%)

It's a real shame about the mistake, because it would have been really great otherwise. In the future you need to focus more on not putting UN- in front of words, and concentrate more on the stems and root causes of the words, and then you'll really be doing well going forward in this competition.

Round 9: 25, 8, 3, 10, 3, 4. Target: 542.

Jack: 542. (4 × 3 + 10) × 25 − 8​ (10)
Dave: 543.
Score: 51–45 (max 77, jos 75)

Well, I have to disagree with Rachel, there were other ways available there, but this was a very good routine from you, Jack. The most deserved 10! (points)

Teatime teaser: ACTSALTY -> CATALYST

(Breaking character here to say that Susie and Anne, correctly, point out the definition here and thus highlighting the fact the clue is "wrong".)

Round 10: E I A M T R N F P

Jack: PAINTER (7)
Dave: PERTAIN (7)
DC: FIREMAN (7) FAINTER (7) PRIMATE (7)
OT: EMPTAIN (7) MERANTI (7) MINARET (7) NAPTIME (7) RAIMENT (7) REPAINT (7)
Score: 58–52 (max 84, jos 82)
Darren-o-meter: 3/7 (43%)

Well, there were lots of sevens available there and you did a good job to get one, both of you.

Round 11: B N H O I E R I T

Jack: INHERIT (7) (not written down)
Dave: INHERIT (7)
DC: BORNITE (7)
OT: NIOBITE (7) ROBINET (7)
Score: 65–59 (max 91, jos 89)
Darren-o-meter: 3/8 (38%)

A job well done here, well done.

OOW Well, Susie tells us about some fascinating and really promising phrases named after people.

Round 12: E E A K L D V R D

Jack: LEADER (6)
Dave: LEAKED (6)
DC: DEALER (6) EVADED (6) DELVED (6)
OT: RELADED (7)
Score: 71–65 (max 98, jos 95)
Darren-o-meter: 4/9 (44%)

It was very nearly perfect, but Jack, you could have pushed it even further, so next time come back with that in mind.

Round 13: Y N S I U A R I W

Jack: RUNWAYS (7)
Dave: UNWARY (6) (not written down)
DC: RAISINY (7)
Score: 78–65 (max 105, jos 102)
Darren-o-meter: 4/10 (40%)

Well, let me just say this was an excellent performance from you, and you fully deserve the lead you have at this stage, Jack, well done.

Round 14: 50, 7, 4, 2, 9, 1. Target: 765.

Jack: 765. (9 + 4 + 2) × (50 + 1) (10)
Dave: 765. (9 + 4 + 2) × (50 + 1) (10)
Score: 88–75 (max 115, jos 112)

I would have liked to have seen a more difficult standard of routine, but what you did was very good. Well done.

Round 15: S N A G A P I P E

Dave buzzes on 1.75 seconds to say APPEASING which is correct.
Final Score: 88–85 (max 125, jos 122)

Well, let me just say what a fantastic way to close the show, and that was an excellent performance from both of you, so very well done.

I'm looking forward to this contestant going forward now, I'm excited to see where it can go.

[/Shirley Ballas]

Join us tomorrow, when I won't be writing the recap in Shirley Ballas and we'll instead be back to English.


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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