Friday 29 January 2010 (Series 62, Prelim 15)

[Mike Brown]

Countdown recap for Friday 29 January 2010 (Series 62, Prelim 15).

C1: Champion James Rawson (4 wins, 410 points.)
C2: Challenger Howard Lovelady (York, but originally from Lancs.)
DC: Susie Dent and Paul Zenon.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

Welcome to the Late, Late Recap with me, Kid Mole. Quadrachamp (or is that tetrachamp?) James Rawson is looking increasingly comfortable in that champion’s chair, but can he see off the challenge of the wonderfully-surnamed (and, lest I upset Mr Somerset, also the wonderfully-forenamed) Howard Lovelady? Let’s see!

R01: T R E U C S O I L
R02: J S D M E I E T A
R03: I U N R E D G A Z
R04: N M T S O A E D E
R05: 2, 9, 9, 1, 5, 5. Target: 154.
TTT: ANSWERME - "Males curse over clothing items."
R06: B L D V O E A N O
R07: X L F E O R Y E C
R08: R C T B A O E A S
R09: Q G E O N S E N I
R10: 100, 3, 9, 2, 6, 5. Target: 926.
TTT: WINOSTAP - "It's an unusual word, so you have the choice to change it."
R11: M R T O E S A E I
R12: D P L R A E I N O
R13: P G H I U E Y N K
R14: 50, 2, 6, 1, 3, 7. Target: 387.
R15: L A M E D M I N D (conundrum)

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The show opens with Jeff announcing that it’s the Big Garden Birdwatch at the weekend, where the RSPB want everyone to spend an hour counting the birds in their gardens. Rachel waxes lyrical about the feathered creatures she saw whilst on holiday in Borneo; Jeff waxes lyrical about crispy aromatic duck.

Round 1: T R E U C S O I L

C1: OUTLIERS (8)
C2: COSTLIER (8)
DC: CLOISTER (8) COULTERS (8)
OT: CORTILES (8) CLOTURES (8) CURLIEST (8) UTRICLES (8) OUTCRIES (8)
Score: 8–8 (max 8)

Lots of lovely eights...

Round 2: J S D M E I E T A

C1: MEDIATES (8)
C2: MASTED (6)
DC: JADEITE (7)
OT: SIDEMEAT (8)
Score: 16–8 (max 16)

The recap writer seems to have come up with JADEITES, but it’s one of those pesky mineral mass nouns. I suspect Susie wouldn’t have allowed it, especially as DC offered JADEITE and put it on the pen-cam.

Round 3: I U N R E D G A Z

C1: GRAINED (7)
C2: READING (7)
DC: GAZUNDER (8)
Score: 23–15 (max 24)

DC get the darren and James maintains his lead.

Round 4: N M T S O A E D E

C1: NEMATODES (18)
C2: STEAMED (7)
DC: NEMATODES (18)
Score: 41–15 (max 42)

James worms his way further into the lead with a great spot. Surely it’s pentachampdom for him???

Round 5: 2, 9, 9, 1, 5, 5. Target: 154.

James gives Rachel a ‘lady’s choice’, so she chooses a ‘smile’-shaped selection. Ahhh....

C1: 151.
C2: 154. ((9 - 2 + 5 + 5) x 9) + 1 (10)
Score: 41–25 (max 52)

Unfortunately, James’s chivalry doesn’t give him the right answer and Howard goes into the first break only 16 points behind, despite missing the nine-letter word.

Paul Zenon performs a magic trick, with a bit of help from “The Great Stellini”, which is basically Jeff in a fake red and gold jacket front, with Paul’s hands through the sleeves. Classic stuff, or as Chris Davies put it, “I b***** love Paul Zenon”.

Teatime teaser: ANSWERME -> MENSWEAR

Round 6: B L D V O E A N O

C1: balooned
C2: BLEND (5)
DC: ALBEDO (6)
OT: DOABLE (6) BLONDE (6) BOODLE (6) LOANED (6) LOONED (6) NOODLE (6)
Score: 41–30 (max 58)

James gambles on a dodgy spelling that doesn’t pay off. I guess he didn’t have much else to offer, so thought it was worth a punt.

Round 7: X L F E O R Y E C

C1: foxey
C2: FORCE (5)
DC: CREOLE (6) FLEXOR (6)
OT: CELERY (6) FLEECY (6) FREELY (6) REFLEX (6)
Score: 41–35 (max 64)

Another miscalculated risk from our champ sees him stuck on 41 for the third consecutive round (or fourth, depending on how you look at it - discuss), while Howard creeps ever closer.

Round 8: R C T B A O E A S

C1: BOATERS (7)
C2: ACROBATS (8)
DC: ABREACTS (8)
OT: ASCORBATE (18)
Score: 41–43 (max 82)

This is getting interesting, as HL takes a slender lead. Everyone misses the niner. Interestingly, the etymology of ASCORBATE relates to the ability to combat scurvy (for example, ascorbic acid is vitamin C – geddit?).

