Monday 25th October 2021 (Series 84, Preliminary 85)

[Rhys Benjamin]

Annedown LXXXIV and it's a sleep deprivation edition, w00p w00p.

Countdown recap for Monday 25 October 2021.

On this day in 1881, Picasso was born: today, his pictures are worth around £130m.

C1: Champion Jasamrit Rahala (5 wins, 462 points.)
C2: Challenger Shaun Hall. From Witney. A "medical writer", such as congress posters, clinical trial reports, that kinda thing. Has a girlfriend who, er, lives in Canada, who he met in a bar. Anne (and I) seem(s) to think that's not going to last with such a long distance...
DC: Susie Dent and Len Goodman. Sev-EN!
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: N U Y C D A E S G
R02: E O R T P E L R L
R03: 25, 7, 2, 10, 2, 7. Target: 802.
TTT: RICOSCAT - "The type of puzzle enjoyed by an angry parasite."
R04: D S G A E O N F S
R05: R I A O M T N A E
R06: 25, 6, 5, 8, 1, 3. Target: 794.
R07: K T B E I U R A T
R08: E L T E I F S D W
R09: 50, 4, 2, 9, 8, 8. Target: 188.
TTT: AFONDNAG - "Keep Mr Quayle cool, leave, and then dance."
R10: T P N A U A S R O
R11: C E I S G O W L N
R12: U E O C T M R I L
R13: R I E N J T O P R
R14: 50, 8, 9, 2, 7, 2. Target: 636.
R15: R E A R G U L L Y (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Enjoy the show.

Round 1: N U Y C D A E S G

Jasamrit: UNCAGED (7)
Shaun: UNCAGED (7) (try)
DC: DANCES (6) UNCASED (7)
OT: AUGENDS (7) UNCAGES (7)
Score: 7–7 (max 7, jos 7)
Darren-o-meter: 0/1 (0%)

Len earmarks Anne as the one he wants to dance with. Not least because he probably remembers Rachel's god-awful Salsa.

Round 2: E O R T P E L R L

Jasamrit: REPORT (6)
Shaun: REPORT (6)
DC: PORTER (6) PETREL (6) PETROL (6)
OT: ROTELLE (7) TROLLER (7)
Score: 13–13 (max 14, jos 13)
Darren-o-meter: 0/2 (0%)

Sixes all around here, with Len and Susie missing the SEV-ENNNN(s).

Round 3: 25, 7, 2, 10, 2, 7. Target: 802.

Jasamrit: -
Shaun: -
RR: 803. "one away" (7)
OT: 803. (10 × (7 + 2) + 25) × 7 − 2 (7)
Score: 13–13 (max 21, jos 20)

Impossible numbers game, Rachel does the best you can do, but doesn't reveal her method.

Teatime teaser: RICOSCAT -> ACROSTIC

Round 4: D S G A E O N F S

Jasamrit: GONADS (6)
Shaun: goaned (risky)
DC: SONDAGES (8)
Score: 19–13 (max 29, jos 28)
Darren-o-meter: 1/3 (33%)

SONDAGES was invalid once upon a time (in one of my episodes, no less) and thus it's an excellent darren from Susie.

Round 5: R I A O M T N A E

Jasamrit: MARINATE (8) (try)
Shaun: ANIMATE (7)
DC: TRAIN (5) RAIMENT (7) MENTOR (6) AIRMAN (6)
OT: AERATION (8) ANIMATER (8) ANIMATOR (8) EMANATOR (8) MARANITE (8) METANOIA (8) MONTARIA (8) ROMANITA (8) ROMANITE (8)
Score: 27–13 (max 37, jos 36)
Darren-o-meter: 1/4 (25%)

Loads of eights here, but Susie doesn't find any of them. Only Jasamrit sees one of them.

Round 6: 25, 6, 5, 8, 1, 3. Target: 794.

Jasamrit: 794. (5 − 1) × 8 × 25 − 6​ (10)
Shaun: 794. (5 − 1) × 8 × 25 − 6​ (10)
Score: 37–23 (max 47, jos 46)

Easy enough for both contestants.

