Monday 24th January 2011 (Series 64, Prelim 11)

[Ryan Taylor]

Countdown recap for Monday 24 January 2011.

C1: Challenger Ken Alden.
C2: Challenger Dave Roome.
DC: Susie Dent and Andrew Castle.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: D I M F H O E T O
R02: L A U J R E I S P
R03: D V Z O I E S T C
R04: Q O E R M A E S H
R05: 5, 7, 4, 6, 8, 2. Target: 579.
TTT: CUBETHEN - "This small fruit sounds like a huge fan of the seaside"
R06: M U I L C O A W N
R07: D Y E I S R E P D
R08: R N O A S E E L N
R09: M O E O G L N I S
R10: 50, 75, 7, 4, 2, 1. Target: 619.
TTT: RINGTONE - "In terms of atmosphere, it's all over the place"
R11: W N C A O T R A E
R12: S D I E R X O I T
R13: R G E A E E N T S
R14: 100, 10, 7, 6, 5, 3. Target: 429.
R15: G R I L L M E N U (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Ken Alden is the head coach of the girl's Luton Rugby team. Jeff asks him "when was the world cup?" and Ken (not hearing him properly) fumbles for an answer before coming up with "..er..duh..I'm sure it did...it must have done". Smooth.

Dave Roome is a retired HGV driver from near Barnsley. What is it about Barnsley that you just HAVE to pronounce it in that broad South Yorkshire accent? Well, I do anyway. Dave is married and has 3 children who are now adults.

Andrew Castle is in DC this week despite his eye probably being on the Australian Open at the moment. Go Murray!

*IT'S A JOKE!!!

Enjoy the show.

Round 1: D I M F H O E T O

C1: MOOTED (6)
C2: MOOTED (6)
DC: METHOD (6) HOOTED (6) ETHMOID (7)
Score: 6–6 (max 7)

Steady start from both gents as DC show off displaying the darren.

Round 2: L A U J R E I S P

C1: UPRAISE (7)
C2: SPEAR (5)
DC: PERUSAL (7) PILAUS (6)
OT: JAILERS (7) PUJARIS (7)
Score: 13–6 (max 14)

Ken continues in similar fashion managing to find a 7 but Dave falls behind.

Round 3: D V Z O I E S T C

C1: DIVEST (6)
C2: DOZIEST (7)
DC: VOIDS (5) DOVES (5) COSTIVE (7)
OT: COTISED (7) COZIEST (7) VOIDEST (7)
Score: 13–13 (max 21)

It's Ken's turn to get beat this time as Dave finds his first max of the game.

Round 4: Q O E R M A E S H

C1: MASHER (6)
C2: MASHER (6)
DC: remash REHOMES (7)
OT: MAHSEER (7)
Score: 19–19 (max 28)

They both stay level at 19-19 after neither can find one of the tricky 7's hiding away. A MAHSEER is a fish (of the carp family).

Round 5: 5, 7, 4, 6, 8, 2. Target: 579.

C1: 580. (8*7+2)*(4+6) (7)
C2: -
OT: 579. ((6+4)*8+2)*7+5 (10)
Score: 26–19 (max 38)

Ken's nifty tactic works wonders for him as he is on the same wavelength as Rachel. A useful 7 points gained on Dave giving him Roome to breathe. Stop it.

Rachel for once isn't bang on and so it's left to the computer to solve this one. If anyone managed that on within the time then RESPECT BRUVVA.

Teatime teaser: CUBETHEN -> BEECHNUT

Round 6: M U I L C O A W N

C1: UNCOIL (6)
C2: CLOWN (5)
DC: LOCUM (5) ALUMNI (6) COLUMN (6)
OT: CULMINA (7) INOCULA (7) MANICOU (7)
Score: 32–19 (max 45)

Ken edges further in front making Dave look like a bit of a CLOWN. Honk honk.

Round 7: D Y E I S R E P D

C1: RESIDED (7)
C2: SPIRED (6)
DC: PRESIDED (8)
OT: SPIDERED (8)
Score: 39–19 (max 53)

And again Ken beats Dave to take his lead to 20 points. Ken looks too sharp for Dave today.

Round 8: R N O A S E E L N

C1: REASON (6)
C2: LOANERS (7)
DC: LANNERS (7) ENSNARE (7)
OT: AREOLES (7) ENSNARL (7) LOANEES (7)
Score: 39–26 (max 60)

Dave bites back to reduce the deficit with a standard spot of the very boring LOANERS.

