Oh well, duty calls. Enjoy.
Countdown recap for Thursday 8 March 2012.
C1: Champion Michael Taiwo (2 wins, 173 points.) A teacher from London. He supports Liverpool F.C., and likes reading and Scrabble.
C2: Challenger Gerri Kostrzewa. From Leeds. She is "re-evaluating her life" following redundancy. She and her husband ran Red Rhino Records and released Pulp's first ever single.
DC: Susie Dent and Pam Ayres.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: W C H T E I E R S
R02: N R G A E M I D R
R03: X L S R U E A T S
R04: T G N O E H S A Z
R05: 50, 100, 25, 2, 9, 9. Target: 812.
TTT: LONESPOT - "They don't take up a lone spot in the race, there's lots of them!"
R06: P I S N F E M O T
R07: P S J I E A Q T S
R08: K F T U I V N E A
R09: L T G I O E L N M
R10: 25, 1, 1, 7, 6, 3. Target: 190.
TTT: SIDGREEN - "Sid Green needed a change, so he gave up his job"
R11: P L S U G E W O L
R12: B A R E D O U Y T
R13: C M E I E B D R N
R14: 25, 1, 1, 2, 4, 9. Target: 764.
R15: A C T I T S A G E (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: W C H T E I E R S
C1: SWITCHER (8)
C2: SWITCHER (8)
DC: HERETICS (8) witchers WITCHES (7) HEWER (5)
OT: CHESTIER (8) CHEWIEST (8) WRETCHES (8)
Score: 8–8 (max 8)
An impressive start by both contestants with that 8 there. Nick himself appears in this selection too.
Round 2: N R G A E M I D R
C1: DREAMING (8)
C2: DREAMING (8)
DC: MARGE (5) MARGINED (8)
OT: REARMING (8)
Score: 16–16 (max 16)
I'm DREAMING of a max Christmas............. (Slightly out of season, admittedly.
)Round 3: X L S R U E A T S
C1: SALUTERS (8)
C2: relaxs
DC: LUSTRES (7) ARTLESS (7)
OT: SURTAXES (8)
Score: 24–16 (max 24)
We SALUTE you, Michael. Another impressive 8.
Round 4: T G N O E H S A Z
C1: HOSTAGE (7)
C2: THONGS (6)
DC: SHOT (4)
OT: ONSTAGE (7) TANGOES (7)
Score: 31–16 (max 31)
It may not be an 8, but he's had a perfect first 4 rounds, so he's on fabulous form again.
Round 5: 50, 100, 25, 2, 9, 9. Target: 812.
C1: 817.
C2: 809. (9 x 100) - (50 x 2) + 9 (7)
RR: 812. ((100 - (9 - 2)) x 9) - 25 (10)
Score: 31–23 (max 41)
A very odd looking numbers here, but Gerri takes advantage and claws herself back into the game.
Pam does a little poem about sewing and embroidery and mentions that Chris Evans once said a video she did about the subject was the most boring video on the face of the Earth
Teatime teaser: LONESPOT -> PELOTONS
Round 6: P I S N F E M O T
C1: MOISTEN (7)
C2: PIMENTOS (8)
DC: NEPOTISM (8) FOMENTS (7)
Score: 31–31 (max 49)
And the comeback is complete, as those PIMENTOS equalise the game.
Round 7: P S J I E A Q T S
C1: PASTIES (7)
C2: PASTIES (7)
DC: SIESTA (6)
OT: PATSIES (7)
Score: 38–38 (max 56)
Hmmmm, me feeling hungry after this round. Thank goodness for the SIESTA too.
A PATSY is a person who is easily swindled, deceived, coerced, persuaded, etc.
Round 8: K F T U I V N E A
C1: NATIVE (6)
C2: NAIVE (5)
DC: INTAKE (6)
OT: AUNTIE (6) FUNKIA (6) KENTIA (6)
Score: 44–38 (max 62)
Gerri misses the T as Michael goes NATIVE to get his lead back.
A FUNKIA (or PLANTAIN LILY) is any Japanese or Chinese plant of the genus Hosta, of the lily family, having large leaves and spikes or one-sided clusters of white, lilac, or blue flowers.
KENTIA is a plant name formerly used to include palms now allotted to several different genera and still used commercially to denote the feather palm genus Howea, native to Lord Howe Island, New South Wales.
