Spoilers for Friday June 22nd 2012 (Series 66 QF 2)

[Jordan F]

Just got out of surgery a couple of hours ago so I'll be brief. Second quarter final today featuring the number two seed Jack "I Have A Cameo On CSI As An Accountant" Worsley and the number seven seed Mark "I Have A Real Southern Belle" Murphy. Seems like a landslide on the surface, but will it be?

Thomas will recap later.

[James Robinson]

Thomas will recap later.

And join me for the stats now:

Firstly, No.2 Seed Jack Worsley - 8 Wins, 818 Points (Average: 102.25)
Highest Score: 110 vs. Catherine Green (3rd Game)
Lowest Score: 85 vs. Alan Paterson (8th Game)
9's Achieved: 2/7
Total Points/Max/%: 818/1030 (79%)
Letters Points/Max/%: 541/710 (76%)
Numbers Points/Max/%: 237/240 (99%)
Conundrum Points/Max/%: 40/80 (50%)

Secondly, No.7 Seed Mark Murphy - 5 Wins, 454 Points (Average: 75.67)
Highest Score: 98 vs. Nick Evans (1st Game)
Lowest Score: 54 vs. Sri Gutta (6th Game)
9's Achieved: 0/2
Total Points/Max/%: 454/734 (62%)
Letters Points/Max/%: 324/494 (66%)
Numbers Points/Max/%: 120/180 (67%)
Conundrum Points/Max/%: 10/60 (17% - not including tie-break conundrum in 5th game)

[Jojo Apollo]

Well done, Jack, in getting through to the semis.

[Jojo Apollo]

I think ONENESS was in the FOEHNS round.

[Jennifer Steadman]

SHEENS in the FOEHNS round as an equaller [ed: though not a max if Jojo's right about ONENESS]. Congrats Jack - hope you're a bit less nervous in your semi final as you looked really, really tense in today's show! Mark gave you a good run for your money - nice to see another good contest in the quarter-finals.

[Tony Atkins]

ONENESS is fine as a beater. UNJOIN is an alt to ADJOIN in R7 and SWILLER to LOWLIER in R8.

Well done Jack! Shame about the nerves. Howver not an easy conundrum - after a minute I had convinced myself
the answer was FILESAVER. Too much time on the computer I guess...

[James Robinson]

ONENESS is fine as a beater.

Yeah, that cost me a max game.

Now, I'm not sure who's going to win the series now. I was thinking Jonathan at the end of last week, but all of his tiredness from so many back-to-back games, and I so thought that Jack would easily take advantage.

But, after today, I might have to re-evaluate my suggestion.........

MAUVEST in round 4, PERGANA in round 6, INDUNA in round 7, CONDOLE/LOONIER in round 12 and ASEPTIC in round 13.

[Graeme Cole]

Well done Jack. Don't worry about the couple of misses, the nerves are completely understandable. I did the last numbers game with ((50-5)*5+1)*2+6, which is probably what you were thinking of. I didn't even see the easier way.

Looked like that was Alison Shipman in the audience who solved the conundrum.

[Mark Deeks]

But, after today, I might have to re-evaluate my suggestion.........

James, cut this stupid shit out.

[Innis Carson]

But, after today, I might have to re-evaluate my suggestion.........

James, cut this stupid shit out.

Sorry James but I have to agree, it's uncomfortable to read. I say that particularly after reading your recap of the first quarter-final yesterday. Keep in mind that Countdown contestants aren't professional sportspeople, they're just ordinary people playing a game for fun. There's no reason why any contestant (and certainly any finalist) should ever be made to feel bad about doing so.

[Jack Worsley]

Thank you all. I don't mind James saying what he said, I was a long way off my best and was fortunate that I built up a comfortable lead early on. Missing PACIEST and KILLERS still haunts me but I think we should also give some credit to Mark for spotting them and keeping my score down.

As for the nerves, I was a little nervous beforehand but not terribly, or at least I don't remember being that way. I lost my way after missing KILLERS and I was also frustrated by the awful letters selections.

@Graeme: Your way for the last numbers was what I was trying to say and likewise, the much easier method eluded me, although I tried something similar by making the 9 in a different way but didn't think to try another method. By this point my mind was all over the place and I just couldn't think of how to put it all together.

Fortunately I wasn't too affected mentally. I decided it was just a blip but knew I'd have to play better in the semi.

[James Robinson]

But, after today, I might have to re-evaluate my suggestion.........

James, cut this stupid shit out.

Sorry James but I have to agree, it's uncomfortable to read. I say that particularly after reading your recap of the first quarter-final yesterday. Keep in mind that Countdown contestants aren't professional sportspeople, they're just ordinary people playing a game for fun. There's no reason why any contestant (and certainly any finalist) should ever be made to feel bad about doing so.

Yes, I get what you're all saying. I, as I'm sure you're all aware, do like to think of this as more than just a TV show on in the afternoon, and yes, I do like to get carried away at times, especially when we have some of the better players on, like what we have with the finals now.

I do apologise if any of the finalists feel upset by my comments. As I watch them, I feel that as it's the finals, they'd be going all guns blazing, getting conundrums in under a second, etc, etc. And yes, I neglect the fact that they're human beings, young ones at that in the case of Jonathan and Jack, and that they will obviously not be there for the fact that it's the finals, well, that is part of the reason, but the main reason is that they are enjoying themselves, which can be made harder to enjoy if they're suffering some severe fatigues for playing in so many consecutive matches.

It's OK to judge them on their performances, although in hindsight, it would probably have been a better idea to keep my thoughts to myself, rather than be so decisive about things like this in public, especially as it can cause offence to some people, as it clearly has done tonight.

Yes, perhaps I do get into it too much, but I never intentionally mean to criticise anybody, it's just how it comes out from my mouth.

[Mark Deeks]

Your opinion of people's performances isn't important. People don't go on Countdown to live up to the standards that you set out for them. And if you have nothing nice to say, don't say nothing.

[Jennifer Steadman]

I think the thing here is not that forumites should censor any honest comments they have about the game or play, it's just how they're said. No-one would take offence if you said that this wasn't Jack's best performance - even if said before he said it himself - because it's a fair comment. Actively criticising, scoffing at or being disappointed by contestants is another matter because, especially in the case of contestants who will be looking at the forum to see what people have to say, it's potentially hurtful. I mean, luckily that hasn't been the case here, but it could be for others. Even if these kind of comments aren't made with malicious intent - and I've no doubt they weren't - it comes across that way.

In any case, whatever the minutiae of the performance, Jack's still a semi-finalist of a series which is no mean feat, and we should applaud him rather than detract from his achievement.

[Andy Platt]

Just got round to watching. I went with fasciate in round 13 which has definitions if you google it but it's certainly not in the ODE. Humbug.

Well done Jack, looking forward to seeing your semi (what have I said? haha)

[Gavin Chipper]

I think the thing here is not that forumites should censor any honest comments they have about the game or play, it's just how they're said. No-one would take offence if you said that this wasn't Jack's best performance - even if said before he said it himself - because it's a fair comment. Actively criticising, scoffing at or being disappointed by contestants is another matter because, especially in the case of contestants who will be looking at the forum to see what people have to say, it's potentially hurtful. I mean, luckily that hasn't been the case here, but it could be for others. Even if these kind of comments aren't made with malicious intent - and I've no doubt they weren't - it comes across that way.

In any case, whatever the minutiae of the performance, Jack's still a semi-finalist of a series which is no mean feat, and we should applaud him rather than detract from his achievement.

Yeah, it was the that did it.