Well, at least she'll return to our screens before the year's out.
So, we're back to square 1 again with 2 new contestants, and actually 50% of the 6 people in front of the cameras are making their Countdown débuts today, as our DC guest is also making her bow too.
So, enjoy.
Countdown recap for Wednesday 11 September 2013.
C1: Challenger Natalie Corriette. An Apterite and full-time mum with a 1-year old daughter from Forest Gate, London. She has enjoyed reading dictionaries since she was a child.
C2: Challenger Sam Felda. A French teacher from Chorlton (or Chorlton-cum-Hardy), Greater Manchester. He is also a guitarist in a school band.
DC: Susie Dent and Jodie Kidd, making her DC début.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: L T A U E B L N O
R02: T K A E L I N R O
R03: 50, 100, 6, 9, 10, 4. Target: 509.
TTT: VEINGRIT - "A stimulating conversation about steel pins, perhaps?"
R04: G R E I E Q M D A
R05: P T O A I F W F O
R06: 25, 4, 10, 6, 3, 1. Target: 176.
R07: R D Y E A X R U N
R08: D P G I E O P R E
R09: 25, 8, 7, 2, 4, 5. Target: 266.
TTT: REELCOST - "Might he be responsible for choosing your beau?"
R10: M S H I O B D E I
R11: Z H A O I S N G E
R12: M N E A E S T R I
R13: T S J O E O T G I
R14: 50, 8, 10, 6, 1, 2. Target: 128.
R15: M E L O N T I P S (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Round 1: L T A U E B L N O
C1: UNBELT (6)
C2: NOTABLE (7)
OT: LOBULATE (8)
Score: 0–7 (max 8)
A good start from the teacher, while Natalie will be looking to UNBELT quicker to get into this game. Nice darrenic 8 missed by all here.
Note also, that we're now seeing the updated clock in action as well. After 30 years of being pretty much the same, the old dim bulbs, have been replaced by bright LED's and it's not out of place at the top either. Even the hand has been extended and even looks bluer than before
LOBULATE is an adjective meaning consisting of, divided into, or having lobes.
Round 2: T K A E L I N R O
C1: LANKIER (7)
C2: TAKEN (5)
DC: ORIENTAL (8) RELATION (8)
Score: 7–7 (max 16)
The ever fruitful RELATION/ORIENTAL comes up again, so full marks to DC for spotting them, and 7 marks to Natalie, whose LANKIER spot gets her back to level pegging immediately.
Round 3: 50, 100, 6, 9, 10, 4. Target: 509.
C1: 509. (50 x 10) + 9 (10)
C2: 509. (50 x 10) + 9 (10)
Score: 17–17 (max 26)
So, a simple numbers game here, meaning that level pegging prevails.
Teatime teaser: VEINGRIT -> RIVETING
Round 4: G R E I E Q M D A
C1: MEDIA (5)
C2: MEAGRE (6)
DC: IMAGED (6) ADMIRE (6) EDGIER (6) DIME (4)
OT: AGREED (6) DEARIE (6) DRAGEE (6) EMIGRE (6) GAMIER (6) GEARED (6) GRIMED (6) IMAGER (6) MAIGRE (6) MEDIAE (6) MERGED (6) MIRAGE (6) REAMED (6) REGIME (6) REMADE (6)
Score: 17–23 (max 32)
It might be MEAGRE, but it gives Sam the lead again, as there are just loadsa loadsa 6's. (Interestingly, Natalie could've pluralised her word by sticking the E on the end.....)
A DRAGÉE is a sugar coated nut or candy.
An ÉMIGRÉ is an emigrant, especially a person who flees from his or her native land because of political conditions.
MIAGRE is an adjective meaning containing neither flesh nor its juices, as food permissible on days of religious abstinence.
A MEDIA (plural MEDIAE) is the middle layer of an artery or lymphatic vessel.
Round 5: P T O A I F W F O
C1: WAIT (4)
C2: WAFT (4)
DC: PATIO (5)
OT: AFOOT (5) TOPOI (5) TOWAI (5)
Score: 21–27 (max 37)
Not much joy in this round with just the 4's from the contestants and just a solitary 5 from DC.
A TOPOS (plural TOPOI) is a convention or motif, especially in a literary work.
Round 6: 25, 4, 10, 6, 3, 1. Target: 176.
C1: 176. ((4 + 3) x 25) + 1 (10)
C2: 176. ((10 - 3) x 25) + 1 (10)
Score: 31–37 (max 47)
Another super easy one here. They always seem to be easier when it's 2 newbies for some reason...............
Jodie talks about her motor racing experiences, starting off with topping the "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" on Top Gear to being picked by Maserati to do races all around the world, which including reversing on her first race at Monza.
