Monday 26th November 2012 (Series 67, Prelim 79)

[Graeme Cole]

Countdown recap for Monday 26 November 2012.

C1: Champion David Barnard (4 wins, 392 points) isn't guaranteed a place in the finals yet, but is looking like a good contender for the series. Nick points out that as well as having an interest in golf, David also plays darts. Maybe he's striving to be the next Kirk Bevins.
C2: Challenger Stella Nanziri-Mbuggu is a grandmother of nine who is originally from Uganda. She holds the title of Best Actress in Uganda 1976-1978.
DC: Susie Dent and John Inverdale.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: G N D F E O E I U
R02: M P N E A E D R I
R03: J T C D O E U Z S
R04: E A O T D S V A R
R05: 7, 9, 6, 3, 7, 3. Target: 796.
TTT: DARNQUAY - "You might be in this if you don't know what to do."
R06: M R K G E A I A W
R07: T R N S E O I C A
R08: I E F S U O R M D
R09: N G S T E A E I H
R10: 100, 9, 6, 7, 2, 3. Target: 971.
TTT: DOESBURN - "Bounces back from a broken relationship, perhaps?"
R11: T L S B E A O D E
R12: M R L U O I P T E
R13: H T F M A E A N O
R14: 100, 75, 8, 6, 5, 4. Target: 991.
R15: R I V E R R O S E (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER

Enjoy the show.

Round 1: G N D F E O E I U

C1: FEEDING (7)
C2: FEEDING (7)
DC: FEUDING (7) FEIGNED (7)
OT: FUNGOID (7)
Score: 7–7 (max 7)

Our contestants open the week by FEEDING us a seven. FUNGOID, as you would expect, means relating to, caused by, shaped like, or otherwise connected with a fungus.


Round 2: M P N E A E D R I

C1: DAMPENER (8)
C2: MEANDER (7)
DC: REMAINED (8)
Score: 15–7 (max 15)

First blood to William G Stewart. Oi, you said on Wednesday that you'd stop doing that. I know, but I just thought it was a good opportunity to mention William G Stewart. For those of you too young to remember the show he presented, Fifteen To One, it was a quiz show that used to be on at 4pm before Countdown, and it was packed full of not-too-easy, not-too-hard general knowledge questions. Yes, really. Not half a dozen questions stretched out over an hour - one question after the other every 15 seconds or so. What have we got in its and Countdown's place now? An hour of handing out money based on the random opening of numbered boxes. Sort it out, Channel 4.


Round 3: J T C D O E U Z S

C1: JOUSTED (7)
C2: DUCTS (5)
DC: SCOUTED (7)
Score: 22–7 (max 22)

David extends his lead thanks to JOUSTED.


Round 4: E A O T D S V A R

C1: STARVED (7)
C2: STAVED (6)
DC: ROASTED (7) ADVERTS (7)
OT: TORSADE (7)
Score: 29–7 (max 29)

Whoops, a silly mistake from Stella as her STAVED is beaten by David's STARVED.

Yeah, actually I had STARED.


Round 5: 7, 9, 6, 3, 7, 3. Target: 796.

C1: 798. (7+9+3)*6*7 (7)
C2: -
OT: 795. (7+9+3)*6*7-3 (7)
Score: 36–7 (max 36)

Stella is nowhere on the 6 small numbers, so David finishes two away. He could have subtracted the final 3 to get to one away, but in this case it didn't matter.


Teatime teaser: DARNQUAY -> QUANDARY


Round 6: M R K G E A I A W

C1: GAMIER (6)
C2: WAGER (5)
DC: GAWKIER (7)
Score: 42–7 (max 43)

David isn't sure about GAMIER, but it's fine. John and Susie find GAWKIER for seven.


Round 7: T R N S E O I C A

C1: NARCOTISE (18)
C2: COAST (5)
DC: CREATIONS (18) REACTIONS (18)
OT: ACTIONERS (18)
Score: 60–7 (max 61)

Four nines available, and David goes for the most exotic of them. Told you he wants to be the next Kirk Bevins.


