Spoilers for Wednesday 29th November 2023 (Series 88, Heat 109)
Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2023 2:32 pm
R5: BUPKIS (American word meaning ‘nothing at all’)
A group for contestants and lovers of the Channel 4 game show 'Countdown'.
http://www.c4countdown.co.uk/
Only a really long time ago and in relatively recent history. Here are all the times 100 has appeared as a target...Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Fri Dec 01, 2023 9:25 pm 100 has come up several times as a target. The whole 101 thing is a myth.
Think they now re-take the recording if target and a drawn number are both 100 – same cards but different target after CECIL is pressed again and then they carry on as normal.Graeme Cole wrote: ↑Sat Dec 02, 2023 12:49 amOnly a really long time ago and in relatively recent history. Here are all the times 100 has appeared as a target...Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Fri Dec 01, 2023 9:25 pm 100 has come up several times as a target. The whole 101 thing is a myth.
https://wiki.apterous.org/Episode_877 (1989)
https://wiki.apterous.org/Episode_1268 (1992)
https://wiki.apterous.org/Episode_1504 (1994)
https://wiki.apterous.org/Episode_1854 (1996)
Then it was absent for 20 years before it popped up again...
https://wiki.apterous.org/Episode_6405 (2016)
https://wiki.apterous.org/Episode_7356 (2020)
https://wiki.apterous.org/Episode_8159 (this episode)
It appears 100 has been removed and re-added to the target's range over the years.
Episode 1504 is the only time 100 has been both a target and a starting number. This opens the question of whether a method of just "100" would be a valid solution. The rules in the contestant agreement I was sent in 2011 say "... the contestants should attempt to devise an arithmetic sum using the numbers selected to reach the target. The sum may use a minimum of two and a maximum of all six of the selected numbers." This suggests a solution which only uses one number is invalid, but the same document also says that the target "will be a number between 101 and 999", so I guess this is out of date anyway. Perhaps someone who went on the show more recently can confirm what it says now?
If we look at all episodes since 100 appeared as a target in 2016, there are 1,755 episodes between episode 6405 and 8159 inclusive. This is 7,020 numbers games.David Williams wrote: ↑Sat Dec 02, 2023 11:02 am Is there an Ask Graeme here?
When there were two numbers games per show you'd expect it to come up every 450 shows on average - and up to 1996 it did. Now you'd expect it to come up every 225 shows, and it doesn't. Not even close.
If you mean the "new" display, that came after the old 7-segment one, no. That was introduced at the same time Countdown moved from Granada to MediaCity in 2013. It's possible that 100 became a valid target at this point and it just took three years to appear for the first time, but we can't know for sure.Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Sat Dec 02, 2023 1:39 pm Did its reintroduction coincide with the new numbers generator?
COCXVI Contestant agreement doesn't say anything about the range of numbers; everything to do with numbers is stated below. I believe 100 has been a target and a number on Catsdown quite recently, but obviously that isn't canonGraeme Cole wrote: ↑Sat Dec 02, 2023 12:49 am Episode 1504 is the only time 100 has been both a target and a starting number. This opens the question of whether a method of just "100" would be a valid solution. The rules in the contestant agreement I was sent in 2011 say "... the contestants should attempt to devise an arithmetic sum using the numbers selected to reach the target. The sum may use a minimum of two and a maximum of all six of the selected numbers." This suggests a solution which only uses one number is invalid, but the same document also says that the target "will be a number between 101 and 999", so I guess this is out of date anyway. Perhaps someone who went on the show more recently can confirm what it says now?
We may not know for sure, but 2013 is perhaps more likely than assuming 2016. We know it wasn't later than 2016, but there's no particular reason to assume the first instance was immediately it became possible again.Graeme Cole wrote: ↑Sat Dec 02, 2023 1:48 pmIf you mean the "new" display, that came after the old 7-segment one, no. That was introduced at the same time Countdown moved from Granada to MediaCity in 2013. It's possible that 100 became a valid target at this point and it just took three years to appear for the first time, but we can't know for sure.Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Sat Dec 02, 2023 1:39 pm Did its reintroduction coincide with the new numbers generator?
Of course, the display isn't what chooses the target, so whatever computer software sits behind it could have been updated any number of times since then.