Enjoy.
Countdown recap for Thursday 11 November 2010.
C1: Challenger Nicky Miller. A 6th form student from Oxford. He likes playing tennis, football and the trumpet. He also likes fetsivals, and has even performed at Glastonbury doing hip-hop to a Tupac track. His ambition in life is to become a doctor, and in the short term, win a Countdown teapot.
C2: Challenger Bernice Mitchell. From Lindley, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. She enjoys walking, going to the gym, watching Countdown, but most of all, singing, being a member of her local amateur operatic society for nearly 30 years. She also enjoys musicals, probably why her favourite song that she likes to sing is "If I Loved You" from Carousel.
DC: Susie Dent and Colin Jackson.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: G D P E O T I R E
R02: C B T I O A D S M
R03: S W T R E O A D O
R04: H K T R E U I F N
R05: 25, 8, 5, 1, 3, 8. Target: 667.
TTT: COINSIDE - "Which side will the coin land on? It's your call"
R06: R T D G O A O S L
R07: G N I A Z C N U T
R08: N H C E I R O Q M
R09: P S M E O R T I E
R10: 100, 10, 9, 1, 8, 2. Target: 899.
TTT: BOLDLEAF - "It might describe a bicycle made of paper"
R11: Y A L D W E A T B
R12: S R X E O I L G T
R13: N L A E N S R U P
R14: 25, 5, 7, 10, 8, 7. Target: 838.
R15: B E T T Y C O O D (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 D P E O T I R E
C1: PODGIER (7)
C2: TRIPOD (6)
DC: PERIDOT (7) EPIDOTE (7)
OT: DIOPTRE (7) GOITRED (7) PROTEGE (7)
Score: 7–0 (max 7)
Nicky takes the early lead here with his 7.
Round 2: C B T I O A D S M
C1: DACOITS (7)
C2: TOADS (5)
DC: MASTOID (7)
OT: COMBATS (7) DIATOMS (7) SOMATIC (7)
Score: 14–0 (max 14)
Clearly Nicky watches the show a lot, by remembering the old Countdown favourite there.
Round 3: S W T R E O A D O
C1: ROOSTED (7)
C2: WATERS (6)
DC: WOODRATS (8)
OT: WOODSTAR (8)
Score: 21–0 (max 22)
Bernice is still waiting to get off the mark in this one. Surely it can't be too much longer now.....
Round 4: H K T R E U I F N
C1: FUNKIER (7)
C2: THINKER (7)
DC: RETHINK (7)
OT: HUNKIER (7)
Score: 28–7 (max 29)
And there you go, Bernice gets a 7, Nicky gets a 7, DC get a 7, and there is a 7 spare.
Round 5: 25, 8, 5, 1, 3, 8. Target: 667.
C1: -
C2: -
RR: 667. ((8 + 1) x 3 x 25) - 8 (10)
Score: 28–7 (max 39)
Oh dear. Not quite as bad as the 2 easy-ish misses from the last series, but without using one of the 8's, 27 wasn't superbly difficult to find. But, both contestants get a no-score in this one, leaving the scores unaltered.
Colin talks about statistics regarding our everyday lives on this planet, as well as the fact that he still holds the indoor world record for the 110m hurdles which he set 16 years ago.
Teatime teaser: COINSIDE -> DECISION
Round 6: R T D G O A O S L
C1: DROOLS (6)
C2: groats (declared as 5)
DC: DASTOOR (7)
OT: GALOOTS (7)
Score: 34–7 (max 46)
Oh dear, no-one picks up that Bernice had a 6 declared as a 5 there, but by declaring 5, Nicky's lead is extended even further.
Round 7: G N I A Z C N U T
C1: TUNING (6)
C2: TUNING (6)
DC: CANTING (7)
Score: 40–13 (max 53)
Round 8: N H C E I R O Q M
C1: richmen
C2: CHOIR (5)
DC: MINCER (6) CHROME (6) CHORINE (7)
OT: CHOIRMEN (8) NICHROME (8)
Score: 40–18 (max 61)
Hmmm, a very odd round here. Nicky's dodgy 7 is just that. Bernice has a 5, whereas DC fins a 7 relating to choirs, but CHOIRMEN was lurking around for 8 there.
NICHROME is any of various alloys containing nickel, iron, and chromium, with smaller amounts of other components.
Round 9: P S M E O R T I E
C1: PROMISE (7)
C2: POSTER (6)
DC: IMPOSTER (8) TIRESOME (8) TEMPORISE (18)
OT: PERISTOME (18)
Score: 47–18 (max 79)
6, 7, 8, 9's available here.
A PERISTOME is the one or two circles of small, pointed, toothlike appendages around the orifice of a capsule or urn of mosses, appearing when the lid is removed.
Susie's Origins Of Words talks about the origin of "double whammy".
Round 10: 100, 10, 9, 1, 8, 2. Target: 899.
C1: 899. (100 x 9) - 1 (10)
C2: 899. (100 x 9) - 1 (10)
Score: 57–28 (max 89)
The easy numbers return here.
Teatime teaser: BOLDLEAF -> FOLDABLE
Round 11: Y A L D W E A T B
C1: DATABLE (7)
C2: TABLED (6)
OT: TWAYBLADE (18)
Score: 64–28 (max 107)
A very good 7 from Nicky here, but amazingly there is an impressive 9 hidden away. So much for me being happy with BELTWAY in this round.
A TWAYBLADE is any of various orchids, especially of the genera Listera and Liparis, characterized by two nearly opposite broad leaves.
Round 12: S R X E O I L G T
C1: LOITERS (7)
C2: TOILERS (7)
DC: GOITRES (7) GLORIES (7)
OT: GLISTER (7) GRISTLE (7) GORIEST (7) LOGIEST (7)
Score: 71–35 (max 114)
Flatness all around.
Round 13: N L A E N S R U P
C1: PLANNERS (8)
C2: PLANNERS (8)
DC: UNLEARNS (8)
OT: PURSLANE (8) SUPERNAL (8)
Score: 79–43 (max 122)
And more flatness means that Nicky is the new champion.
A PURSLANE is a low, trailing plant, Portulaca oleracea, having yellow flowers, used as a salad plant and potherb.
SUPERNAL is an adjective meaning, being in or belonging to the heaven of divine beings; heavenly, celestial, or divine.
Round 14: 25, 5, 7, 10, 8, 7. Target: 838.
C1: 837. Mistake in working.
C2: -
RR: 838. (((25 x 7) - 7) x 5) - (10 - 8) (10)
Score: 79–43 (max 132)
A very tricky numbers here, but Rachel shows us all how it's done.
Round 15: B E T T Y C O O D
C1 buzzes on 9.75 seconds to say BOYCOTTED which is correct.
Final Score: 89–43 (max 142)
And Nicky wraps it up nicely with that conundrum solve there. A very good performance there by our new champ, but how long can he stay as champ for
Only time will tell......Interestingly, after the conundrum, the clock is reactivated to show exactly how quick Colin's 110m hurdles world record time of 12.91 seconds looked on the clock.
I'll be back next week with 2 more prelims, as we get ever closer to the finals.
Till then, bye bye.
Statistics Corner
Nicky:
Total score - 89
Raw score - 89
Total % of max - 63
Raw % of max - 63
Total average score per round - 5.9
Raw average score per round - 5.9
Number of maxes - 7
Bernice:
Total score - 43
Raw score - 72
Total % of max - 30
Raw % of max - 51
Total average score per round - 2.9
Raw average score per round - 4.8
Number of maxes - 4
Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=63
