Countdown recap for Thursday 20 September 2012.
C1: Champion Liam Shaw (3 wins, 254 points.) A customer services assistant from Skipton, North Yorkshire. His hero is his great-grandmother, Hilda, who still watches the show at the age of 94.
C2: Challenger Louise Wilson. A chef from Camborne, Cambridgeshire. She has her own allotment, which she uses to grow ingredients for her recipes. Her ambition is to sing with Barbra Streisand. (BONUS: For the first person to get the anagram of STREISAND.
)DC: Susie Dent and Kate Adie.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: E B D I G R A T M
R02: F O T E I L R S A
R03: M D R I E Q U R S
R04: T G D E A O S C I
R05: 100, 8, 8, 4, 7, 2. Target: 519.
TTT: TESTMARS - "It's grown tired of putting up with all your lies"
R06: R V L T O U A S E
R07: O B A Y T E N H W
R08: L D R N A E A H U
R09: S E A N E O G X A
R10: 50, 75, 4, 8, 9, 5. Target: 811.
TTT: HELLNICE - "Two body parts combine to make a fabric"
R11: U W N C A I P E L
R12: P S T S O A I U R
R13: D T I O I N M A O
R14: 50, 100, 4, 1, 7, 2. Target: 731.
R15: I N S A L A T A S (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: E B D I G R A T M
C1: MIGRATED (8)
C2: BRIGADE (7)
DC: BRIDGE (6) ABRIDGE (7) RAGTIME (7) MEGABIT (7)
Score: 8–0 (max 8)
A perfect start for Liam with the darrenic 8. Let's hope he's back on good form today.
Round 2: F O T E I L R S A
C1: FLOATERS (8)
C2: RETAILS (7)
DC: FORESAIL (8) FLOATIER (8)
OT: FOLIATES (8) FRAILEST (8) REFLOATS (8) TREFOILS (8)
Score: 16–0 (max 16)
You just can't avoid the FLOATERS, and Liam doesn't doubling his score and his lead in an instant.
Round 3: M D R I E Q U R S
C1: SQUIRMED (8)
C2: SQUIRMED (8)
DC: MURDERS (7)
OT: SQUIRMER (8)
Score: 24–8 (max 24)
He hasn't SQUIRMED away from this one either, but Louise is also off the mark now too.
Round 4: T G D E A O S C I
C1: COASTED (7)
C2: CAGIEST (7)
DC: GODETIAS (8)
Score: 31–15 (max 32)
Yet again, the GODETIAS spring up and fool all the contestants, but not DC.
Round 5: 100, 8, 8, 4, 7, 2. Target: 519.
C1: 519. ((100 + 4) x (7 - 2)) - (8 / 8) (10)
C2: 520.
Score: 41–15 (max 42)
A very tricky looking numbers game, but it was expertly solved by Liam, and his lead is ever expanding already.
Kate talks about the travel arrangements that she used to take doing her war reports including going on a German transport plane that only had 6 parachutes, so only 6 people were allowed on
Teatime teaser: TESTMARS -> MATTRESS
Round 6: R V L T O U A S E
C1: TRAVELS (7)
C2: TRAVELS (7)
DC: REVOLTS (7) OVULATES (8) VAULTERS (8)
OT: LEVATORS (8)
Score: 48–22 (max 50)
Both the contestants are clearly on their TRAVELS (maybe they've been listening to Kate so much during the week.
), but DC come up trumps yet again.Round 7: O B A Y T E N H W
C1: BAYONET (7)
C2: BATHE (5)
Score: 55–22 (max 57)
Another brilliant darren spot from Liam. Only an earthquake combined with an avalanche can stop him now surely.........
Round 8: L D R N A E A H U
C1: UNHEARD (7)
C2: LAUNDER (7)
DC: ADRENAL (7) HANDLER (7)
OT: ANHEDRAL (8)
Score: 62–29 (max 65)
Clearly Louise's request has been UNHEARD, but there was a very obscure 8 lurking in there.