Anne flirts outrageously with Len, who tells her that thanks to an abscess he's on a lot of antibiotics and has a "slightly fat face", which no one had noticed (myself included). Len rejects Anne's notion of taking things easier now he's retired from TV judging (although quite why they couldn't have got him out of retirement for 2020 or 2021's Strictly in lieu of Bruno Tonioli is a mystery). He and Anne swap their career notes in ballroom dancing, and he talks about wanting to emulate the cricketer Peter May on the dancefloor by wearing his collar up, and how he managed to grab the catch of the day, and went to kiss his partner goodbye but they ended up kissing his collar.

Round 7: K T B E I U R A T

Jasamrit: BUTTER (6)
Shaun: BATTER (6)
DC: BATTIER (7) TRIBUTE (7)
OT: ABUTTER (7) BIRETTA (7) RUBIATE (7)
Score: 43–29 (max 54, jos 53)
Darren-o-meter: 1/5 (20%)

One can be more batty than the next person, although I'm surprised Channel 4 didn't cut that out.

Round 8: E L T E I F S D W

Jasamrit: STIFLED (7)
Shaun: WILTED (6)
DC: DEWIEST (7)
OT: LEFTWISE (8) WIFELETS (8)
Score: 50–29 (max 62, jos 60)
Darren-o-meter: 2/6 (33%)

Jasamrit extends his lead, STIFLing Shaun's chances in the match, but eights go begging.

Round 9: 50, 4, 2, 9, 8, 8. Target: 188.

Jasamrit: 188. (50 − (9 − 8 + 2)) × 4 (10)
Shaun: 188. 50 × 4 − 8 ÷ 8​ − 9 − 2 (10)
Score: 60–39 (max 72, jos 70)

10 more points each with two different methods.

Teatime teaser: AFONDNAG -> FANDANGO

Described by Len as "Tango-cum-Paso Doble-cum..."

Round 10: T P N A U A S R O

Jasamrit: SPORT (5)
Shaun: AURAS (5)
DC: PANTS (5) PATRONS (7) SPARTAN (7)
OT: APASTRON (8) PATURONS (8) TANPURAS (8)
Score: 65–44 (max 80, jos 77)
Darren-o-meter: 2/7 (29%)

Only fives for the contestants, which Dictionary Corner can extend out to seven, but the computer takes the day again.

Round 11: C E I S G O W L N

Jasamrit: SCOWLING (8) (try)
Shaun: SLOWING (7)
DC: LONGWISE (8)
OT: COWLINGS (8) ECLOSING (8)
Score: 73–44 (max 88, jos 85)
Darren-o-meter: 2/8 (25%)

Jasamrit extends his lead again and the finish line is now in sight.

OOW Susie talks about love, and talks about the idiom of carrying a torch for someone.

Round 12: U E O C T M R I L

Jasamrit: RECTUM (6)
Shaun: RECOIL (6)
DC: TURMOIL (7) MORTICE (7)
OT: MULTICORE (18)
Score: 79–50 (max 106, jos 92)
Darren-o-meter: 3/9 (33%)

Sixes for both contestants, a pair of sevens for Dictionary Corner, but the computer steals it with a nine.

Anne can't count to 4, as she reels off Jasamrit's CV of A Levels, but then asks Jasamrit how many that is.

Round 13: R I E N J T O P R

Jasamrit: POINTER (7)
Shaun: PRINTER (7)
DC: PROTEIN (7) JOINTER (7)
OT: PORNIER (7) PTERION (7) REJOINT (7) REPOINT (7) REPRINT (7) TROPINE (7)
Score: 86–57 (max 113, jos 99)
Darren-o-meter: 3/10 (30%)

Flaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat. But it gives Jasamrit his sixth win.

Round 14: 50, 8, 9, 2, 7, 2. Target: 636.

Jasamrit: 632. Mistake in working.
Shaun: -
RR: 636. (8 ÷ 2 + 9) × 50 − 2 × 7​ (10)
Score: 86–57 (max 123, jos 109)

Nul points for the second time today and it's left up to Rachel to show us how it's done.

Round 15: R E A R G U L L Y

Jasamrit buzzes on 6 seconds to say REGULARLY which is correct.
Final Score: 96–57 (max 133, jos 119)

And Jasamrit takes the conundrum to win by 39 and take his sixth win. He'll be back tomorrow. Join us then. Goodbye.


Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=84