Round 8: I E F S U O R M D

C1: DIMEROUS (8)
C2: FORMED (6)
DC: MOUSIER (7)
Score: 68–7 (max 69)

Another good spot by David, which beat Susie and John. DIMEROUS is a botanical adjective meaning having parts arranged in groups of two.


Round 9: N G S T E A E I H

C1: SHEETING (8)
C2: SHEETING (8)
OT: SEETHING (8)
Score: 76–15 (max 77)

Stella is pleased to move in to double figures with SHEETING.


Round 10: 100, 9, 6, 7, 2, 3. Target: 971.

C1: 971. (100+7)*9+6+2 (10)
C2: 971. Mistake in working.
Score: 86–15 (max 87)

Stella only reaches 970 with her working, so David extends his lead by another ten.


Teatime teaser: DOESBURN -> REBOUNDS

Round 11: T L S B E A O D E

C1: DESOLATE (8)
C2: BOASTED (7)
DC: BLASTED (7) BLOATED (7)
Score: 94–15 (max 95)

And now David's got the game wrapped up with four rounds still to play.


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

C1: POUTIER (7)
C2: -
DC: merlot OUTLIER (7) TURMOIL (7)
OT: IMPLORE (7) LUMPIER (7) MOTLIER (7) PLUMIER (7) POLITER (7) PROTIUM (7)
Score: 101–15 (max 102)

Stella realises that whatever her word was, it used the O twice, so offers nothing. David takes one of the sevens.


Round 13: H T F M A E A N O

C1: FATHOM (6)
C2: fantom
OT: ANTHEM (6) ATHAME (6) FOMENT (6) HAMATE (6) HETMAN (6) MAHANT (6) OMENTA (6)
Score: 107–15 (max 108)

The other day I looked up whether anyone has ever offered the word PHANTOM on Countdown and had it disallowed because the letters aren't there. Sadly not.


Round 14: 100, 75, 8, 6, 5, 4. Target: 991.

C1: 989.
C2: 992. (6+4)*100-8 (7)
RR: 991. (8+5)*75+(100-4)/6 (10)
Score: 107–22 (max 118)

David's got a chance of beating Heather's series high score of 114, but he stumbles on the numbers game. This means Stella wins the round and avoids getting the lowest score of the series.


Round 15: R I V E R R O S E

C2 buzzes on 15 seconds to say REVISOR which is incorrect.
C1 buzzes on 24 seconds to say OVERRISER which is incorrect.
The answer was RESERVOIR.
Final Score: 107–22 (max 128)

The conundrum evades both players, so Heather retains her series high score for now and someone from the audience bags a Countdown mug. David's average is now 99.8. At this rate he's heading for the number one seed position, assuming he can keep winning. If David did win eight games, there'd be room for exactly one more octochamp before the finals, and if that happened as well we'd have the first all-octochamp quarter-finals since Series 47.


Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=67

[szodiac]

clipped
First blood to William G Stewart. Oi, you said on Wednesday that you'd stop doing that. I know, but I just thought it was a good opportunity to mention William G Stewart. For those of you too young to remember the show he presented, Fifteen To One, it was a quiz show that used to be on at 4pm before Countdown, and it was packed full of not-too-easy, not-too-hard general knowledge questions. Yes, really. Not half a dozen questions stretched out over an hour - one question after the other every 15 seconds or so. What have we got in its and Countdown's place now? An hour of handing out money based on the random opening of numbered boxes. Sort it out, Channel 4.
clipped

Never liked the format of an "hour of handing out money based on the random opening of numbered boxes". Surley it would save a lot, a lot, of time (and C4 money) if at the beginning of the program the contestant said "I'll open box number "whatever" and save an hour of faffing about figuring out which one was the £1 box!

Let's have 20 rounds of Countdown instead

FWIW: I do have a listing of all 15-1 final finals on my website.

Mauro