Monday 24th August 2015 (series 73, prelim 38)

[Andy McGurn]

Countdown recap for Monday 24 August 2015.

C1: Champion Chris Roy (1 win 78 points.) Chris Roy – An international teacher from north of the border who won last Tuesdays show defeating incumbent champion Kevin Breeze. If he thought that game was a Breeze he may be right compared to his challenger today…

C2: Challenger Jonathan Wynn. A Maths teacher from Oxford who plays table tennis and is an enthusiast for Norwegian forest cats. This is his second appearance on countdown having lost on a crucial conundrum five years ago to Ryan Loughbrough. Jonathan’s reappearance is highly anticipated by some apterites…


DC: Susie Dent and Gyles Brandreth.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: D K R O I M A S N
R02: T R Z O E B A S L
R03: 25, 6, 9, 6, 5, 3. Target: 371.
TTT: WIDEFLEX - "it sounds like this plant enjoys going to the movies"
R04: D T G O I E A V A
R05: J N R E O W I T L
R06: 8, 8, 9, 2, 10, 50. Target: 737.
R07: D N E S O T L E U
R08: G W N I A R E M U
R09: 8, 8, 7, 5, 2, 25. Target: 610.
TTT: HEPEOPLE - "he can see people on the other side thanks to this"
R10: P T H E A F I R S
R11: A E N C M E D I P
R12: T L G E O A C E N
R13: T V P I O R E O E
R14: 5, 9, 3, 10, 7, 100. Target: 422.
R15: W O N G A P I L L (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Enjoy the show.

Round 1: D K R O I M A S N

Chris: MOANS (5)
Jonathan: ORDAINS (7)
DC: MIKADOS (7)
OT: DAIKONS (7) DAIMONS (7) DOMAINS (7) INROADS (7) MADISON (7) MANDIRS (7) MANOIRS (7) NIMRODS (7)
Score: 0–7 (max 7)

Nice opening by Jonathan with ORDAINS as Chris MOANS.


Round 2: T R Z O E B A S L

Chris: BLOATERS (8)
Jonathan: BLOATERS (8)
DC: LOBSTER (7)
Score: 8–15 (max 15)

Jonathan stopped searching early in the time, he clearly knew that BLOATERS+Z didn’t lead to a nine.


Round 3: 25, 6, 9, 6, 5, 3. Target: 371.

Chris: 372.
Jonathan: 371. ((9+6)*25)-(6-(5-3) (10)
Score: 8–25 (max 25)

A miss from the champion and a solve by Jonathan means that the apterite has both a max game and a 17 point lead at the first ad break.


Teatime teaser: WIDEFLEX -> FLIXWEED

Round 4: D T G O I E A V A

Chris: AVIATE (6)
Jonathan: GODETIA (7)
DC: DIVAGATE (8)
Score: 8–32 (max 33)

Its another winner for Jonathan with GODETIA before Gyles gives us the max 8. There does seem to be a bit of a smugness from countdowns appearingest guest sometimes when he gets winning words.


Round 5: J N R E O W I T L

Chris: townier
Jonathan: RETINOL (7)
DC: JOWLIER (7)
OT: JOINTER (7) JOLTIER (7) TOWLINE (7)
Score: 8–39 (max 40)

Townier might become valid in the future but in 2015 it isn’t and Jonathan now leads by 31 points.


Round 6: 8, 8, 9, 2, 10, 50. Target: 737.

Chris: -
Jonathan: 736. ((9*8)*10)+(8*2) (7)
RR: 737. (9*8*10)+25-8 (10)
Score: 8–46 (max 50)

I remember watching Jonathan’s last appearance five years ago when studio pressure seemed to affect him. Here he misses getting the target spot on, but unlike in 2010 he is not up against as strong an opponent, and with the lead already amassed one away enables him to pile on more points.


DC Guest – Gyles plugs his book and his show at the Edinburgh festival before talking a bit about his appearance at the national funeral awards. He suggests Nick may be a future guest there.


