Monday 21st March 2011 (Series 64, Prelim 46)
Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2011 9:41 pm
Countdown recap for Monday 21 March 2011.
And we're back with another proper week of Countdown after that very exciting special last Monday followed by a week of old nags - no I don't mean Loose Women, I mean that Cheltenham horse racing thing. The episodes this week were only recorded last Monday, possibly the shortest gap between filming and transmission but I'm sure I will be corrected by the experts if I'm wrong.
C1: Champion Andy McGurn (4 wins, 344 points.) Apterite Andy is a social worker from Leeds who loves travelling and is an arthouse movie buff as well as being a big fan of WWE wrestling where he reveals his favourite wrestler is The Rock.
C2: Challenger James Hall. Another Apterite in the form of James Hall who is a gap year assistant at Portsmouth Grammar School and a choral scholar at Portsmouth Cathedral - he's being cheered on today by twin brother Thomas, younger brother Chris and older sister Robin. He enjoys singing and acting and portrayed a character who was the victim of identity theft in a recent radio play. He has watched Countdown since the age of 8 and today is excited about achieving an ambition of appearing on the show.
DC: Susie Dent and Donal MacIntyre.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: G D T E O I H E U
R02: L N M E O E H O R
R03: D L B I A U S O E
R04: R S A O E N M N J
R05: 100, 75, 4, 3, 3, 8. Target: 760.
TTT: BOBREADS - "Bob reads book from cover to cover, he's gripped by it."
R06: S G N T O E A O S
R07: R T S A A E W N A
R08: E I P X T D U E O
R09: T D K E A E F R T
R10: 9, 6, 1, 4, 1, 10. Target: 446.
TTT: STARSHIP - "Forget enterprise, they're all about pluck."
R11: R S R O A E W M I
R12: S N I E O P F A U
R13: R S T I O E C I A
R14: 6, 4, 1, 9, 4, 3. Target: 912.
R15: D R E A M S P A N (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Round 1: G D T E O I H E U
C1: HIDEOUT (7)
C2: toughed
DC: HIDEOUT (7) TOUGHIE (7)
Score: 7–0 (max 7)
Susie appears to come down hard on James here explaining that while the dictionary specifies "to tough it out" it doesn't specify "tough" as a verb but this is quite correct and rightfully disallows it.
Round 2: L N M E O E H O R
C1: HORMONE (7)
C2: HORMONE (7)
DC: HORMONE (7)
OT: HONOREE (7) MOORHEN (7)
Score: 14–7 (max 14)
Our contestants, and Dictionary Corner, settle for the same maximum word.
Round 3: D L B I A U S O E
C1: AUDIBLE (7)
C2: DISABLE (7)
DC: BLADES (6) ALBEDOS (7)
OT: AUDIBLES (8)
Score: 21–14 (max 22)
More 7's around but DC fail to notice that AUDIBLE, while an adjective in its most common definition, is also a noun and can therefore be pluralised - in American football a change of playing tactics called by the quarterback when the offense is lined up at the line of scrimmage is known as an AUDIBLE.
Round 4: R S A O E N M N J
C1: OARSMEN (7)
C2: MANNERS (7)
DC: MOANERS (7)
OT: MANNOSE (7)
Score: 28–21 (max 29)
More 7's on offer - in chemistry, MANNOSE is a monosaccharide, formula C6H12O6, obtained from mannan or by the oxidation of mannitol, but you knew that already.
Round 5: 100, 75, 4, 3, 3, 8. Target: 760.
C1: 760. (100 - ((3 / 3) + 4)) x 8 (10)
C2: 758.
Score: 38–21 (max 39)
Andy opens up some proper daylight here with a fine solve and extends his lead to 17pts.
Presenter and investigative journalist Donal MacIntyre returns for a 2nd stint in DC. Last time he was with us back in the summer of 2009 he was lucky enough to witness the last game of our very own Innis Carson's octorun and the first 2 games of Andrew Hulme's octorun - only time will tell if he witnesses another octorun this week. Donal reminisces about the time the insect tribe from Papua New Guinea came to live with him, they offered some wise words as well - don't eat sago or cobwebs if you want to have babies, and for a long life keep crocodiles off the porch - good advice if you live in Wimbledon I'm sure. He also talks about the dozens of death threats he's had although sadly didn't mention the one I issued to him for crimes against figure skating, oh well maybe in the next show.
Teatime teaser: BOBREADS -> ABSORBED
Round 6: S G N T O E A O S
C1: TANGOES (7)
C2: TANGOES (7)
DC: STOOGES (7) GENTOOS (7)
OT: ONSTAGE (7) SOONEST (7)
Score: 45–28 (max 46)
Our contestants offer the same maximum word but there were plenty to choose from here.
