c4countdown

Another week has begun, and amazingly my recap is first on this week. Everyone else must be drunk and nursing hangovers.

Countdown recap for Wednesday 25 November 2009.

C1: Champion Jennifer Bett (2 wins, 199 points.) From Edinburgh. Currently studying for an accountancy degree. She is also the financial co-ordinator for a charity that specialises in helping adults with learning disabilities. She is also a proud mother. She loves Take That and her favourite track of theirs is Patience.
C2: Challenger Sunil Parmar. From Wilstead, Bedfordshire. He is a psychology undergraduate at Brunel University. His ambition is to work in child psychology, like his hero, Robert Winston. He adores football and hanging out with his friends. He once hung around with Bruce Willis in Las Vegas.
DC: Susie Dent and David Lloyd.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: S N P E E I C Y T
R02: D D M O U O T F I
R03: N R E E A Q S T R
R04: N I A E S R W D I
R05: 100, 75, 3, 1, 9, 8. Target: 888.
TTT: LANDUSER - "Washes the dirty money, perhaps?"
R06: N L H E A L N O A
R07: G T S U A E R R N
R08: M S O E I S N A L
R09: B T J R E O I A T
R10: 25, 9, 4, 2, 8, 6. Target: 184.
TTT: OPENTOPS - "Let's call the whole thing off"
R11: E E A B C D Y P T
R12: T W U O E L F P E
R13: G C R K A E E N P
R14: 50, 25, 9, 1, 2, 8. Target: 358.
R15: P E T D R A G O N (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Enjoy the show.

Round 1: S N P E E I C Y T

C1: pinces
C2: INSPECT (7)
DC: CYSTINE (7)
OT: CYSTEINE (8) PECTINES (8)
Score: 0–7 (max 8)

Amazingly, Susie misses the 8 that looks exactly like the 7 she spotted on the pencam.
Even bigger shock: Everyone misses the fact that PINCES isn't a word!

Round 2: D D M O U O T F I

C1: MUFTI (5)
C2: -
DC: OUTDID (6)
Score: 5–7 (max 14)

Jennifer gets into the game as Sunil blanks out.

Round 3: N R E E A Q S T R

C1: NEAREST (7)
C2: EASTERN (7)
DC: EARNEST (7)
OT: TERRANES (8)
Score: 12–14 (max 22)

Round 4: N I A E S R W D I

C1: WINDIER (7)
C2: WARDENS (7)
DC: INWARDS (7) SARDINE (7)
OT: AIRSIDE (7) DAIRIES (7) DIARIES (7) DIARISE (7) DENARII (7) INSIDER (7) REWINDS (7) WINDERS (7) SANDIER (7) SENARII (7) WANDERS (7)
Score: 19–21 (max 29)

DENARII (plural of DENARIUS) are silver coins that were used as the monetary unit in Ancient Rome.

Round 5: 100, 75, 3, 1, 9, 8. Target: 888.

C1: 888. (100 x 9) - (8 + 3 + 1) (10)
C2: 888. (100 x 8) + 75 + 9 + 3 + 1 (10)
Score: 29–31 (max 39)

David tells of the time when he helped Phil Tufnell train for I'm A Celebrity....., Get Me Out Of Here!

Teatime teaser: LANDUSER -> LAUNDERS

Round 6: N L H E A L N O A

C1: HENNA (5)
C2: ALONE (5)
DC: ANNEAL (6)
Score: 34–36 (max 45)

Another dreadful collection of letters in which DC find the darren.

Round 7: G T S U A E R R N

C1: GRUNTERS (8)
C2: STRANGER (8)
DC: GURNERS (7)
OT: GRANTERS (8) RESTRUNG (8)
Score: 42–44 (max 53)

Round 8: M S O E I S N A L

C1: molases
C2: lamines
DC: SEMOLINAS (18)
OT: LOAMINESS (18) MELANOSIS (18)
Score: 42–44 (max 71)

Both contestants bomb as they miss Susie's favourite dessert, as well as a possible 18 points.

Round 9: B T J R E O I A T

C1: BATTIER (7)
C2: BATTER (6)
DC: JETBOAT (7) BIRETTA (7)
OT: ABETTOR (7)
Score: 49–44 (max 78)

Jennifer takes the lead for the first time today as Sunil misses the 7.

