Monday 27th June 2011 (Series 65, Prelim 16)

[Ryan Taylor]

Countdown recap for Monday 27 June 2011.

Yo, yo, yo homies. Bit warm innit? Unless you're Scottish.

C1: Champion Andrew Halliburton (1 win, 91 points.)
C2: Challenger James Wilson.
DC: Susie Dent and Michael Vaughan.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: D T S I A U L G O
R02: N P I A T E R H I
R03: T S J E A O L R E
R04: I P C M O E B X I
R05: 100, 25, 75, 4, 2, 3. Target: 574.
TTT: HITBELLY - "Behaving this way in a north east town perhaps"
R06: D U E P D A N V E
R07: H Q S U O A N W U
R08: T O K T S E I O D
R09: W S Z E I A L R E
R10: 3, 9, 5, 8, 7, 1. Target: 531.
TTT: DRABDEAN - "It's nearly Bob Geldof's favourite fish dish"
R11: B R V U I A C Y E
R12: R U I E F C N M A
R13: P G F O E O E T D
R14: 50, 9, 8, 2, 8, 6. Target: 126.
R15: T H R E E M O D S (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Andrew Halliburton won a bit of a nailbiter on Friday against Matt Croy. He managed to solve MARQUETRY in 29.9 seconds to win by just one point which means he is here today. He is a former child prodigy who now works in McDonalds and really loves Paris (the city). He also has very spikey hair now although here's a video of him (when he had long hair) absolutely owning a Dance Dance Revolution machine.

James Wilson provides the competition today and he is from Penzance in Cornwall, lucky him! He once got a letter from President Bush Jr. for his efforts in a school in Zimbabwe. James is also not new to our screens as he has already been on A Question of Genius (like other Countdowners Ian Volante, Matt Bayfield and Chris Wills have) as well as doing Pointless and representing the University of Bath on University Challenge. He is currently awaiting the results of his maths degree.

Enjoy the show.

Round 1: D T S I A U L G O

C1: AGOUTIS (7)
C2: GLOATS (6)
DC: GALIOTS (7) OUTSAIL (7)
OT: DOGSTAIL (8)
Score: 7–0 (max 8)

Rhys' DOM would be getting excited right now as DOGSTAIL is the only max there. Drew spots the classic AGOUTIS leaving James on the starting grid.

Round 2: N P I A T E R H I

C1: PANTHER (7)
C2: PAINTER (7)
DC: HAIRPIN (7) PERIANTH (8)
Score: 14–7 (max 16)

Steady 7's all round but also a lovely 8 from DC (outer part of a flower).

Round 3: T S J E A O L R E

C1: elastor
C2: JESTER (6)
DC: RELATES (7)
OT: OLEASTER (8)
Score: 14–13 (max 24)

Darren is doing well in this game unlike Drew with that rather strange gamble allowing James right back on his tail. Elastor sounds like some fictional Superhero or something.

Round 4: I P C M O E B X I

C1: BIOPIC (6)
C2: BIOPIC (6)
OT: ICEBOX (6)
Score: 20–19 (max 30)

Excellent stuff from the two gents to spot BIOPIC from the unappealing selection.

Round 5: 100, 25, 75, 4, 2, 3. Target: 574.

C1: 574. (100+25)*4+75+2-3 (10)
C2: 575.
Score: 30–19 (max 40)

Drew shows shades of his childhood when he nails this numbers game in about 5 seconds leaving James on an agonising 575.

DC Guest Time: Michael Vaughan talks cricket, at which point the only people still watching are Craig Beevers and Jon O'Neill, very much like the cricket thread. Michael Vaughan just seems to lack personality for me, he seems very flat.

Teatime teaser: HITBELLY -> BLITHELY

Round 6: D U E P D A N V E

C1: DEPEND (6)
C2: DENUDE (6)
DC: UPENDED (7)
OT: DAVENED (7) PUDENDA (7) UNPAVED (7)
Score: 36–25 (max 47)

Both miss out on a bit of vagina here (PUDENDA) even with James being bare.

