Monday 11th July 2011 (Series 65, Prelim 26)

[Ryan Taylor]

Countdown recap for Monday 11 July 2011.

C1: Champion Jon Elmer (2 wins, 174 points.)
C2: Challenger Jonathan Harrison.
DC: Susie Dent and John Stapleton.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: N O H Y R I E A L
R02: P I E N R S I T S
R03: R G A E W T O R J
R04: E I U S B C D R A
R05: 25, 5, 9, 10, 4, 8. Target: 739.
TTT: VOIDLOAN - "It might have you crying tears on your pilau"
R06: I E D F T I O G H
R07: G A N S L U O A C
R08: I I M P N U O T M
R09: T E N P V A E A T
R10: 100, 25, 1, 7, 3, 8. Target: 513.
TTT: HOTCORES - "The American singer rummages around for a smoke"
R11: N U S V R E A O M
R12: E I A S B L T O K
R13: D E W T G R A O A
R14: 25, 50, 10, 4, 1, 5. Target: 264.
R15: P L A C E S E T C (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER

Jon Elmer is a maths lecturer at Bristol University and also enjoys playing the guitar and piano as well as trying his hand at golf and football (although admittedly he says he's a bit rubbish at them). He's back in the champion's chair today after beating Greg "Greggles" Scott (the former warm up man for Countdown) on Friday.

Jonathan Harrison is a student at Manchester Metropolitan University studying the best subject that you possibly can...geography! As well as sharing this similarity with me he also wants to go into secondary school teaching just like me so maybe I'll be competing for a job with him in the near future, although I'd much rather compete with him at Countdown as I'm pretty sure I could take him. Besides the studying he likes to speak a bit of French and watch French films too which probably means he's watched 'La Vie En Rose' once on an airline flight or something.

So it's a classic Lecturer vs Student contest today, let battle commence.

Enjoy the show.

Round 1: N O H Y R I E A L

C1: INHALER (7)
C2: HORNY (5)
DC: AILERON (7)
OT: HERNIAL (7) HOARILY (7) HORNILY (7) HYALINE (7) INLAYER (7)
Score: 7–0 (max 7)

I'm sure a load of Jonathan's studenty mates had a good old laugh at his first word here BUT IT'S NO LAUGHING MATTER since he could have stuck in the -IL- AND his opponent hit the max.

Round 2: P I E N R S I T S

C1: SPINSTER (8)
C2: STRIPES (7)
DC: SINISTER (8)
OT: INSPIRES (8) PRISTINE (8) SPINIEST (8)
Score: 15–0 (max 15)

Jonathan is beaten again and I'm pretty sure he only spotted STRIPES because of seeing STRIPS first.

Round 3: R G A E W T O R J

C1: TOWAGE (6)
C2: WAGER (5)
DC: GARTER (6) RAGWORT (7)
Score: 21–0 (max 22)

DC do a little bit of good old fashioned dicking-on-the-contestants with RAGWORT...a yellow flowered plant whilst my fellow geography student has let me down again.

Round 4: E I U S B C D R A

C1: SCARED (6)
C2: SCRIBED (7)
DC: CRUSADE (7) CARBIDES (8) ASCRIBED (8)
Score: 21–7 (max 30)

At last Jonathan gets off the mark although he could have maxed this round had he added the A to the star of his word. Nevermind because it means Jon Elmer's lead is pegged back from 21 to 14.

Round 5: 25, 5, 9, 10, 4, 8. Target: 739.

C1: 741. 25*4*8-5*10-9 (7)
C2: -
RR: 739. ((25-8)*4+5)*10+9 (10)
Score: 28–7 (max 40)

A tricky numbers game here sees the Champ come out on top for the fourth time in 5 rounds. Rachel comes up with a beauty of a solution to make me forgive her for saying that she doesn't like the Harry Potter films at the start. Bitch.

DC Guest Time: Our third John of the day tells of the time when he locked his wife (accidentally, not Fritzl-style) in a room in his house before going to bed. He woke up the next morning to find that she had axed her way out of the room in some kind of scene reminiscent of The Shining.

Teatime teaser: VOIDLOAN -> VINDALOO

Round 6: I E D F T I O G H

C1: GIFTED (6)
C2: -
DC: FIDGET (6)
OT: FOETID (6)
Score: 34–7 (max 46)

A complete blank from Jonathan shows he is still not totally settled despite the interval whereas Jon Elmer achieves a 50% max rate.