Round 7: R T S A A E W N A
C1: STREWN (6)
C2: ANSWER (6)
DC: WANTERS (7)
Score: 51–34 (max 53)
Ok, try and make a 6 letter word from that lot without using any of the 3 A's... oh, you did Andy.
Round 8: E I P X T D U E O
C1: POUTED (6)
C2: EXITED (6)
DC: TUXEDO (6) TOUPEE (6)
OT: EPIDOTE (7) EPOXIDE (7) EPOXIED (7)
Score: 57–40 (max 60)
And just when we wanted an A to appear (I think James may even have been fishing for one with that final vowel for EXPIATED), we get an A-less round. Plenty of nice 6's around but all three 7's go unnoticed by all. EPIDOTE is a lustrous yellow, green, or black mineral, commonly found in metamorphic rock. EPOXIDE is a ring-shaped organic compound consisting of an oxygen atom bonded to two other atoms, usually of carbon, that are already bonded to each other. EPOXIED means fastened together with EPOXY (which in chemistry means of, consisting of, or containing an oxygen atom joined to two different groups that are themselves joined to other groups) - are you keeping up?
Round 9: T D K E A E F R T
C1: FREAKED (7)
C2: FREAKED (7)
DC: TREATED (7)
OT: DRAFTEE (7) FRETTED (7)
Score: 64–47 (max 67)
For the 3rd time today our contestants offer the same maximum word.
Susie's Origin of Words explores the grisly origins of the verbs "haggle" and "travel".
Round 10: 9, 6, 1, 4, 1, 10. Target: 446.
C1: 446. ((10 + 1) x 4) x (9 + 1) + 6 (10)
C2: 446. ((6 - 1) x 9 x 10) - 4 (10)
Score: 74–57 (max 77)
At first glance this looked tough with the two 1's but I wonder if James handed the answer to Andy on a silver platter here - James sits back on 10 seconds to take a sip of water while Andy is still looking bemused but then nods afterwards. I may be doing Andy an injustice here, whether he noticed or not the gap remains 17pts as both contestants collect more maximum points.
Teatime teaser: STARSHIP -> HARPISTS
Round 11: R S R O A E W M I
C1: WORRIES (7)
C2: MARROWS (7)
DC: WARMERS (7)
OT: ARMOIRES (8) EARWORMS (8)
Score: 81–64 (max 85)
More 7's all round but a couple of 8's go unspotted - EARWORMS (more commonly corn earworms) are the large destructive larvae of a moth (Heliothis zea) that feed on corn and many other plants.
Round 12: S N I E O P F A U
C1: INFUSE (6)
C2: FUSION (6)
DC: OPINES (6) PAEONS (6)
OT: FUSAIN (6) PIANOS (6) PONIES (6) PUISNE (6) SUPINE (6) UNSAFE (6)
Score: 87–70 (max 91)
Ten 6's here... count 'em! FUSAIN is a fine charcoal in stick form, made from the wood of the spindle tree or a sketch or drawing made with this charcoal. PUISNE means lower in rank, especially an associate judge.
Round 13: R S T I O E C I A
C1: RACIEST (7)
C2: COASTER (7)
DC: AORISTIC (8)
Score: 94–77 (max 99)
This gap has remained at 17pts since round 5 - it really is here where James needs to make a move if he wants to prevail in this contest. Interestingly, Andy has scored in every round so far - could he become the first player to score in all 15 rounds since Edward McCullagh did just that in his 7th win, some 22 shows ago?...
Round 14: 6, 4, 1, 9, 4, 3. Target: 912.
C1: -
C2: -
RR: 912. ((9 x 4) + 3 - 1) x 4 x 6 (10)
Score: 94–77 (max 109)
...not with a stinker of a numbers game like that. Rachel comes up with a brilliant method to show them how it's done. Unfortunately for James this ends his chances of overhauling Andy.
Round 15: D R E A M S P A N
C2 buzzes on 3 seconds to say AMPERSAND which is correct.
Final Score: 94–87 (max 119)
But what a way to bow out - ok James you only need to press the buzzer gently, no need to whack it with the palm of your hand This was a quality spot in a game of a very high standard. James will probably be quietly kicking himself that he didn't offer TOUGHIE in round 1 (which we learn he had also noted) which would have taken this game to a tie-break conundrum. However, it was a high scoring game, the 5th highest aggregate score (181pts) of the series in fact and the highest that didn't feature Adam Gillard or Edward McCullagh. It was also the highest losing score (87pts) this series and the highest losing score since a certain Scott Gillies lost with 90pts in the previous series quarter final... sorry Scott, had to get that one in somewhere
Well played again Andy - top notch effort!
Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=64
And we're back with another proper week of Countdown after that very exciting special last Monday followed by a week of old nags - no I don't mean Loose Women, I mean that Cheltenham horse racing thing. The episodes this week were only recorded last Monday, possibly the shortest gap between filming and transmission but I'm sure I will be corrected by the experts if I'm wrong.
C1: Champion Andy McGurn (4 wins, 344 points.) Apterite Andy is a social worker from Leeds who loves travelling and is an arthouse movie buff as well as being a big fan of WWE wrestling where he reveals his favourite wrestler is The Rock.
C2: Challenger James Hall. Another Apterite in the form of James Hall who is a gap year assistant at Portsmouth Grammar School and a choral scholar at Portsmouth Cathedral - he's being cheered on today by twin brother Thomas, younger brother Chris and older sister Robin. He enjoys singing and acting and portrayed a character who was the victim of identity theft in a recent radio play. He has watched Countdown since the age of 8 and today is excited about achieving an ambition of appearing on the show.
DC: Susie Dent and Donal MacIntyre.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: G D T E O I H E U
R02: L N M E O E H O R
R03: D L B I A U S O E
R04: R S A O E N M N J
R05: 100, 75, 4, 3, 3, 8. Target: 760.
TTT: BOBREADS - "Bob reads book from cover to cover, he's gripped by it."
R06: S G N T O E A O S
R07: R T S A A E W N A
R08: E I P X T D U E O
R09: T D K E A E F R T
R10: 9, 6, 1, 4, 1, 10. Target: 446.
TTT: STARSHIP - "Forget enterprise, they're all about pluck."
R11: R S R O A E W M I
R12: S N I E O P F A U
R13: R S T I O E C I A
R14: 6, 4, 1, 9, 4, 3. Target: 912.
R15: D R E A M S P A N (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: G D T E O I H E U
C1: HIDEOUT (7)
C2: toughed
DC: HIDEOUT (7) TOUGHIE (7)
Score: 7–0 (max 7)
Susie appears to come down hard on James here explaining that while the dictionary specifies "to tough it out" it doesn't specify "tough" as a verb but this is quite correct and rightfully disallows it.
Round 2: L N M E O E H O R
C1: HORMONE (7)
C2: HORMONE (7)
DC: HORMONE (7)
OT: HONOREE (7) MOORHEN (7)
Score: 14–7 (max 14)
Our contestants, and Dictionary Corner, settle for the same maximum word.
Round 3: D L B I A U S O E
C1: AUDIBLE (7)
C2: DISABLE (7)
DC: BLADES (6) ALBEDOS (7)
OT: AUDIBLES (8)
Score: 21–14 (max 22)
More 7's around but DC fail to notice that AUDIBLE, while an adjective in its most common definition, is also a noun and can therefore be pluralised - in American football a change of playing tactics called by the quarterback when the offense is lined up at the line of scrimmage is known as an AUDIBLE.
Round 4: R S A O E N M N J
C1: OARSMEN (7)
C2: MANNERS (7)
DC: MOANERS (7)
OT: MANNOSE (7)
Score: 28–21 (max 29)
More 7's on offer - in chemistry, MANNOSE is a monosaccharide, formula C6H12O6, obtained from mannan or by the oxidation of mannitol, but you knew that already.
Round 5: 100, 75, 4, 3, 3, 8. Target: 760.
C1: 760. (100 - ((3 / 3) + 4)) x 8 (10)
C2: 758.
Score: 38–21 (max 39)
Andy opens up some proper daylight here with a fine solve and extends his lead to 17pts.
Presenter and investigative journalist Donal MacIntyre returns for a 2nd stint in DC. Last time he was with us back in the summer of 2009 he was lucky enough to witness the last game of our very own Innis Carson's octorun and the first 2 games of Andrew Hulme's octorun - only time will tell if he witnesses another octorun this week. Donal reminisces about the time the insect tribe from Papua New Guinea came to live with him, they offered some wise words as well - don't eat sago or cobwebs if you want to have babies, and for a long life keep crocodiles off the porch - good advice if you live in Wimbledon I'm sure. He also talks about the dozens of death threats he's had although sadly didn't mention the one I issued to him for crimes against figure skating, oh well maybe in the next show.
Teatime teaser: BOBREADS -> ABSORBED
Round 6: S G N T O E A O S
C1: TANGOES (7)
C2: TANGOES (7)
DC: STOOGES (7) GENTOOS (7)
OT: ONSTAGE (7) SOONEST (7)
Score: 45–28 (max 46)
Our contestants offer the same maximum word but there were plenty to choose from here.