Round 7: H Q S U O A N W U

C1: QUASH (5)
C2: QUASH (5)
OT: NOAHS (5) SHOWN (5) SQUAW (5) WUSHU (5)
Score: 41–30 (max 52)

WUSHU is the Chinese martial arts.

Round 8: T O K T S E I O D

C1: SKIDOO (6)
C2: TOOTED (6)
DC: TOOTSIE (7)
OT: OSTEOID (7) STOOKED (7)
Score: 47–36 (max 59)

DC rouse memories of Dustin Hoffmann in drag and on that note we'll move on...

Round 9: W S Z E I A L R E

C1: SLEAZIER (8)
C2: REALIZES (8)
Score: 55–44 (max 67)

Nothing to say here but well done!

Susie Dent: Unfortunately for you I was watching this show on 4OD as opposed to 'live' and it was all too easy to completely bypass Susie's slot. So I did.

Round 10: 3, 9, 5, 8, 7, 1. Target: 531.

C1: 533. (9*5)*(8+3+1)-7 (7)
C2: -
RR: 531. (8*7+3)*9 (10)
Score: 62–44 (max 77)

James gambles with 6 small and it completely backfires on him as he loses a further 7 points to Drew. Rachel dicks on everyone and makes this one look easy (which it might have been, but not for me).

Teatime teaser: DRABDEAN -> BRANDADE

Round 11: B R V U I A C Y E

C1: BRAVE (5)
C2: cavier
DC: CURVY (5) BRACE (5)
OT: ACERB (5) AUREI (5) AURIC (5) BEIRA (5) BUYER (5) CABER (5) CARVE (5) CAVER (5) CEIBA (5) CRAVE (5) CURIE (5) CURVE (5) CYBER (5) ERICA (5) URAEI (5) VAIRY (5) VAREC (5) VICAR (5) YERBA (5)
Score: 67–44 (max 82)

The second round this game to have 5's as maxes. And boy oh boy there are a hell of a lot of 5's and unfortunately I cannot be arsed to go through all the words that sound cool. So instead here's some words that I do know the definition of: a VICAR is a bit like a priest, in the sense that he bums young boys whilst AURIC is the first name of the baddy Goldfinger in James Bond.

Round 12: R U I E F C N M A

C1: CARMINE (7)
C2: CARMINE (7)
DC: MANICURE (8)
OT: FRANCIUM (8)
Score: 74–51 (max 90)

The element FRANCIUM is named after a guy called Franc.*

*Course not, after France innit

Round 13: P G F O E O E T D

C1: FOOTED (6)
C2: FOOTED (6)
DC: GOOFED (6)
OT: POGOED (6)
Score: 80–57 (max 96)

Each of the 3 maxes contains two O's. Isn't that interesting? Oh, James can't win now btw.

Round 14: 50, 9, 8, 2, 8, 6. Target: 126.

C1: 126. 9*8+50+8/4 (10)
C2: 126. (8+6)*9 (10)
Score: 90–67 (max 106)

Easy numbers to finish off a Monday.

Round 15: T H R E E M O D S

C2 buzzes on 2 seconds to say SMOTHERED which is correct.
Final Score: 90–77 (max 116)

And James SMOTHERED Drew at the very end, a bit like Othello did to Desdemona although James isn't black and Drew has a penis.

Drew marches on and I can only predict that he will become more and more comfortable each day in that chair. I think he might go higher than Matt Croy in the seedings but I don't quite see octochampdom. Prove me wrong!

Thank you, and good day.

Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=65

[James Robinson]

Susie Dent: Unfortunately for you I was watching this show on 4OD as opposed to 'live' and it was all too easy to completely bypass Susie's slot. So I did.

For those of you who cared, Susie talked about the 5 most popular words in the English language, the #1 being DISCOMBOBULATED.

[Joseph Krol]

PAINTIER needs removing - PAINTY is in the ODE3, but the comparative is unspecified.

[Ryan Taylor]

PAINTIER needs removing - PAINTY is in the ODE3, but the comparative is unspecified.

Thanks Joseph.