Enjoy.
Countdown recap for Wednesday 8 December 2010.
C1: Champion Mike Pickering (1 win, 76 points.) A 36-year-old personal banker from Hull, East Yorkshire. He is a keen golfer with a handicap of 18. He also supports Liverpool F.C..
C2: Challenger Katy Hadfield. A 30-year-old from Preston, Lancashire. She enjoys badminton and walking. She is also a bit of an adrenalin junkie and has done bungee jumping, parascending, white water rafting, jungle swings, skydiving and river sledging.
DC: Susie Dent and Amanda Lamb.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: H O E G R A N S I
R02: L U R I M F E D I
R03: O E I L F C P A T
R04: W U E R M S E I R
R05: 50, 7, 4, 3, 4, 10. Target: 722.
TTT: CRUSHPEA - "Get a grip on your latest buy"
R06: Y U N V E N L A D
R07: S T R W O E O R I
R08: D B A E U X T S I
R09: R A N I T S O C A
R10: 100, 5, 4, 9, 9, 1. Target: 498.
TTT: LAYPRESS - "It sounds like the herb is spread a bit thin"
R11: J E I A N G S D M
R12: S Q E A T B E N T
R13: R A E D T T U D E
R14: 75, 6, 4, 2, 5, 9. Target: 302.
R15: H A R M S D O N E (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: H O E G R A N S I
C1: HEARINGS (8)
C2: ORGANISE (8)
DC: ORANGISH (8)
OT: SHEARING (8)
Score: 8–8 (max 8)
A good start for all concerned with 8's all round.
Round 2: L U R I M F E D I
C1: MILDER (6)
C2: FILMED (6)
DC: DELIRIUM (8)
Score: 14–14 (max 16)
DC go into absolute DELIRIUM with that darrenic 8.
Round 3: O E I L F C P A T
C1: FACILE (6)
C2: POLICE (6)
DC: POLECAT (7) OPTICAL (7)
OT: POETICAL (8)
Score: 20–20 (max 24)
The contestants are still matching in terms of points, but DC miss the darren this time round.
Round 4: W U E R M S E I R
C1: MISER (5)
C2: RESUME (6)
DC: REWIRES (7)
Score: 20–26 (max 31)
And it's Katy who makes the breakthrough in this one with her 6, but DC get the darrenic 7 this time round.
Round 5: 50, 7, 4, 3, 4, 10. Target: 722.
C1: 721. ((10 + 4) x 50) + (3 x 7) (7)
C2: 721. ((10 + 4) x 50) + (3 x 7) (7)
OT: 722. ((50 + 7 + 4) x 4 x 3) - 10 (10)
Score: 27–33 (max 41)
Easy to get 1 away here, but not even Rachel can solve this 1.
Amanda talks about a language created in Australia which avoids talking to mothers-in-law.
Teatime teaser: CRUSHPEA -> PURCHASE
Round 6: Y U N V E N L A D
C1: UNLADEN (7)
C2: UNLADEN (7)
DC: DUENNA (6)
Score: 34–40 (max 48)
Now the contestants go darrenic with that 7.
Round 7: S T R W O E O R I
C1: ROOSTER (7)
C2: WORRIES (7)
Me: ROOTSIER (8)
Score: 41–47 (max 56)
Now it's my turn to go darrenic here.
Round 8: D B A E U X T S I
C1: BASTED (6)
C2: DEBUTS (6)
DC: BAUXITE (7)
OT: BASTIDE (7) SUBEDIT (7)
Score: 47–53 (max 63)
The contestants are sticking like glue today. The gap still at 6.
A BASTIDE is a medieval fortified town, planned as a whole and built at one time, especially in southern France, for strategic or commercial purposes.
Round 9: R A N I T S O C A
C1: RATIONS (7)
C2: RATIONS (7)
DC: RAINCOATS (18)
Score: 54–60 (max 81)
DC go darrenic 9 here, while the contestants are happy with their RATIONS.
Susie's Origins Of Words carries on with the theme of the impending crossover into the ODE3 in the next series, with a discussion about the pronounciation of the letter "H".
Round 10: 100, 5, 4, 9, 9, 1. Target: 498.
C1: 498. (5 x 100) - ((9 / 9) + 1) (10)
C2: 498. (5 x 100) - ((9 / 9) + 1) (10)
Score: 64–70 (max 91)
Back again to the relatively-easy numbers games again.
Teatime teaser: LAYPRESS -> SPARSELY
Round 11: J E I A N G S D M
C1: SEAMING (7)
C2: SIGNED (6)
DC: ENIGMAS (7) MEDIANS (7)
OT: GAMINES (7) JASMINE (7) MAIDENS (7) MEDINAS (7) SIDEMAN (7) SMIDGEN (7)
Score: 71–70 (max 98)
And now the champion takes the lead with his cricketing 7.
A GAMINE is a neglected girl who is left to run about the streets, or a diminutive or very slender girl, especially one who is pert, impudent, or playfully mischievous.
A MEDINA is the old Arab quarter of a North African city.
A SIDEMAN is an instrumentalist in a band or orchestra, or supporting a soloist or a principal performer.
Round 12: S Q E A T B E N T
C1: NEATEST (7)
C2: BATTENS (7)
Score: 78–77 (max 105)
Both 7's are picked up by the contestants here.
Round 13: R A E D T T U D E
C1: TREATED (7)
C2: RUTTED (6)
DC: UTTERED (7) DUETTED (7)
OT: DERATED (7) DRATTED (7)
Score: 85–77 (max 112)
Another 7 from the champ puts him 8 ahead, meaning a sudden death conundrum is now out of the question, but a crucial one is still a very real possibility.
DRATTED is an adjective meaning damned or confounded.
Round 14: 75, 6, 4, 2, 5, 9. Target: 302.
C1: 302. (75 x 4) + 2 (10)
C2: 302. (75 x 4) + 2 (10)
Score: 95–87 (max 122)
And so for the 4th game in a row, the conundrum will decide the outcome of this match.
Round 15: H A R M S D O N E
No one buzzes. The answer was HANDSOMER.
Final Score: 95–87 (max 132)
But, like on Friday, no-one gets it, and not even a soul in the audience can spot it (allegedly (I say that, as quite a few finalists will have been in the audience, but they were probably disguised)), but then Rachel impresses by getting the answer herself.
So, another close contest this week ends with the champion Mike still in the chair, and we will see him again in 33 days time, when the new series starts on January 10, because tomorrow, one of the most eagerly-awaited series finals is set to begin.
Join me for the first quarter-final between the #8 Seed, Peter "The Southampton Survivor" Godwin, and the #1 Seed, Jack "The Desford Destroyer" Hurst.
Be there or you'll miss out on a treat.
Till tomorrow, bye bye.
Statistics Corner
Mike:
Total score - 95
Raw score - 100
Total % of max - 72
Raw % of max - 76
Total average score per round - 6.3
Raw average score per round - 6.7
Number of maxes - 7
Katy:
Total score - 87
Raw score - 99
Total % of max - 66
Raw % of max - 75
Total average score per round - 5.8
Raw average score per round - 6.6
Number of maxes - 5
Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=63