In Susie's Origin Of Words, the origin of words relating to old technology, such as "on the blower".

Round 10: 25, 9, 4, 2, 8, 6. Target: 184.

C1: 184. (25 - 2) x 8 (10)
C2: 184. (25 x 8) - (9 x 2) + (6 - 4) (10)
Score: 59–54 (max 88)

Teatime teaser: OPENTOPS -> POSTPONE

Round 11: E E A B C D Y P T

C1: DEBATE (6)
C2: PEACE (5)
Score: 65–54 (max 94)

Jennifer spots the darren to get a lead of double figures.

Round 12: T W U O E L F P E

C1: FLOUT (5)
C2: WOEFUL (6)
DC: EELPOUT (7)
OT: OUTFLEW (7)
Score: 65–60 (max 101)

But, it doesn't last long, as Sunil reduces the lead back to 5 again.

Round 13: G C R K A E E N P

C1: PACKER (6)
C2: CANKER (6)
DC: PECKER (6) PRANCE (6)
OT: KNEECAP (7)
Score: 71–66 (max 108)

Round 14: 50, 25, 9, 1, 2, 8. Target: 358.

C1: 358. ((9 - 2) x 50) + 8 (10)
C2: 358. ((9 - 2) x 50) + 8 (10)
Score: 81–76 (max 118)

The game goes to a crucial. Jennifer has yet to solve a conundrum so far.

Round 15: P E T D R A G O N

No one buzzes. The answer was GODPARENT.
Score: 81–76 (max 128)

And she hasn't again, but luckily Sunil doesn't either, as even 2 guesses from the audience doesn't produce the right answer.

So, Jennifer has reached 3 wins. Steady progress by her today, but hopefully she'll be back on top form tomorrow.

Join me tomorrow for Jennifer's 4th game.

Till then, bye bye.

Statistics Corner

Jennifer:
Total score - 81
Raw score - 86
Total % of max - 63
Raw % of max - 67
Total average score per round - 5.4
Raw average score per round - 5.7
Number of maxes - 7

Sunil:
Total score - 76
Raw score - 87
Total % of max - 59
Raw % of max - 68
Total average score per round - 5.1
Raw average score per round - 5.8
Number of maxes - 5

Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=61

James Robinson wrote: Round 15: P E T D R A G O N

No one buzzes. The answer was GODPARENT.
Score: 81–76 (max 128)

I set this in an MSN game between Jono and Chris Wills many years ago. Jono got it in 12 seconds.

And yes, I have no life

Wouldn't be surprised if quite a few forumites Kirk etc maxed this game. I only missed ANNEAL and PECTINES/CYSTEINE

Dinos Sfyris wrote:Wouldn't be surprised if quite a few forumites Kirk etc maxed this game. I only missed ANNEAL and PECTINES/CYSTEINE

I didn't do too bad. I got PECTINES and ANNEAL, but was nowhere near the conundrum.

Couldn't believe everyone missed KNEECAP though.

Having said that, I did too.

Dinos Sfyris wrote:Wouldn't be surprised if quite a few forumites Kirk etc maxed this game. I only missed ANNEAL and PECTINES/CYSTEINE

I got a 14 max game - missed KNEECAP. Two days in a row I've had 14 maxes, failing in round 13.

Kirk Bevins wrote:

Dinos Sfyris wrote:Wouldn't be surprised if quite a few forumites Kirk etc maxed this game. I only missed ANNEAL and PECTINES/CYSTEINE

I got a 14 max game - missed KNEECAP. Two days in a row I've had 14 maxes, failing in round 13.

Yer shit mate.

James Robinson wrote:Round 1: S N P E E I C Y T

C1: PINCES (6)

Phil Reynolds wrote:

James Robinson wrote:Round 1: S N P E E I C Y T

C1: PINCES (6)

In case my previous post was too subtle: PINCES is not a word.

Phil Reynolds wrote:

Phil Reynolds wrote:

James Robinson wrote:Round 1: S N P E E I C Y T

C1: PINCES (6)

In case my previous post was too subtle: PINCES is not a word.

Oh, it seemed pretty plausible to me, i'll just alter it then.