Round 7: R T S A A E W N A
C1: STREWN (6)
C2: ANSWER (6)
DC: WANTERS (7)
Score: 51–34 (max 53)
Ok, try and make a 6 letter word from that lot without using any of the 3 A's... oh, you did Andy.
Round 8: E I P X T D U E O
C1: POUTED (6)
C2: EXITED (6)
DC: TUXEDO (6) TOUPEE (6)
OT: EPIDOTE (7) EPOXIDE (7) EPOXIED (7)
Score: 57–40 (max 60)
And just when we wanted an A to appear (I think James may even have been fishing for one with that final vowel for EXPIATED), we get an A-less round. Plenty of nice 6's around but all three 7's go unnoticed by all. EPIDOTE is a lustrous yellow, green, or black mineral, commonly found in metamorphic rock. EPOXIDE is a ring-shaped organic compound consisting of an oxygen atom bonded to two other atoms, usually of carbon, that are already bonded to each other. EPOXIED means fastened together with EPOXY (which in chemistry means of, consisting of, or containing an oxygen atom joined to two different groups that are themselves joined to other groups) - are you keeping up?
Round 9: T D K E A E F R T
C1: FREAKED (7)
C2: FREAKED (7)
DC: TREATED (7)
OT: DRAFTEE (7) FRETTED (7)
Score: 64–47 (max 67)
For the 3rd time today our contestants offer the same maximum word.
Susie's Origin of Words explores the grisly origins of the verbs "haggle" and "travel".
Round 10: 9, 6, 1, 4, 1, 10. Target: 446.
C1: 446. ((10 + 1) x 4) x (9 + 1) + 6 (10)
C2: 446. ((6 - 1) x 9 x 10) - 4 (10)
Score: 74–57 (max 77)
At first glance this looked tough with the two 1's but I wonder if James handed the answer to Andy on a silver platter here - James sits back on 10 seconds to take a sip of water while Andy is still looking bemused but then nods afterwards. I may be doing Andy an injustice here, whether he noticed or not the gap remains 17pts as both contestants collect more maximum points.
Teatime teaser: STARSHIP -> HARPISTS
Round 11: R S R O A E W M I
C1: WORRIES (7)
C2: MARROWS (7)
DC: WARMERS (7)
OT: ARMOIRES (8) EARWORMS (8)
Score: 81–64 (max 85)
More 7's all round but a couple of 8's go unspotted - EARWORMS (more commonly corn earworms) are the large destructive larvae of a moth (Heliothis zea) that feed on corn and many other plants.
Round 12: S N I E O P F A U
C1: INFUSE (6)
C2: FUSION (6)
DC: OPINES (6) PAEONS (6)
OT: FUSAIN (6) PIANOS (6) PONIES (6) PUISNE (6) SUPINE (6) UNSAFE (6)
Score: 87–70 (max 91)
Ten 6's here... count 'em! FUSAIN is a fine charcoal in stick form, made from the wood of the spindle tree or a sketch or drawing made with this charcoal. PUISNE means lower in rank, especially an associate judge.
Round 13: R S T I O E C I A
C1: RACIEST (7)
C2: COASTER (7)
DC: AORISTIC (8)
Score: 94–77 (max 99)
This gap has remained at 17pts since round 5 - it really is here where James needs to make a move if he wants to prevail in this contest. Interestingly, Andy has scored in every round so far - could he become the first player to score in all 15 rounds since Edward McCullagh did just that in his 7th win, some 22 shows ago?...
Round 14: 6, 4, 1, 9, 4, 3. Target: 912.
C1: -
C2: -
RR: 912. ((9 x 4) + 3 - 1) x 4 x 6 (10)
Score: 94–77 (max 109)
...not with a stinker of a numbers game like that. Rachel comes up with a brilliant method to show them how it's done. Unfortunately for James this ends his chances of overhauling Andy.
Round 15: D R E A M S P A N
C2 buzzes on 3 seconds to say AMPERSAND which is correct.
Final Score: 94–87 (max 119)
But what a way to bow out - ok James you only need to press the buzzer gently, no need to whack it with the palm of your hand This was a quality spot in a game of a very high standard. James will probably be quietly kicking himself that he didn't offer TOUGHIE in round 1 (which we learn he had also noted) which would have taken this game to a tie-break conundrum. However, it was a high scoring game, the 5th highest aggregate score (181pts) of the series in fact and the highest that didn't feature Adam Gillard or Edward McCullagh. It was also the highest losing score (87pts) this series and the highest losing score since a certain Scott Gillies lost with 90pts in the previous series quarter final... sorry Scott, had to get that one in somewhere
Well played again Andy - top notch effort!
Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=64