Countdown recap for Thursday 19 August 2021.
It's World Photography Day. "A picture is worth a thousand words", so Anne asks what the point of captions are.
C1: Champion Jeremy Slaney (1 win, 96 points.) Gardner, or possibly a rockstar with that hairdo. Claims his long hair is to protect from sunburn...
C2: Challenger Steve Jackson. From Salisbury. Retired train parts supplier. Plays walking football.
DC: Susie Dent and Jeremy Thompson. Susie is wearing that strange-but-nice "henna pattern with polka dot sleeves" top again.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: G T S I U I O R U
R02: G M W A I R D A O
R03: 25, 2, 9, 6, 1, 7. Target: 593.
TTT: EVILLUST - "If you get the answer to this, you've definitely egg-celled."
R04: R V S E E A T B U
R05: P T N E E O U C M
R06: 50, 9, 8, 2, 1, 3. Target: 379.
R07: R B L E A I S N R
R08: F S D E E O N K A
R09: 100, 6, 6, 2, 9, 8. Target: 757.
TTT: RUINMACE - "It sounds like Midge is wildly excited about having his nails done."
R10: S V G N E I A J E
R11: P D L H I O I O E
R12: L F T A E D W U O
R13: P G Y E A A O C T
R14: 6, 8, 9, 4, 7, 3. Target: 491.
R15: W A S H E S C O D (conundrum)
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: G T S I U I O R U
Jeremy: RUGS (4)
Steve: RIOTS (5)
DC: SUITOR (6) GROUTS (6) OUTRIGS (7)
Score: 0–5 (max 7, jos 7)
Darren-o-meter: 1/1 (100%)
Only four and five to start, as Susie spots the darren.
Round 2: G M W A I R D A O
Jeremy: AWARD (5) (stick with)
Steve: AWARD (5)
DC: DIORAMA (7) DIAGRAM (7)
OT: AGAMOID (7) OMIGAWD (7)
Score: 5–10 (max 14, jos 14)
Darren-o-meter: 1/2 (50%)
Jeremy is not asked for what he rejects, booo.
Round 3: 25, 2, 9, 6, 1, 7. Target: 593.
Jeremy: 594. (7 × 6 + 25 − 1) × 9 (7)
Steve: 598.
RR: 593. (9 − 1) ÷ 2 × 6 × 25 − 7 (10)
Score: 12–10 (max 24, jos 24)
Jeremy leads after seeing one away, whereas Steve presumably went all round the houses.
Teatime teaser: EVILLUST -> VITELLUS
Round 4: R V S E E A T B U
Jeremy: BEATERS (7)
Steve: BEATERS (7)
DC: BRAVEST (7) BEAVERS (7) SUBVERT (7)
OT: SUBERATE (8) VERBATES (8)
Score: 19–17 (max 32, jos 31)
Darren-o-meter: 1/3 (33%)
The eights go begging as the studio matches each other on seven.
Round 5: P T N E E O U C M
Jeremy: POUNCE (6)
Steve: COMPUTE (7)
DC: POTEEN (6) UMPTEEN (7)
OT: COMPETE (7) POTENCE (7)
Score: 19–24 (max 39, jos 38)
Darren-o-meter: 1/4 (25%)
Steve regains the lead with a seven, which is also a max.
Round 6: 50, 9, 8, 2, 1, 3. Target: 379.
Jeremy: 379. (50 − 8) × 9 + 1 (10)
Steve: 379. 8 × 50 − 2 × 9 − 3 (10)
Score: 29–34 (max 49, jos 48)
10 points each here, not the easiest round though.
Jeremy talks about the difficulty of relocating his family to his postings around the world every time. He then talks about the time he covered a Caribbean volcano, then Mount Etna, Mount Nyiragongo, Mexico, and Indonesia... He then recalls Soufriere Hills in 1997, Montserrat: covered capital in lava and ash, causing 7,000 to evacuate.
Round 7: R B L E A I S N R
Jeremy: risable (uncertain)
Steve: BAILERS (7) (try)
DC: blainers NAILERS (7) LESBIAN (7)
OT: SNARLIER (8)
Score: 29–41 (max 57, jos 55)
Darren-o-meter: 2/5 (40%)
No RISABLE, and no RINSABLE either, meaning Steve extends his lead to 12 points. The darren goes begging.
Round 8: F S D E E O N K A
Jeremy: SNEAKED (7)
Steve: FEEDS (5)
DC: DEAFENS (7)
Score: 36–41 (max 64, jos 62)
Darren-o-meter: 2/6 (33%)
Jeremy hits back with a 7 of his own and gets the deficit back down to five points.
Round 9: 100, 6, 6, 2, 9, 8. Target: 757.
Jeremy: 757 (not written down). (100 + 8) × (9 − 2) + 6 ÷ 6 (10)
Steve: 754.
Score: 46–41 (max 74, jos 72)
And now he goes into the lead with a good solve.
Teatime teaser: RUINMACE -> MANICURE
Round 10: S V G N E I A J E
Jeremy: SAVING (6)
Steve: SIEGE (5)
DC: AVENGES (7)
OT: ENVISAGE (8) VEINAGES (8)
Score: 52–41 (max 82, jos 79)
Darren-o-meter: 2/7 (29%)
Jeremy has won 3 rounds in a row now, taking the gap from a deficit of 12 to a lead of 11.
Round 11: P D L H I O I O E
Jeremy: LOOPED (6)
Steve: POODLE (6)
DC: HOOPED (6) HOODIE (6)
OT: POLHODE (7)
Score: 58–47 (max 89, jos 85)
Darren-o-meter: 3/8 (38%)
Once again Dictionary Corner drop the ball, with only sixes spotted here.
Susie talks about "clippings", which basically mean abbreviating words like mathematics down to maths, eventually landing on the word buff, which comes from buffalo.
Round 12: L F T A E D W U O
Jeremy: FAULTED (7)
Steve: FLOATED (7)
DC: FLOUTED (7) OUTLAWED (8)
Score: 65–54 (max 97, jos 93)
Darren-o-meter: 4/9 (44%)
Sevens for both contestants (and did Jeremy T say "BLOATED", which wasn't in the selection?) but Susie spots OUTLAWED for 8. No OUTFLAWED^, sadly.
Round 13: P G Y E A A O C T
Jeremy: POTAGE (6)
Steve: PEATY (5)
DC: PEACOAT (7) PACEY (5)
OT: OPACATE (7)
Score: 71–54 (max 104, jos 100)
Darren-o-meter: 4/10 (40%)
And the lead is extended further. Steve's challenge has fallen apart in the third half.
Round 14: 6, 8, 9, 4, 7, 3. Target: 491.
Jeremy: 491. 9 × 8 × 7 − (6 + 4 + 3) (10)
Steve: -
Score: 81–54 (max 114, jos 110)
Steve does the only thing he can do and gambles, but Jeremy sees a classic 6 small trick and wins the game.
Round 15: W A S H E S C O D
Jeremy buzzes on 5.5 seconds to say SHOWCASED which is correct.
Final Score: 91–54 (max 124, jos 120)
Jeremy rounds off a wobbly game with a strong third half and a conundrum spot to win comfortably in the end.
I'm tired, so I'm off for a lie down. See you tomorrow. Goodbye.
Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=84