C1: Champion David Butcher (7 wins, 554 points.) From Epsom, Surrey. He says that one of the reasons he applied for the show was that he had never been on TV before.
C2: Challenger Clive Barham. A college lecturer in law from Horsham, West Sussex. He enjoys horse racing, reading, listening to music. He did a toboggan run in Funchal, Madeira, not on snow obviously, but in a "wicker basket" down a hill instead.
DC: Susie Dent and Mark Durden-Smith.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: D N X I E O S K A
R02: P L E I T C O L B
R03: T R S L A E O R T
R04: R S I E N T Z O S
R05: 50, 10, 4, 4, 7, 5. Target: 670.
TTT: LOONYEGO - "It'll help you know your onions about your grapes"
R06: E I M G T A H E D
R07: M D P V O A U E S
R08: O A E W S T R A N
R09: J P L I O A F C I
R10: 50, 25, 7, 8, 1, 5. Target: 845.
TTT: TREESKIP - "The happiest of all the little pigs"
R11: N H R U A I S T O
R12: G D E I Y C W O E
R13: L V T I A U S N E
R14: 50, 100, 5, 1, 7, 4. Target: 393.
R15: E E Z I F L I R T (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: D N X I E O S K A
C1: SOAKED (6)
C2: OXIDES (6)
DC: ANODISE (7) DOESKIN (7)
OT: DAIKONS (7) DIOXANE (7) OXIDASE (7)
Score: 6–6 (max 7)
6's each to start the day, but there were a few interesting 7's available here.
Round 2: P L E I T C O L B
C1: POLITE (6)
C2: POLITE (6)
DC: BILLET (6)
OT: CITOLE (6) COLLET (6) COLLIE (6) OCELLI (6) PIOLET (6) POETIC (6) POLICE (6) POLLIE (6)
Score: 12–12 (max 13)
Flat, flat, flattttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt.
A PIOLET is an ice axe used in mountaineering.
Round 3: T R S L A E O R T
C1: ROASTER (7)
C2: RATTLES (7)
DC: RATTLERS (8)
OT: REALTORS (8) RELATORS (8) ROSTRATE (8)
Score: 19–19 (max 21)
Clive might be slightly regretting not adding the R to RATTLES, but as long as he hasn't gained Chris Allen Syndrome from yesterday, he should be fine.
Round 4: R S I E N T Z O S
C1: STORIES (7)
C2: ROSIEST (7)
OT: INSERTS (7) NOSIEST (7) ORIENTS (7) RESTIOS (7) SENIORS (7) SINTERS (7) SONSIER (7) SORTIES (7) STONERS (7) STONIER (7) TENSORS (7) TRIOSES (7)
Score: 26–26 (max 28)
Flattening down here.
A SINTER is siliceous or calcareous matter deposited by springs, as that formed around the vent of a geyser.
SONSIER derives from SONSY, which means strong, healthy and robust.
A TRIOSE is a monosaccharide that has three atoms of carbon.
Round 5: 50, 10, 4, 4, 7, 5. Target: 670.
C1: 673.
C2: 672. ((10 + 4) x 50) - (7 x 4) (7)
RR: 670. ((4 x 5) - (7 - 4) + 50) x 10 (10)
Score: 26–33 (max 38)
First blood to Clive with his 2 away, but both contestants, unlike Rachel, fail to make use of the 10, to try and find the 67.....
Mark talks about the dog he mentioned on his first stint on the show back in February, and how it has not learned to stop chewing things.
Teatime teaser: LOONYEGO -> OENOLOGY
Round 6: E I M G T A H E D
C1: MIGHT (5)
C2: THEMED (6)
DC: MEDIATE (7)
OT: HEADTIE (7)
Score: 26–39 (max 45)
All of a sudden, Clive seems to be pulling away from our 7-time champ.
Round 7: M D P V O A U E S
C1: VAMPED (6)
C2: POMADES (7)
DC: MOPEDS (6)
Score: 26–46 (max 52)
And that darren gives Clive a lead of a score.