ANHEDRAL (or XENOMORPHIC) is an adjective meaning noting or pertaining to a mineral grain that does not have its characteristic crystalline form, but has a form impressed on it by surrounding grains.
Round 9: S E A N E O G X A
C1: GENES (5)
C2: ganes
OT: GENOAS (6)
Score: 67–29 (max 71)
The 5 vowels round clearly needs a rethink of some sort judging on this round, with just the one weird 6 available. No good for Louise though, thanks to her illegal ganes.
Susie's Origins Of Words talks about the origins of "hijack", and the correct pronunciation of the letter "H".
Round 10: 50, 75, 4, 8, 9, 5. Target: 811.
C1: -
C2: -
RR: 811. (50 x 8) + (5 x 75) + (4 x 9) (10)
Score: 67–29 (max 81)
Eeeeeeeeeeeeek, a nasty numbers appears, and Rachel even needs the break to anywhere close.
Teatime teaser: HELLNICE -> CHENILLE
Round 11: U W N C A I P E L
C1: ALPINE (6)
C2: PLAICE (6)
DC: PELICAN (7) CAPELIN (7)
OT: PANICLE (7)
Score: 73–35 (max 88)
Two 6's that you wouldn't expect to see in the same place, unless you like an extra chill to your fish I guess.
Although a PELICAN would be a better place for the PLAICE. 
A PANICLE is any loose, diversely branching flower cluster.
Round 12: P S T S O A I U R
C1: SPROUTS (7)
C2: STUPORS (7)
DC: STAIRS (6) PASTIS (6) SAUTOIRS (8)
OT: PROSAIST (8) PROTASIS (8) UPSTAIRS (8)
Score: 80–42 (max 96)
A quad of 8's here, but Liam just needs 1 more point to win.
PROTASIS is the clause expressing the condition in a conditional sentence, in English usually beginning with if.
Round 13: D T I O I N M A O
C1: DOMAIN (6)
C2: DOMINO (6)
DC: MOTION (6)
OT: DAIMIO (6) DAIMON (6) DIATOM (6) INTIMA (6) MANTID (6)
Score: 86–48 (max 102)
Flatness reigns supreme, as does Liam who has now become a half-octochamp thanks to this win.
A DAIMIO (or DAIMYO) is one of the great feudal lords who were vassals of the shogun.
A MANTID is a predacious long-bodied large-eyed insect of warm regions; rests with forelimbs raised as in prayer.
Round 14: 50, 100, 4, 1, 7, 2. Target: 731.
C1: 731. ((100 + 4) x 7) + 2 + 1 (10)
C2: 731. ((100 + 4) x 7) + 2 + 1 (10)
Score: 96–58 (max 112)
The easiest numbers of the day, and now Liam has the chance to go for the ton too.
Round 15: I N S A L A T A S
C1 buzzes on 3.5 seconds to say ALSATIANS which is incorrect.
C2 does not buzz.
The answer was ASSAILANT.
Final Score: 96–58 (max 122)
Oh dear, a bif of ruff justice for Liam, since he fell for the double double bluff. That being that ALSATIANS is a plural, and a capital, mainly due to the fact of it being named after the Alsace region of France. But, it's sort of bad news for Louise too, as the audience member picked to answer was her mum........
Well, Liam has won again, and now has 350 points too. Can he possibly get to 8 wins
My next recap could indeed be his octochamp game, so let's see if he can keep it up till then. So, have a good weekend, and see you next Wednesday.
Statistics Corner
Liam:
Total score - 96
Raw score - 96
Total % of max - 79
Raw % of max - 79
Total average score per round - 6.4
Raw average score per round - 6.4
Number of maxes - 7
Louise:
Total score - 58
Raw score - 84
Total % of max - 48
Raw % of max - 69
Total average score per round - 3.9
Raw average score per round - 5.6
Number of maxes - 3
Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=67
