Countdown recap for Tuesday 17 August 2021.
Anne tells us it's Robert De Niro's birthday today. He's waiting, talking Italian...
C1: Champion Matt Gould (7 wins, 591 points.)
C2: Challenger Jean Dullea. She writes her chances off immediately. Spent 15 years in Ireland before moving to Brighton.
DC: Susie Dent and Jeremy Thompson.
RR: Rachel Riley. Rachel's dress is half-white and half-pink. It looks like they started dying it pink, but ran out halfway through.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: T D H G O E O W S
R02: Q T N E R G O I U
R03: 25, 10, 5, 4, 5, 9. Target: 429.
TTT: SALESLOG - "The game finished exactly the same way as it started."
R04: D T L A E O F H A
R05: Y R G N I E S S E
R06: 25, 3, 10, 7, 7, 2. Target: 824.
R07: D R M T A I A O V
R08: U E A S R D S P I
R09: 75, 5, 5, 10, 9, 2. Target: 270.
TTT: TOFITHER - "She couldn't find anything to fit her for the big birthday bash."
R10: K M W I E U S T E
R11: L R G I O O T L E
R12: P C N L A E U Z S
R13: R L D A A O I V T
R14: 25, 50, 100, 3, 1, 10. Target: 697.
R15: M I S S O T T E R (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: T D H G O E O W S
Matt: SHOWED (6)
Jean: shooted
DC: HOTDOGS (7) GHOSTED (7) WOOSHED (7)
OT: SOOTHED (7) STOOGED (7)
Score: 6–0 (max 7, jos 7)
Darren-o-meter: 0/1 (0%)
Matt SHOWs why he's done so well, as Jean thinks the past tense of to shoot is SHOOTED^.
Round 2: Q T N E R G O I U
Matt: REQUOTING (18) (try)
Jean: OUTRING (7) (risky)
OT: ROQUETING (18)
Score: 24–0 (max 25, jos 25)
Darren-o-meter: 0/2 (0%)
Jean has a risky 7 whilst Matt tries a 9. They're both in the dictionary and it means Matt has a huge early lead.
Round 3: 25, 10, 5, 4, 5, 9. Target: 429.
Matt: -
Jean: 430. 5 × 10 × 9 − 4 × 5 (7)
RR: 429. 5 × 10 × 9 − 25 + 4 (10)
Score: 24–7 (max 35, jos 35)
Jean hits back here with an LNAFP for one away. Rachel shows that holding back the 25 was the answer.
Teatime teaser: SALESLOG -> GOALLESS
Round 4: D T L A E O F H A
Matt: FLOATED (7)
Jean: FLOATED (7) (stick with; rejected risky 8 afloated)
OT: FLATHEAD (8)
Score: 31–14 (max 43, jos 42)
Darren-o-meter: 1/3 (33%)
Anne asks what the rejected risky word was (hooray!) and Jean was right not to risk AFLOATED^.
Round 5: Y R G N I E S S E
Matt: SINGERS (7)
Jean: GREENS (6)
DC: SYNERGISE (18)
Score: 38–14 (max 61, jos 60)
Darren-o-meter: 2/4 (50%)
SYNERGISE absolutely leapt off the board at me, but not either contestant, sadly.
Round 6: 25, 3, 10, 7, 7, 2. Target: 824.
Matt: 825. (3 × 10 + 2 + 7 ÷ 7) × 25 (7)
Jean: -
RR: 824 (after anecdote). 10 × 3 × (25 + 2) + 7 + 7 (10)
Score: 45–14 (max 71, jos 70)
Jean tries to pick 7 numbers.... d'oh. Matt gets one away, with Rachel showing that 27 x 30 was the way to go. Of course it was.
Jeremy talks about the Queen's visit to China in 1986 and her peak physical prowess as she walked, live, across the Great Wall. Jeremy talks about the limitations of broadcast technology at the time, and that far too much money was spent on it. The Queen then asked Jeremy "how did you get it up?"
Round 7: D R M T A I A O V
Matt: RADIO (5)
Jean: RATIO (5)
DC: AVIATOR (7) MATADOR (7)
OT: DIORAMA (7) MATROID (7) MORDITA (7) TRAVADO (7)
Score: 50–19 (max 78, jos 77)
Darren-o-meter: 2/5 (40%)
Fives each for the contestants, which can be extended to seven for the corner.
Round 8: U E A S R D S P I
Matt: ASSURED (7)
Jean: ASPIRED (7)
DC: PRAISED (7) UPRAISED (8) DESPAIRS (8)
OT: RADIUSES (8) SUSPIRED (8) UPRAISES (8)
Score: 57–26 (max 86, jos 85)
Darren-o-meter: 2/6 (33%)
Again both contestants match each other, although Dictionary Corner have eight.
Round 9: 75, 5, 5, 10, 9, 2. Target: 270.
Matt: 270. (5 × 5 + 2) × 10 (10)
Jean: 269.
Score: 67–26 (max 96, jos 95)
Matt with an LNAFP which is easy enough to extend his lead.
Teatime teaser: TOFITHER -> FORTIETH
Round 10: K M W I E U S T E
Matt: TIMES (5)
Jean: MUSKET (6)
DC: KISMET (6)
OT: KUMITE (6) MUSTEE (6) SIMEET (6) WESTIE (6)
Score: 67–32 (max 102, jos 101)
Darren-o-meter: 2/7 (29%)
Jean wins a round here with MUSKET, which keeps her within outside-chance distance.
Round 11: L R G I O O T L E
Matt: LOITER (6)
Jean: TILLER (6)
DC: GLORIOLE (8)
Score: 73–38 (max 110, jos 109)
Darren-o-meter: 3/8 (37%)
GLORIOLE. Not to be confused with GLORYHOLE.
Jeremy asks Susie about the origin of the filibuster. It goes back to the 18th century and came to English via Dutch and Spanish.
Round 12: P C N L A E U Z S
Matt: CAPSULE (7) (not written down)
Jean: UNPLACES (8)
Score: 73–46 (max 118, jos 117)
Darren-o-meter: 4/9 (44%)
A great darren from Jean gets her back in the game. Win this last letters round with a 7 and she would only be 20 behind...
Round 13: R L D A A O I V T
Matt: RADIAL (6)
Jean: RADIAL (6)
DC: ADROIT (6) AVIATOR (7)
OT: DATIVAL (7) DILATOR (7) OVARIAL (7) ROTALID (7) TRAVADO (7) TRAVAIL (7) VARIOLA (7)
Score: 79–52 (max 125, jos 124)
Darren-o-meter: 4/10 (40%)
Second appearance in the day of AVIATOR, but six is not enough for Jean, and Matt is an octochamp!
Round 14: 25, 50, 100, 3, 1, 10. Target: 697.
Matt: 697. (10 − 3) × 100 − 50 ÷ 25 − 1 (10)
Jean: 697. (10 − 3) × 100 − 50 ÷ 25 − 1 (10)
Score: 89–62 (max 135, jos 134)
10 points each, can Matt seal his octochampdom with a conundrum?
Round 15: M I S S O T T E R
No one buzzes. Rachel gives the answer, which was STORMIEST.
Final Score: 89–62 (max 145, jos 144)
So Matt becomes the second octochamp of the series despite the lack of drumcundry. We'll have two new contestants tomorrow, then. Join us again for more Countdown. Goodbye.
Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=84