Round 7: G A N S L U O A C

C1: CLANGS (6)
C2: CLANGS (6)
DC: COAGULA (7)
OT: GUANACOS (8)
Score: 40–13 (max 54)

DC think they're all high and mighty spotting COAGULA but they could have picked up the darren GUANACOS (camel-like mammals). Jus' saying.

Round 8: I I M P N U O T M

C1: MOUNT (5)
C2: POINT (5)
DC: OPTIMUM (7)
Score: 45–18 (max 61)

They redeem themselves by spotting the darren in this one though and Rhys Benjamin's darren-o-meter must be going haywire. The two Jo(h)ns find 5's although PINOUT was also there for 6.

Round 9: T E N P V A E A T

C1: pentate
C2: PATENT (6)
DC: PAVANE (6)
OT: NEPETA (6) PATTEE (6) PATTEN (6)
Score: 45–24 (max 67)

From the moment Jon Elmer said that he'd try a 7 he was in trouble as 6 was the max in this round and by some miracle after 9 rounds Jonathan Harrison has achieved A MAX WORD!!

Susie's Origins: Having spoke about Harry Potter at the start, Susie mentions some magicky words like BASILISK, MANDRAKE, OGRE and bizarrely WOMBLES (coined by Elisabeth Beresford's daughter).

Round 10: 100, 25, 1, 7, 3, 8. Target: 513.

C1: 512. (100+1)*(8-3)+7 (7)
C2: 516.
RR: 513. (100-1)*(8-3)+25-7 (10)
Score: 52–24 (max 77)

Jon's numbers are once again better than the students although he is a maths lecturer so you'd expect them to be. Had he had a little more time I think Jon would have got this because Rachel's method differes only slightly from his.

Teatime teaser: HOTCORES -> CHEROOTS

Round 11: N U S V R E A O M

C1: RAVENOUS (8)
C2: MOANERS (7)
OT: ENAMOURS (8) NEUROMAS (8) OVERMANS (8)
Score: 60–24 (max 85)

A lovely spot from Jon here takes him even further clear into a 36 point lead and if you were wondering, no MANOUVRES^ is not available.

Round 12: E I A S B L T O K

C1: blokiest
C2: BASKET (6)
DC: OBELISK (7) OBLATES (7)
OT: BALKIEST (8) KILOBASE (8)
Score: 60–30 (max 93)

Jon tries for a dodgy word for the second time in the game and for the second time it is rejected. I have sympathy for him though as in my audition I also risked BLOKIEST^ (+Y = KILOBYTES) and from this error I was able to spot OBELISK in this round. Still, I was nowhere near KILOBASE or BALKIEST and likewise, neither was Susie.

Round 13: D E W T G R A O A

C1: GRATED (6)
C2: GRATED (6)
DC: WATERDOG (8)
Score: 66–36 (max 101)

A great "spot" by John Stapleton here which Susie checks is in. Alternatives for this round are the slightly more straightforward WORDAGE/DOWAGER but sadly the champ and challenger were stuck on 6's. Jon won't care though because that is the hat-trick of wins sewn up for him now.

Round 14: 25, 50, 10, 4, 1, 5. Target: 264.

C1: 264. 50*5+10+4 (10)
C2: 264. 50*5+10+4 (10)
Score: 76–46 (max 111)

Just time for an easy numbers game.

Round 15: P L A C E S E T C

C2 buzzes on 0.5 second to say SCEPTACLE which is incorrect.
C1 buzzes on 1 second to say SPECTACLE which is correct.
Final Score: 86–46 (max 121)

And a classic error from Jonathan (it's SKEPTICAL) leads Jon to the right answer and a third score in the 80's which leads me to believe that this should become Jon Elmer's theme music. I still think the contestants should come out to entrance music lik on darts.

Work here is done. I'm needed elsewhere now. [name that film?]

Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=65

[Douglas Wilson]

I'm sure when you were on the show you said you studied history???

[James Robinson]

I'm sure when you were on the show you said you studied history???

You obviously didn't see Ryan on The Weakest Link, then Douglas...........

[Ryan Taylor]

I'm sure when you were on the show you said you studied history???

Yeah unfortunately I dropped off that course and just had a year off. Interestingly I've just finished first year of geography and that was also like having a year off.