Round 8: O A E W S T R A N
C1: WATERS (6)
C2: WATERS (6)
DC: TREASON (7) WANTERS (7) SENATOR (7)
OT: SANTERO (7)
Score: 32–52 (max 59)
A few 7's, as well as a tad more Chris Allen Syndrome here.
Round 9: J P L I O A F C I
C1: FOAL (4)
C2: folic
DC: AIOLI (5)
OT: CILIA (5) COPAL (5) FOCAL (5) FOLIA (5) ILIAC (5) PILAF (5) PLICA (5)
Score: 36–52 (max 64)
I wonder how many other people fell into the folic trap
I did. 
COPAL is a hard, lustrous resin obtained from various tropical trees and used chiefly in making varnishes.
ILIAC is an adjective meaning of, pertaining to, or situated near the ilium, the broad, upper portion of either hipbone.
A PILAF is a Middle Eastern dish consisting of sautéed, seasoned rice steamed in bouillon, sometimes with poultry, meat or shellfish.
PLICA (or PLICA POLONICA) is a pathological term for a matted, filthy condition of the hair, caused by disease, vermin, etc.
Susie's Origins Of Words talks about the origins of the phrase, "dead as a dodo".
Round 10: 50, 25, 7, 8, 1, 5. Target: 845.
C1: 843.
C2: 845. ((25 - 8) x 50) - 5 (10)
Score: 36–62 (max 74)
But Clive makes up for it with the easier than it looked solution here.
Teatime teaser: TREESKIP -> PERKIEST
Round 11: N H R U A I S T O
C1: NOURISH (7)
C2: OUTRAN (6)
DC: RAINOUTS (8)
Score: 43–62 (max 82)
Jeff's "favourite" word reappears, but David will NOURISH his 7, which sees Clive's lead cut to below 20.
Round 12: G D E I Y C W O E
C1: WEDGIE (6)
C2: cowie
OT: DIOECY (6) GEODIC (6)
Score: 49–62 (max 88)
Are we in for a possible miracle here
Round 13: L V T I A U S N E
C1: SALIENT (7)
C2: ANVILS (6)
DC: INSULATE (8)
Score: 56–62 (max 96)
WOW! WOW!! WOW!!! Clive has suddenly collapsed from a commanding position and now David is all of a sudden within striking distance of one of the most impressive comebacks of recent history.
Round 14: 50, 100, 5, 1, 7, 4. Target: 393.
C1: 393. (4 x 100) - 7 (10)
C2: 393. (4 x 100) - 7 (10)
Score: 66–72 (max 106)
That easy numbers means that the game is firmly poised as we head into today's......... CRUCIAL.......COUNTDOWN.......CONUNDRUM.
Round 15: E E Z I F L I R T
C1 buzzes on 10 seconds to say TRIFLEIZE which is incorrect.
C2 does not buzz.
The answer was FERTILIZE.
Final Score: 66–72 (max 116)
With 10 seconds gone, David buzzes in and says, "I'm not sure,......", so prepare for the worst, "Is it TRIFLEIZE
"Now is it me, or was that probably one of the most embarrassing conundrum guesses ever, especially considering what the position of the game was, and the fact that he still had 20 seconds to solve it
But it may have been for the best, as if he said FERTILIZE, he would have broken the record that shall stay unmentioned (unless you read yesterday's recap), and he'll just be a 7-time champion, but such is this series, that his place in the finals is still not nailed down yet. One person whose place has now been secured is the last of the 5 octochamps, Dave Taylor. So, we'll be seeing him in 5 weeks time, when the finals start.
Join Mike tomorrow to see if Clive will get any closer to the Promised Land.
I'll see you next week, so till then, bye bye.
Statistics Corner
David:
Total score - 66
Raw score - 91
Total % of max - 57
Raw % of max - 78
Total average score per round - 4.4
Raw average score per round - 6.1
Number of maxes - 4
Clive:
Total score - 72
Raw score - 84
Total % of max - 62
Raw % of max - 72
Total average score per round - 4.8
Raw average score per round - 5.6
Number of maxes - 5
Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=65
