Great conspiracy theories of our time...

[L'oisleatch McGraw]

We do need this thread.
But there should be rules, e.g:-

• No entry to the thread without the required apparel.

• Apparel required consists of one tin foil hat.

• Subject line for each new proposed theory should be changed so people know which theory is being replied to.

• Tongue to be positioned in cheek while here.

Now, go nuts!

[L'oisleatch McGraw]

:::The Great S84 Conspiracy:::

HYPOTHESIS: "In general, there have been closer matches on S84 than on any series in living memory. This is because the CD producers have been inspired by online sensation ZoomDown."

EVIDENCE:
1. Players who would normally win 8 games running into another player with Octo potential mid run (e.g. Adele, Jodine, Mike, Ryan, Steven, Daaniyal, Richard, Adam, Rachael, Tamsin, Ali, Jack etc)
2. The main CD producer followed ZD from the start, with a keen interest (perhaps TOO keen... hmmm).

[Edited to note that this was my 666th forum post, which must mean there is some evil intent behind what has been done with the S84 pairings.]

[Mark Deeks]

Not sure I agree with your first five words.

[Johnny Canuck]

VAnon: The V was missing for a long time in Series 61 because Vladimir Putin took it and displayed it in his office as a knickknack.

[L'oisleatch McGraw]

Not sure I agree with your first five words.

But you will in time...
...as will be outlined further once full details of "The Great Mark Deeks Conspiracy" are published.

[Gavin Chipper]

In series 79, there were no top-tier Apterites. This could just be random chance - if you average a couple per series, sometimes you'll get more, sometimes less. However, there was definitely something about Elliott Mellor being put off to a later series, although the only discussion I could find from a quick search was this.

[Ben Wilson]

Not sure I agree with your first five words.

It's also an extremely loose definition of the word 'great'.

[Mark Deeks]

In series 79, there were no top-tier Apterites. This could just be random chance - if you average a couple per series, sometimes you'll get more, sometimes less. However, there was definitely something about Elliott Mellor being put off to a later series, although the only discussion I could find from a quick search was this.

Hadn't seen that thread before. A forehead slapper. Really ain't that deep.

[Fiona T]

In series 79, there were no top-tier Apterites. This could just be random chance - if you average a couple per series, sometimes you'll get more, sometimes less. However, there was definitely something about Elliott Mellor being put off to a later series, although the only discussion I could find from a quick search was this.

Hadn't seen that thread before. A forehead slapper. Really ain't that deep.

Gawd, hardly surprising Damo's not in a hurry to do another CoC.

[Gavin Chipper]

In series 79, there were no top-tier Apterites. This could just be random chance - if you average a couple per series, sometimes you'll get more, sometimes less. However, there was definitely something about Elliott Mellor being put off to a later series, although the only discussion I could find from a quick search was this.

Hadn't seen that thread before. A forehead slapper. Really ain't that deep.

Isn't it? I dunno. They wanted the CoC to be a step up from the previous series? Seems a bit contrived and artificial if that is the reason. Plus they used to have players from the last series before the CoC in the CoC but that stopped for some reason.

Edit - The series before the 30th Birthday Championship was arguably weaker than average as well, so maybe it's not a complete coincidence. But the series before the CoC in between the 30th BC and the most recent CoC was of decently high standard (Jonathan Wynn won, with Thomas Carey as number 1 seed).

[Gavin Chipper]

Harry Peters

[L'oisleatch McGraw]

Gawd, hardly surprising Damo's not in a hurry to do another CoC.

Wow, I didn't realise how little respect you had for D. Eadie's professionalism.
You think he would get in enough of a snot over one person's opinion on a dying internet forum, that he'd deprive the viewers of the latest instalment of the show's greatest hits series?
I'm not his #1 fan, but even I would give him more credit than that.

[Gavin Chipper]

In this game, the challenger was on zero points going into the final numbers game, but the target ended up being 200 (with the large number 100). There was some discussion at the time in the spoilers thread.