Round 7: R D Y E A X R U N
C1: DREARY (6)
C2: READY (5)
DC: UNREADY (7)
Score: 37–37 (max 54)
Oh dear, not the best of rounds for Sam. He only saw READY right at the end, so was clearly UNREADY for UNREADY.........
So, Natalie equalises with her DREARY offering. Round 8: D P G I E O P R E
C1: PODGIER (7)
C2: gropier
OT: GRIPPED (7)
Score: 44–37 (max 61)
And it's now a complete turnaround for Natalie, as she takes the lead for the first time, as Dan's 7 is double ruled out.
Round 9: 25, 8, 7, 2, 4, 5. Target: 266.
C1: 266. (25 x 8) + (7 x 5 x 2) - 4 (10)
C2: 0.
Score: 54–37 (max 71)
Well, the numbers are still fairly easy, but Sam has just collapsed and zeroes out, letting Natalie extend her lead even further.
Teatime teaser: REELCOST -> SELECTOR
Round 10: M S H I O B D E I
C1: BODIES (6)
C2: MOSHED (6)
OT: BEDIMS (6) BIOMES (6) DEMOBS (6) DHOBIS (6) HOMIES (6) IDIOMS (6) IMBEDS (6) IODISE (6) IODISM (6) MODISH (6)
Score: 60–43 (max 77)
Just loadsa loadsa 6's again, but at least we've got some MOSHED BODIES here.
To BEDIM is to make dim.
A BIOME is a complex biotic community characterized by distinctive plant and animal species and maintained under the climatic conditions of the region, especially such a community that has developed to climax.
IODISM is poisoning caused by sensitivity to or overuse of iodine or its compounds.
Round 11: Z H A O I S N G E
C1: HOSING (6)
C2: HOSING (6)
NH: HAZING (6)
DC: SHOEING (7) AGONIZES (8)
OT: GENIZAHS (8)
Score: 66–49 (max 85)
The contestants seem to want a HOSING down, while Jodie uses her horsey knowledge from her polo playing to get SHOEING, while Susie gets one of the 8's available here.
A GENIZAH is a storage area in a Jewish synagogue or cemetery designated for the temporary storage of worn-out Hebrew-language books and papers on religious topics prior to proper cemetery burial.
Susie's Origins Of Words talks about the origins of "The Big Apple" and "Yankee".
Round 12: M N E A E S T R I
C1: STEAMIER (8)
C2: MEANEST (7)
DC: EMIRATES (8) TRAINEES (8) MINARETS (8)
OT: MATINEES (8) RAIMENTS (8) RESINATE (8)
Score: 74–49 (max 93)
Clearly all those hours in front of the dictionary are paying off for Natalie now, as she now extends her lead to a quarter-century.
Round 13: T S J O E O T G I
C1: tooties
C2: joots
DC: TOOTSIE (7)
OT: EGOTIST (7) GOOIEST (7)
Score: 74–49 (max 100)
Well, not necessarily the round we expected, but the double 0 means that Natalie has the game won, although she might have kicked herself for saying tooties, instead of TOOTSIE..........
Round 14: 50, 8, 10, 6, 1, 2. Target: 128.
C1: 128. (6 x 2 x 10) + 8 (10)
C2: 0.
Score: 84–49 (max 110)
Oh dear, oh dear, our teacher declares 0 again on the numbers, as Natalie claims a full 40/40 for her mental arithmetic today.
(Although the fact that the combined difficulty of the 4 numbers games was 31% (8, 11, 8 and 4), means that it should've been 40 simple points............ (Well, pressure, I guess. 
))Round 15: M E L O N T I P S
No one buzzes. The answer was SIMPLETON.
Final Score: 84–49 (max 120)
A little tricky conundrum, which has stumped me on the odd occasion before.
But, there are plenty of hands in the audience, and the lucky man that Nick picks out happens to be Rachel's brother, Alex, who then decides to show off his muscles to the camera.
So, Natalie's years of dictionary research has definitely put her in good stead and got her that win today. Sam just fell away near the end, which was a shame, as he had been in close contact for most of the game.
So, Natalie will return tomorrow to hopefully get to 2 wins. I'll be back tomorrow too.
So, till then, bye bye.
Statistics Corner
Natalie:
Total score - 84
Raw score - 95
Total % of max - 70
Raw % of max - 79
Total average score per round - 5.6
Raw average score per round - 6.3
Number of maxes - 7
Sam:
Total score - 49
Raw score - 66
Total % of max - 41
Raw % of max - 55
Total average score per round - 3.3
Raw average score per round - 4.4
Number of maxes - 4
Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=69
