So, enjoy while you can.
Countdown recap for Tuesday 25 September 2012.
C1: Champion Liam Shaw (6 wins, 553 points.) A customer services assistant from Skipton, North Yorkshire. He likes to create quizzes and puzzles, and has been a fan of the show for 20 years.
C2: Challenger Rosie Maclennan. From Pitlochry, Perthshire. She enjoys music festivals in her camper van with her partner. She used to be a tour guide at Scotland's smallest distillery, Edradour. She has also fallen asleep every time she has been to the cinema
(I wonder how narcoleptic she is 
)DC: Susie Dent and Jennie Bond.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: O T K I S P E N L
R02: R D A R U E T L A
R03: N J U E H I N S T
R04: P S A E T V I B O
R05: 3, 6, 6, 5, 2, 5. Target: 659.
TTT: TONYLAWN - "How a lady should not behave at a Chinese takeaway"
R06: Y C U R O L F E T
R07: G A I S E X C I N
R08: M D O E L N A G D
R09: I N T A W M E R S
R10: 25, 10, 2, 9, 6, 3. Target: 274.
TTT: UNITOOLS - "The answer to this seems pretty clear to me"
R11: G T V O S A E T L
R12: R S D I R A O Z E
R13: U A C S P E U T D
R14: 25, 10, 4, 3, 7, 8. Target: 526.
R15: E R A S E D H E R (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: O T K I S P E N L
C1: SPOILT (6)
C2: POKIEST (7)
DC: EPSILON (7)
OT: ENTISOL (7) LENTISK (7) LEPTONS (7) ONLIEST (7) PINKEST (7) PINKOES (7) PINTLES (7) PIOLETS (7) PISTOLE (7) POINTES (7) PONTILS (7) TINKLES (7)
Score: 0–7 (max 7)
Fourteen 7's available, but our champ can't see any of them, so Rosie makes a perfect start.
ENTISOL is a fertile soil of recent origin that is distinguished by a lack of horizons and is found worldwide in all climates.
A LENTISK (or MASTIC TREE) is a small Mediterranean tree, Pistacia lentiscus, of the cashew family, that is the source of an aromatic resin used in making varnish and adhesives.
A PINTLE is a pin or bolt, especially one on which something turns, as the gudgeon of a hinge.
A PIOLET is an ice ax used in mountaineering.
A PONTIL (or PUNTY) is an iron rod used in glassmaking for handling the hot glass.
Round 2: R D A R U E T L A
C1: LARDER (6)
C2: adulater
DC: ADULATE (7)
OT: RADULAE (7) RADULAR (7) RUDERAL (7)
Score: 6–7 (max 14)
Ouchy, if only Rosie had stuck with ADULATE, she'd be ahead by 14, but she's now had her lead cut to 1 thanks to the risky gamble that didn't pay off.
A RUDERAL is a plant that grows on waste ground.
Round 3: N J U E H I N S T
C1: HINTS (5)
C2: SHUNT (5)
DC: UNITES (6) UNTIES (6) TUNNIES (7)
Score: 11–12 (max 21)
No HINTS to a SHUNT here, but TUNNIES are a very good find by DC for 7 here.
Round 4: P S A E T V I B O
C1: BOATIES (7)
C2: OBVIATES (8)
DC: OPIATES (7)
Score: 11–20 (max 29)
A super impressive spot by Rosie here. Is Liam in big trouble here
Round 5: 3, 6, 6, 5, 2, 5. Target: 659.
C1: 643.
C2: -
RR: 660. (6 + 5) x 2 x 6 x 5 (7)
Score: 11–20 (max 36)
Well, he's hit the panic button already, with 6 small selected, but no-one gets it, and it's actually not possible either.
Jennie talks about her time on I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here!!!, which she was on with Katie "Jordan" Price and Peter Andre back in 2004.
Teatime teaser: TONYLAWN -> WANTONLY
Round 6: Y C U R O L F E T
C1: CUTLERY (7)
C2: FLORET (6)
DC: COURTLY (7)
OT: CLOTURE (7) COULTER (7) CRUELTY (7)
Score: 18–20 (max 43)
A good polished 7 here from Liam. Has the blip passed................
Round 7: G A I S E X C I N
C1: SEXING (6)
C2: EXCISING (8)
Score: 18–28 (max 51)
CLEARLY NOT!!!! Another awesome 8 spot by Rosie here, and she now has a lead in double figures.