Round 9: M O E O G L N I S

C1: LOOMING (7)
C2: mooning
DC: NEOLOGISM (18)
Score: 46–26 (max 78)

DC sits pretty with the spectacular 9 whilst Dave is the one making his own words up, well, at least making them up from letters that aren't there.

Round 10: 50, 75, 7, 4, 2, 1. Target: 619.

C1: 616. (75+2)*(7+1) (7)
C2: 608.
RR: 619. (50*7-1)*2-75-4 (10)
Score: 53–26 (max 88)

Ken is clearly the stronger player with the numbers as he takes another 7 points off Dave from the second numerical puzzle. Rachel does manage to nail it this time with a solution that looked overly complicated. I think she was showing off to make up for not getting the first one.

Susie's Origins of Words: Susie talks about the word CANTER and says that CANTER comes from the CANTERbury Tales where the Pilgrim's would CANTER to CANTERbury at a CANTERbury trot - later shortened to CANTER.

Teatime teaser: RINGTONE -> NITROGEN

Round 11: W N C A O T R A E

C1: CANTER (6)
C2: CRATE (5)
DC: TRACE (5) CATERAN (7)
OT: ENACTOR (7)
Score: 59–26 (max 95)

Proof, if proof were needed, that even the contestant's don't bother to listen to Susie's origins as Dave can't spot the word that Susie just derived.

Round 12: S D I E R X O I T

C1: RIOTED (6)
C2: RIOTED (6)
DC: OXIDISE (7) EDITORS (7) TRIOXIDES (18)
Score: 65–32 (max 113)

Only 6's for Ken and Dave here whilst DC have their 2nd 9 of the game. It looks very posh and everything but it was a very easy spot IMO. Eh Jack?

Round 13: R G E A E E N T S

C1: REAGENTS (8)
C2: ESTRANGE (8)
DC: GENERATES (18) TEENAGERS (18)
Score: 73–40 (max 131)

Back to back 9's mean DC have just earnt a flake. It's not often I'm disappointed with 8's but I am with these ones. Jeff comments that TEENAGERS may have been at Rachel's house warming party...is there something Jeff isn't telling us? Does Rachel see herself as a bit of a cougar now that she's 25? I think Rachel's expression said it all and we can consider any such rumours quashed.

Back to the game before my mind wanders further...Ken has won now. <-- PALINDROME and it also reminds me of a question seen a Trivial Pursuit deck. "What would one win if one won won?" Answer: Money (The won is South Korean currency). An easy question, but quite nicely written.

Round 14: 100, 10, 7, 6, 5, 3. Target: 429.

C1: 430. (7-3)*100+6*5 (7)
C2: 430. 100*5-10*7 (7)
RR: 429. (100-10)*5-7*3 (10)
Score: 80–47 (max 141)

After the guys 3rd pop at a numbers round, still none of them have solved one yet. Rachel tidies up and we prepare ourselves for a conundrum.

Round 15: G R I L L M E N U

C1 buzzes on 7 seconds to say MULLERING which is correct.
Final Score: 90–47 (max 151)

Ken takes his score to 90 with that solve although he wasn't convinced by it.

I've managed to find a definition of MULLERING in the "Dinos Syfris Dictionary of Greek" and MULLERING is apparently the act of placing yoghurt on top of Weetabix.

Michael Wallace (in kitchen): "Fuck sake CF my Weetabix is mushy again."
CF: "You should totally go on c4c and ask for advice about what to do."
MW [on c4c]: "WEETABIX GRRRRR FUCKING PISSING ME OFF GRRRR. How do you eat yours?"
Dinos Syfris: "Dollop a tasty yoghurt on top. Vanilla Muller Lite with black cherry underlayer is my personal favourite. It redresses the balance of moisture without permeating the Weetabix."
MW: "Wow that sounds cool, what is that called?"
DS: "It's called MULLERING."
MW: "I like raccoons."

Countdown is over for another day and personally I feel robbed. I can't help but feel that if somebody like The Gillard was still sat in the chair for today's contest then we could have been looking at a possible record breaking score, certainly something in the 130's.

Oh well, Ken Alden is the champion and will be back tomorrow but there is no place for Dave tomorrow. I guess this was on the cards when we learnt that he can't even spell ROOM properly. (There's no E at the end Dave!).

Here's some stats for this one:
Max Score Possible: 151
Contestant's Scores Combined: 137
9's Available: 3
Contestant 9's Spotted: 0
Solvable Number Games: 3
Contestant's Number Games Solved: 0

I AM A BASTARD AND WILL PROBABLY ROT IN HELL.

God bless you.

Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=64