Round 9: Q G E O N S E N I

C1: NOSING (6)
C2: ENGINES (7)
OT: SOIGNEE (7)
Score: 41–50 (max 89)

Howard now hasn’t failed to score since Round 4, the same time that James last did. Part Two could be rather exciting!

OoW: Susie discusses the origins of ‘open sesame’, which I have a feeling she may have mentioned before in the dim and distant.

Round 10: 100, 3, 9, 2, 6, 5. Target: 926.

C1: 926. ((100 + 2) x 9) + 3 + 5 (10)
C2: 926. ((100 + 3) x 9) - (6 - 5) (10)
Score: 51–60 (max 99)

Yay! James is scoring again. Game on!

Teatime teaser: WINOSTAP -> SWAPTION

Round 11: M R T O E S A E I

As ‘Mr T’ appears on the board, Rachel does a passable impression (“I pity da fool”), which causes someone to laugh a little unkindly (IMO).

C1: ATOMISER (8)
C2: STEAMIER (8)
DC: AMORTISE (8)
OT: EMIRATES (8) TIRESOME (8)
Score: 59–68 (max 107)

Make a meaningful sentence out of those eight-letter words in thirty seconds... go!!

Round 12: D P L R A E I N O

C1: PADRINO (7)
C2: PLAINER (7)
DC: PALINODE (8)
Score: 66–75 (max 115)

Still only nine points in it; DC get their second darren of the day and a bit of a Countdown favourite to boot.

Round 13: P G H I U E Y N K

C1: PUNKY (5)
C2: PUKING (6)
OT: GUINEP (6) HYPING (6) KEYING (6)
Score: 66–81 (max 121)

Charming! – but PUKING nets Howard what could be a very useful six points, as it puts him more than ten ahead with just two rounds to go. GUINEP is one of those ODE oddities, listed only under GENIP. Grrr.... (but thanks, Wikipedia.) Oh yeah, and it’s a tropical tree or its fruit; where would we be without those on Countdown?

Round 14: 50, 2, 6, 1, 3, 7. Target: 387.

C1: 387. ((7 + 1) x (50 - 2)) + 3 (10)
C2: 387. Mistake in working.
Score: 76–81 (max 131)

Howard uses the two twice, handing James a much needed lifeline.

Round 15: L A M E D M I N D

No one buzzes. The answer was MIDDLEMAN.
Score: 76–81 (max 141)

It’s left to a lady in the audience, who may or may not have been cradling her Countdown mug in her lap when it was filmed, to give us the answer.

Sadly for James, his Countdown days are probably over, as four wins seems unlikely to be enough for him to return for the quarter-finals. Still, stranger things have been known... meanwhile, Howard, of course, returns on Monday to defend his crown.

Thanks to the seemingly ubiquitous James Robinson for entering the recap details for me. Much appreciated.

See you in a virtual week for another Friday recap.

Mike.

Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=62

[Dinos Sfyris]

C1: ATOMISER (8)
C2: STEAMIER (8)
DC: AMORTISE (8)
OT: EMIRATES (8) TIRESOME (8)
Score: 59–68 (max 107)

Make a meaningful sentence out of those eight-letter words in thirty seconds... go!!

The five possible 8s in round 11 were ATOMISER, STEAMIER, AMORTISE, EMIRATES and TIRESOME. What do I win?

[Mike Brown]

The five possible 8s in round 11 were ATOMISER, STEAMIER, AMORTISE, EMIRATES and TIRESOME. What do I win?

Damn, I forgot to mention that it should be vaguely amusing too! And the prize? A VFSMB, natch.

[James Robinson]

The five possible 8s in round 11 were ATOMISER, STEAMIER, AMORTISE, EMIRATES and TIRESOME. What do I win?

Damn, I forgot to mention that it should be vaguely amusing too! And the prize? A VFSMB, natch.

All right, how about this:

I went to the EMIRATES to see the TIRESOME Gunners, who made me wish I'd brought my ATOMISER, but as my head went STEAMIER, it made me wonder how Arsenal didn't AMORTISE my money that I brought to the game.

[Gavin Chipper]

The five possible 8s in round 11 were ATOMISER, STEAMIER, AMORTISE, EMIRATES and TIRESOME. What do I win?

Damn, I forgot to mention that it should be vaguely amusing too! And the prize? A VFSMB, natch.

All right, how about this:

I went to the EMIRATES to see the TIRESOME Gunners, who made me wish I'd brought my ATOMISER, but as my head went STEAMIER, it made me wonder how Arsenal didn't AMORTISE my money that I brought to the game.

That's winning on the basis that you've used the words rather than mentioned them.