Round 8: M D O E L N A G D
C1: DANGLED (7)
C2: MANGLED (7)
DC: GONAD (5)
OT: GLADDEN (7) GLADDON (7) GODDAMN (7) MANGOLD (7)
Score: 25–35 (max 58)
Just 7's here with a GONAD lobbed in. Doesn't get better does it
A GLADDON (or STINKING IRIS) is an iris plant, Iris foetidissima, of Western Europe and Northern Africa, having purplish flowers and a strong unpleasant smell when bruised.
A MANGOLD (or MANGELWURZEL) is a variety of the beet Beta vulgaris, cultivated as food for livestock.
Round 9: I N T A W M E R S
C1: MINARETS (8)
C2: waister
DC: RETINAS (7)
OT: RAIMENTS (8)
Score: 33–35 (max 66)
Hmmm, Liam goes risky, Rosie goes safe, yet Liam's was fine and Rosie's wasnt.........
Well, the game's got tight again. Susie's Origins Of Words talks about the origins of the "ventriloquist".
Round 10: 25, 10, 2, 9, 6, 3. Target: 274.
C1: 274. (25 x 10) + (9 x 2) + 6 (10)
C2: 274. (25 x 10) + (9 x 2) + 6 (10)
Score: 43–45 (max 76)
A nice easy numbers here.
Teatime teaser: UNITOOLS -> SOLUTION
Round 11: G T V O S A E T L
C1: VOLTAGES (8)
C2: VOLTAGES (8)
DC: SOLVATE (7)
OT: GAVOTTES (8)
Score: 51–53 (max 84)
Both go risky, but both are right. High-powered stuff here.
A GAVOTTE is an old French dance in moderately quick quadruple meter.
Round 12: R S D I R A O Z E
C1: RAIDERS (7)
C2: radioers
DC: RAISED (6) DIRER (5) DOZERS (6)
OT: ADORERS (7) DROSERA (7) RADIOES (7) RAZORED (7) ROADIES (7)
Score: 58–53 (max 91)
Eeeeeeeeeeek, a bit of a gamble there by Rosie, and it doesn't pay off, meaning that Liam has the lead for the first time today at this late stage.
Round 13: U A C S P E U T D
C1: UPDATES (7)
C2: CUSPED (6)
DC: TEACUPS (7)
OT: CUSPATE (7) UPCASED (7)
Score: 65–53 (max 98)
Oh dear, has the wind been blown out of Rosie's sails after that failed 8
Liam's UPDATES give him a lead of a dozen with 2 rounds to go. Not insurmountable, but will be tough.Round 14: 25, 10, 4, 3, 7, 8. Target: 526.
C1: 525. 7 x 3 x 25 (7)
C2: 525. 7 x 3 x 25 (7)
RR: 526. (((7 x 8) - 3) x 10) - 4 (10)
Score: 72–60 (max 108)
And a tough numbers comes up, but both contestants come up with the same method for 7 points. Surprisingly, Rachel needed the extra time to solve it....... But, it will definitely be a relief for Liam, as he has got his magnificent seventh wrapped up.
Round 15: E R A S E D H E R
No one buzzes. The answer was REHEARSED.
Final Score: 72–60 (max 118)
So, no-one in the front of the studio got it, so it goes to the audience, who gladly solve it.
So, Liam will be the 4th person this series to try and become an octochamp, and hopes to be the 3rd to do it. He will have a tough time though, I'm sure, as his opponent will be none other than our own "Qwizical" expert, Jessica Pratesi, and those of you who have played her at CO-events will know that she's a tough cookie, so Liam will probably in for a tough time, as he tries to get his 8th win.
Join me for that exciting encounter tomorrow.
Hopefully, we'll have a full-time replacement for this slot next week, so that I can have a bit of a rest, and also because Town are playing Leicester City at the John Smith's then, so I definitely can't do it.
So, with all being sorted out (hopefully), see you later. Bye bye.
Statistics Corner
Liam:
Total score - 72
Raw score - 90
Total % of max - 61
Raw % of max - 76
Total average score per round - 4.8
Raw average score per round - 6.0
Number of maxes - 7
Rosie:
Total score - 60
Raw score - 72
Total % of max - 51
Raw % of max - 61
Total average score per round - 4.0
Raw average score per round - 4.8
Number of maxes - 6
Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=67