Round 9: L T G I O E L N M
C1: MELTING (7)
C2: TELLING (7)
DC: LENTIGO (7)
OT: EMOTING (7) MELILOT (7) MITOGEN (7) TOLLING (7)
Score: 51–45 (max 69)
Flatness reigns supreme here.
A MELILOT is a cloverlike plant of the genus Melilotus, of the legume family, grown as a forage plant.
A MITOGEN is any substance or agent that stimulates mitotic cell division.
Susie's Origins Of Words talks about the origins of "guinea".
Round 10: 25, 1, 1, 7, 6, 3. Target: 190.
C1: 190. (25 - 6) x (7 + 3) (10)
C2: -
Score: 61–45 (max 79)
An unexpected bonus for Michael here, as Gerri notices that she's used a number twice and Michael's lead is now the largest it has been all game.
Teatime teaser: SIDGREEN -> RESIGNED
Round 11: P L S U G E W O L
C1: GULPS (5)
C2: GLOWS (5)
DC: SLOP (4) PLUGS (5)
OT: UPSWELL (7)
Score: 66–50 (max 86)
There had to be one stinky letters game somewhere in the mix, didn't there
Probably not too surprising that the darren was left alone, but probably more surprising was DC missing GOSPEL for 6............. 
Round 12: B A R E D O U Y T
C1: BOATER (6)
C2: DOUBTER (7)
DC: OBDURATE (8)
Score: 66–57 (max 94)
At least they got this darren, but Gerri's no DOUBTER here, and the gap is back down to single figures again.
Round 13: C M E I E B D R N
C1: BENDIER (7)
C2: BENDIER (7)
DC: ENDEMIC (7)
OT: BEMIRED (7) DEMINER (7) ERMINED (7) INBREED (7)
Score: 73–64 (max 101)
Another flat round as we head into the crucial last numbers game.
Round 14: 25, 1, 1, 2, 4, 9. Target: 764.
C1: 771. Mistake in working.
C2: 754. ((2 + 1) x 75 x (9 + 1)) + 4 (5)
RR: 766. ((25 - 1) x (9 - 1) x 4) - 2 (7)
OT: 762. ((25 x (9 + 1)) + 4) x (2 + 1) (7)
Score: 73–69 (max 108)
WOAH! WOAH!!WOAH!!! ACTIVATE THE CONTROVERSIAL-O-METER!!!!!!!
Michael looks like he might be in for the kill with his late 7 away, but he messes up twice and as he goes in for a 3rd time, Nick halts proceedings. It turns out that 771 is actually impossible in any case. So, Gerri's 10 away just gets her the 5 points, which are sort of irrelevant, as she still needs to get the conundrum anyway.
Out of curiosity, 2 away is as good as it gets.
Round 15: A C T I T S A G E
C2 buzzes on 16 seconds to say CASTIGATE which is correct.
Final Score: 73–79 (max 118)
Well, Gerri takes the lead for the first time today, and at exactly the right time too.
But.............. the CONTROVERSIAL-O-METER is reactivated, because it sounded like Gerri said CASTIGATES, which is of course incorrect, although you do really have to listen closely to hear it, so I think we should give her the benefit of the doubt on this one, but it is definitely another big talking point...........
So, Michael, despite getting 9 maxes to Gerri's 7, sees his hopes of qualifying for the finals extinguished. But can Gerri carry on from where Michael left off........
Unfortunately, we're going to have to wait for another 11 days to see if she can make it 2 out of 2, because tomorrow, the athletics takes over the channel for the majority of tomorrow, and Tuesday to Friday next week is taken over by those noisy NEIGH-bours from Channel 4 Racing at the Cheltenham Festival.
But, wait, what about Monday, I hear you ask
Well, on Monday, there is another Countdown special for us to enjoy, and it's a family affair, as Series 64 brother and sister act, Jamie & Jordan Humphries take on each other in a Humphries Head-Off.
Join me for that on Monday.
So, till then, bye bye.
Statistics Corner
Michael:
Total score - 73
Raw score - 93
Total % of max - 62
Raw % of max - 79
Total average score per round - 4.9
Raw average score per round - 6.2
Number of maxes - 9
Gerri:
Total score - 79
Raw score - 90
Total % of max - 67
Raw % of max - 76
Total average score per round - 5.3
Raw average score per round - 6.0
Number of maxes - 7
Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=66