Round 7: D N E S O T L E U

Chris: unlost
Jonathan: desolute
DC: TOLUENE (7)
OT: ENSOULED (8)
Score: 8–46 (max 58)

Invalid words by both contestants. Jonathan’s desolute sounded plausible but its not in, unlost did not and its also not in


Round 8: G W N I A R E M U

Chris: WEARING (7)
Jonathan: WEARING (7)
DC: GERANIUM (8)
Score: 15–53 (max 66)

Jonathan is well ahead and at this stage missing the max means little to the result of the game and it appears very much like he is going to get the teapot he missed out on under a Labour government.


Round 9: 8, 8, 7, 5, 2, 25. Target: 610.

Chris: 608.
Jonathan: 609. (25*8)*(8-5)+7+2 (7)
RR: 610. ((7*8)+5)*(8+2) (10)
Score: 15–60 (max 76)

The comments on round six apply to this round as well.


Teatime teaser: HEPEOPLE -> PEEPHOLE


Round 10: P T H E A F I R S

Chris: HIPSTER (7)
Jonathan: PIRATES (7)
DC: FATHERS (7) SHAFTER (7)
OT: APESHIT (7) FAIREST (7) HARPIES (7) HARPIST (7) HASTIER (7) PARTIES (7) PASTIER (7) PIASTRE (7) PRATIES (7) RATFISH (7) SEPHIRA (7) SHARPIE (7) SHIFTER (7) THREAPS (7) TRAIPSE (7)
Score: 22–67 (max 83)

With 19 max words available its not surprising that both contestants increase their score by seven here.


Round 11: A E N C M E D I P

Chris: ENCAMPED (8)
Jonathan: ENCAMPED (8)
DC: IMPEDANCE (18)
Score: 30–75 (max 101)

Nice eight by both contestants but they play into Gyles#s hands by missing the nine enabling him to show his pride at spotting it.


OoW- Susie explains the origins related to the word IDIOT and related terms.


Round 12: T L G E O A C E N

Chris: entangle
Jonathan: ELONGATE (8)
Score: 30–83 (max 109)

Disappointing round for Gyles as Jonathan spots the darrenic eight and takes the spotlight.


Round 13: T V P I O R E O E

Chris: TRIPE (5)
Jonathan: OVERTIP (7)
OT: OVERTOP (7) POOVIER (7) TROOPIE (7)
Score: 30–90 (max 116)

Another nice max from the challenger, Jonathan now has an excellent chance of starting his run with a century.


Round 14: 5, 9, 3, 10, 7, 100. Target: 422.

Chris: 423.
Jonathan: 422. (9-5)*(100+3)+10 (10)
Score: 30–100 (max 126)

And Jonathan makes it to three digits with a solve that Chris misses. Can he climb to 110 points with a conundrum spot?


Round 15: W O N G A P I L L

Jonathan buzzes on 0 seconds to say PALLOWING which is incorrect.
Chris does not buzz.
The answer was WALLOPING.
Final Score: 30–100 (max 136)


Jonathan pressed the button with some urgency pretty much as soon as the board turned probably figuring that he could spot it by the time Nick asked him. He doesn’t get it however and the rest of the time goes to Chris. Chris does not get it so an audience member gets the mug. Jonathan, no doubt spotted it after the clock restarted.

But despite the ending, its congratulations to Jonathan for finally laying the demons of 2010 to rest I think he has a great chance to be an octochamp and a contender (alongside Stephen Briggs and Liam Moloney) for the series.

Great to hear that the event in Milton Keynes went so well. Sorry I couldn’t be there but I’ll see some of you in Huddersfield in October.

With all the good news I think its ok to share what to certain long time forumites will be bad news. That is that Box Pizza has closed down and a dominos now stands where it once was. But with the success of .co.mk and Mr Wynn I figure the blow is softened.

Best wishes all…


Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=73