[L'oisleatch McGraw]

Harry Peters

Love this!
The original story hosted on Ben Wilson's website to boot.
Younger Ben, funner Ben.

The real conspiracy here, is will we ever find out which scheming CDer invented him...
...surely once enough time has passed, the culprit will own up?

[L'oisleatch McGraw]

this.

Hadn't seen that thread before. A forehead slapper. Really ain't that deep.

Hadn't seen?
More fuel for the conspiracy theory...!

[Mark Deeks]

There's no conspiracy there. I'm just not especially smart.

[L'oisleatch McGraw]

In series 79, there were no top-tier Apterites. This could just be random chance - if you average a couple per series, sometimes you'll get more, sometimes less. However, there was definitely something about Elliott Mellor being put off to a later series, although the only discussion I could find from a quick search was this.

Madness...
When I set up this thread, what I would have named :::The Great S79 Conspiracy::: was one of the ones I was most looking forward to posting... but I decided to save it for later... foolishly so, as you've now beaten me to it!

But yes, this is a fascinating one!

HYPOTHESIS: In S79, there were no top tier Apterites (as Gevin pointed out), furthermore: this was no accident.

EVIDENCE:
1. The #1 seed was someone who had been active on Apterous in 2009 and 2010, but had never cracked the Pro-ranks top 10.
2. Whilst finalists Alan Duval and Mike Daysley did use Apterous a little bit, they did not trouble the 1400s in the rolling ratings or the top 60 of Pro-ranks.
3. The highest score of the series was 117, the lowest ever for a new 15-round series.
4. Elliott Mellor is rumoured to have applied for this series, but was declined.

But why?
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THEORY 1:
The producer(s) decided it would be interesting to go old school, and block out a full series without Apto domination.

THEORY 2:
Damian had read along with the 1000 club thread, saw the bet, and REALLY wanted Conor to win that tenner.

THEORY 3:
Martin May is the son of a very good family friend of the Eadies, and Damian wanted to do his level best to ensure a series win for him. (Plan backfired ofc... go on Daysley, the people's champion!)
-------------------------------------

Of these, you hardly even need a tin foil hat on to believe the first theory... in fact it makes a mockery of this entire thread, perhaps I should just delete it? The 2nd is quite juicy, and my ego likes to believe it... but no. Theory 3 has got to be the one. I think I read somewhere that DE and MM were originally from the same town / village...

[Elliott Mellor]

In series 79, there were no top-tier Apterites. This could just be random chance - if you average a couple per series, sometimes you'll get more, sometimes less. However, there was definitely something about Elliott Mellor being put off to a later series, although the only discussion I could find from a quick search was this.

4. Elliott Mellor is rumoured to have applied for this series, but was declined.

Not really sure that's the correct terminology. I was never "declined" for any series, but it is true that I would have been eligible for it (having done my audition a long while before actually filming).

[Gavin Chipper]

In series 79, there were no top-tier Apterites. This could just be random chance - if you average a couple per series, sometimes you'll get more, sometimes less. However, there was definitely something about Elliott Mellor being put off to a later series, although the only discussion I could find from a quick search was this.

4. Elliott Mellor is rumoured to have applied for this series, but was declined.

Not really sure that's the correct terminology. I was never "declined" for any series, but it is true that I would have been eligible for it (having done my audition a long while before actually filming).

That's quite cryptic. Why weren't you in series 79?

[Elliott Mellor]

4. Elliott Mellor is rumoured to have applied for this series, but was declined.

Not really sure that's the correct terminology. I was never "declined" for any series, but it is true that I would have been eligible for it (having done my audition a long while before actually filming).

That's quite cryptic. Why weren't you in series 79?

I have no idea. I refer you to the arguments already made in this thread. I always assumed it's because it would either have been difficult to engineer (I was in college at the time with A-levels approaching so wasn't as available as many others would have been), or it was that they simply wanted to wait until there was heavier competition for me.

