So here we are, the last weekday of June and the Grand Final has arrived upon us. Both contestants are titans and both of them have the potential to lift the Richard Whiteley Memorial Trophy. Fingers crossed and let's go!
Letters: Very, very unlucky for Elliott as he didn't risk FILATURES in R1 which was the game's only sole nine!
Nevertheless, good spot in the next round with both getting URBANITE and afterwards, Elliott clambers back with COALISED in R4. Sadly, it was Dinos who proved to be stronger here on the other hand, with TREASURE to beat the former's noteworthy AERATES in R5 and with GOATISH in R8. However, his safe territory got munched away after he went with forestudy late in the game, leaving Elliott a chance to still beat him! (Some people on the Daily Chat were questioning why on Earth did he do that...)
Numbers: I predicted for all the Rounds today, the combination would be six small but that's not what happened. Dinos makes R3 look easy with him solving perfectly, beating Elliott for the first time in a Numbers Round!
Applause rings out in the studio after he does that. Elliott then goes for the ultimate gamble in R9: 4L and CECIL gives a hard target but both contestants manage to get one away with him still behind.
After CECIL generates an easy target for R14, Dinos isn't out of danger yet with Elliott still clinging on!
Conundrum: For the fourth Series in a row, the Grand Final ends in a crucial conundrum...it's not over as Elliott can still force a tiebreaker which has happened in Series 69. Elliott doesn't get it immediately and with the time still ticking and with me struggling to solve it I hear Dinos buzzing in. Without hesitation he says TABBOULEH...*Gasps* He could be right!! IT IS!!
With screams and cheers in the audience (not to mention me doing the same too) the number two seed, for the second Series in a row, becomes the Grand Champion!
This was a close fight indeed as I had predicted. Like many of you who voted in the Finals Prediction Thread, I also went with Elliott and that he would take home the Trophy after escaping a Crucial Conundrum (i.e. Margin of around 10 points). That proved to be completely wrong with Dinos lifting the coveted Trophy instead with the margin at 20 points.
2019 has proven to be a Year where the Underdogs have won on Major TV Quiz Shows. First on University Challenge, then on Only Connect and now, Countdown! To start off with Elliott, it's a shame that you lost and just like Martin May last year, everyone had been predicting you to be the eventual winner. Sadly that proved not to be the case and you did seem a bit dejected and emotional at the end.
Commiserations on your loss but hey, you absolutely gave your best performance. Even though I've only ever played with you once (or perhaps more I can't remember) on Apterous, your skills back in 2018 were more supreme than any other player I've came across up to that point. Indeed, you lived up to your reputation and name on-screen, went on to break many records and most importantly, gave many audiences at home (myself included) a reason to like and watch Countdown.
You've been an absolute smasher and it's unfortunate you couldn't become the highest-ever Xicount. Nevertheless, your total of 1373 points in 11 Games is the BEST any Finalist has ever racked up!
You should be proud of yourself! Looking forward to hear more from you on Apterous in the near future!
As for Dinos, just like Zarte Siempre around this time last year, your return has paid off big and after 12 years when we last saw you (Minus the Special), you've came back stronger than ever and no doubt you were absolutely on fire in this game! The sign of joy when you slumped back into your chair after getting the conundrum to take the title of "Grand Champion of Series 80" was possibly the best reaction I've seen from any eventual winner over the last two years!
Once again, Congratulations!!!
Hopefully you'll inspire your students to come on the show in the near future!
With that, Series 80 comes to a close on a high note not before mentioning the fact that Elliott broke two more records earlier, the all-time record score in Countdown with 152 and becoming the first Octochamp to crash the 1000 Barrier. As I mentioned before when he broke the latter record, both records will definitely stand for a long time to come, dare I say in my lifetime as well! Series 81 begins on Monday, 01 July 2019 and Imogen Gordon is back seeking her fourth win! May the second-half of 2019 be as fun as the first-half for Countdown!
Progress:
QF1 (20 June):
Elliott Mellor (#1) vs Mark Decouto (#8) (
109 - 73)
QF2 (21 June):
Dinos Sfyris (#2) vs Sandra Pilson (#7) (
118 - 71)
QF3 (24 June):
Brendan Whitehurst (#3) vs Steven Turnbull (#6) (
58 - 57)
QF4 (25 June):
Maggie Barlow (#4) vs Fiona Titcombe (#5) (
98 - 78)
SF1 (26 June):
Elliott Mellor (QF1 Winner) vs Maggie Barlow (QF4 Winner) (
120 - 80)
SF2 (27 June):
Dinos Sfyris (QF2 Winner) vs Brendan Whitehurst (QF3 Winner) (
103 - 78)
GF (28 June): Elliott Mellor (SF1 Winner) vs
Dinos Sfyris (SF2 Winner) (83 -
103)