[Gavin Chipper]

OK, fair enough. But it came from Countdown rather than from you is the main thing.

[L'oisleatch McGraw]

At Co:Dub 2019, Bradley and I were talking about this... he said that Tom Stephenson also applied for S79.
But that is the only source that rumour came from, not 100% sure of its validity.

I wonder will any more of S79's lost souls come out of the woodwork?
Who else among us tried to apply for the series that was set up for Damo's neighbour's kid to win?!

[Countdown Team]

This is brilliant on a Sunday afternoon - snowy here in Leeds, cold outside, so what better than to read all the conspiracy stuff ?

Synopsis - from memory, i think Elliott was invited for S79 but was busy with exams and the dates didn't work. EM can correct me if i'm wrong. But don't forget, the final was stacked in Dinos' favour because i used a Greek conundrum TABBOULEH. Surprised you didn't mention this Eoin. You're slacking a little.

Aside from that, I'd never met Martin May in my life prior to his appearance on CD, he isn't a relative, and i was born and brought up in Blackpool, which isn't a 'village'. Martin, according to the internet, lives or lived in a place with a Preston postcode - so yeah, any football fan will know that it automatically makes us best buddies.

Keep 'em coming.
Damian

[L'oisleatch McGraw]

The final was stacked in Dinos' favour because i used a Greek conundrum TABBOULEH. Surprised you didn't mention this Eoin. You're slacking a little.

The Great S80 Conspiracy should be a spicy one!
Just need a little more time to properly invent, eh - research it.

[Carl Harrison]

Here's another one for you Eoin. The series 28 final was clearly fixed. One of the competitors was a well known football fan, and hence both conundrums used a scramble of a footballer which made it much easier for said contestant to get them both, the 20 points from which were enough to secure a narrow victory overall, and pave the way for the empire he has since created.

[L'oisleatch McGraw]

One of the competitors was a football fan, and hence both conundrums used a scramble of a footballer which made it much easier for said contestant to get them both

Disagree... the scrambles being familiar names would more likely flummox a footie fan than a non-fan. More an extra obstacle to overcome than an advantage. If you want to formulate a S28 conspiracy, it'll have to be meatier than that!

[L'oisleatch McGraw]

:::The Curious Case of Chris Hare:::

HYPOTHESIS: "Chris Hare is a high functioning Apterous Bot."

EVIDENCE:
1. That moustache! In spite of Movember's best efforts, a moustache of this nature has not been seen in real life since the 1970's. Its only possible modern-day purpose would be for mischief or villainy.
2. He's the #1 most multi-talented 'human' player (Rex, anyone?) Furthermore, he's played more time than any other 'human' player (Prune, anyone?)
3. He pretty much plays every daily duel. A few lapses here and there to keep up the illusion that he is a real boy... part of the brilliance of his programming.
4. One of his very few Apterite friends on facebook is Marcus Hares... because Charlie thought it would be funny for Hare to be friends with Hares.
5. On Facebook, Chris has 3 pictures up. But these are clearly 3 different men that all have dark hair, glasses and a moustache. No-one looks closely enough to realise this.
6. CHRIS HARE was always going to be an anagram. In this case the solution is HIERARCHS... Chief priests, archbishops or other leaders. And that is the intent with Chris Hare, (or 'Apterous Hierarchs' if you will), to be a leader; someone to aspire to as regards duel steadfastness, time played, records set, and sublime retro grooming.
7. He has never been on the show, or appeared in public - aside from that one time at Co:blivion in 2012, but that was just Charlie wearing a black wig and one of these...

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The evidence is pretty compelling. There really is not much scope for debate on this one.
-------------------------------------

CONCLUSION:
The C4C forum is great, Achieving Series and CoC runner-up is not bad at all, Apterous is utterly brilliant of course... but I would argue making us all believe that Apterous Hierarchs was a real person for over a decade before finally being rumbled, is Charlie Reams' greatest achievement to date.

[Callum Todd]

Love it.