So, I've just about recovered from the brilliance of yesterday's awesome semi-final, and now I have what many seem to be whispering as "the better on" to come.
Can my beating heart take it
Well, let's see, as I welcome you all to the Robinson Recap 2012 Send-Off Spectacular!!!!
Now, what's the magic word..................
Oh yes, ENJOY 
Countdown recap for Thursday 20 December 2012.
C1: No.3 Seed Heather "The Sevenoaks Sizzler" Styles (9 wins, 837 points.) An Apteforumite from Sevenoaks, Kent. She reached the semi-final by beating No.6 Seed Tia Corkish 100-65 in their quarter-final on Monday.
C2: No.2 Seed David "The Ross-On-Wye 'Reckin Ball" Barnard (9 wins, 879 points.) An Apteforumite from Ross-On-Wye, Herefordshire. He reached the semi-final by beating No.7 Seed Chris Marshall 108-65 in their quarter-final last Thursday.
DC: Susie Dent and Alistair McGowan.
RR: Rachel Riley, who mistakenly seems to think that there hasn't been a female finalist since she has been here.............
Are you sure???OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: S H R Z E O I A O
R02: N D R F E U A S N
R03: C D T N O I U E I
R04: S J D L A E I O T
R05: 100, 9, 2, 6, 2, 3. Target: 648.
TTT: TELLNEED - "Susie helped to make the book look lovely"
R06: H R V W A E U N P
R07: A E I E M T R L I
R08: S M H G R E I O A
R09: Y T G S E I E A D
R10: 100, 75, 25, 50, 1, 10. Target: 953.
TTT: TENCLUES - "There aren't ten clues, think about eight"
R11: E A E O S N X D L
R12: S D C G A I E T N
R13: M A D I P E L I T
R14: 75, 25, 100, 50, 5, 10. Target: 658.
R15: B L U E I N D I A (conundrum)
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Round 1: S H R Z E O I A O
C1: HAZIER (6)
C2: HOSIER (6)
OT: ARIOSO (6) ASHORE (6) HOARSE (6) OOZIER (6) RAZOOS (6)
Score: 6–6 (max 6)
A nice flat start for both contestants. Always nice to let them settle in this match. (I actually saw HOOSIER (as in the band), but it's actually capitalised, which I guessed since it's a name used for a person from the US state of Indiana.)
ARIOSO is an adjective or adverb meaning in the manner of an air or melody.
Round 2: N D R F E U A S N
C1: REFUNDS (7)
C2: ASUNDER (7)
DC: FUNDERS (7)
OT: DANSEUR (7) DUENNAS (7) FANNERS (7) SNAFUED (7) SNARFED (7)
Score: 13–13 (max 13)
Following the round of seven 6's, we now have a round of eight 7's.
Are we in for another double max first "half", I wonder In Spain and Portugal, a DUENNA is an older woman serving as escort or chaperon of a young lady.
Round 3: C D T N O I U E I
C1: DICTION (7)
C2: EDUCTION (8)
Score: 13–21 (max 21)
First blood to David with the darrenic 8. How will Heather react to this blow so early in the game, I wonder
Round 4: S J D L A E I O T
C1: ISOLATED (8)
C2: DILATES (7)
DC: JAILED (6) JILTED (6) SODALITE (8)
OT: DIASTOLE (8)
Score: 21–21 (max 29)
Well, that's efficiency, isn't it?
Soon after falling behind, Heather gets back in at the first time of asking. This game is starting to live up to the pre-match hype now. Round 5: 100, 9, 2, 6, 2, 3. Target: 648.
C1: 648. ((9 - (2 / 2)) + 100) x 6 (10)
C2: 648. ((2 x 3) + 2 + 100) x 6 (10)
Score: 31–31 (max 39)
2 slightly different methods using pretty much the same thought process, which makes 10 points each.
Alistair does some brilliant impressions of Gary Barlow, Ed Miliband, Mark Lawrenson, Professor Brian Cox and even Nick Hewer!
Teatime teaser: TELLNEED -> DENTELLE
Round 6: H R V W A E U N P
C1: WAVER (5)
C2: WAVER (5)
DC: unwaver UNWRAP (6)
OT: PARVENU (7)
Score: 36–36 (max 46)
Hmmmm, no-one gets the max this time, but the scores remain level, so tightness seems to be the keyword today.
A PARVENU is a person who has recently or suddenly acquired wealth, importance, position, or the like, but has not yet developed the conventionally appropriate manners, dress, surroundings, etc.
Round 7: A E I E M T R L I
C1: MATERIEL (8)
C2: realtime
DC: altimeter MALTIER (7)
OT: TIMELIER (8)
Score: 44–36 (max 54)
Well, maybe Heather didn't heed on my suggestion, since she has now taken the lead for the first time, thanks in part to her fantastic 8, and thanks in part to David being in his unreal REAL TIME.
Round 8: S M H G R E I O A
C1: ORGASM (6)
C2: HEGIRAS (7)
DC: OGREISH (7) HEROISM (7) HOAGIES (7) MOREISH (7)
OT: GHERAOS (7) HOMAGES (7) IMAGERS (7) MIRAGES (7) MISHEAR (7) MOHAIRS (7)
Score: 44–43 (max 61)
Proof that having an ORGASM on Countdown doesn't always get you what you want on this show.......................
Moving swiftly on. 
Round 9: Y T G S E I E A D
C1: AGISTED (7)
C2: GAIETY (6)
DC: STAGEY (6) STAGED (6) EDGIEST (7) destage
OT: IDEATES (7)
Score: 51–43 (max 68)
Well, if David thought he was back in it after that last round, then Heather is making him think again, as she negates the last round with a 7 of her own.
Susie's Origins Of Words talks about the origins of British idioms and their foreign equivalents.
Round 10: 100, 75, 25, 50, 1, 10. Target: 953.
C1: 953. ((10 - 1) x 100) + 50 + (75 / 25) (10)
C2: 953. (100 x 10) - 50 + (75 / 25) (10)
Score: 61–53 (max 78)
Not quite the 4 large selection that David wanted, but with the gap still only in single figures, this game is certainly nowhere near finished yet
Teatime teaser: TENCLUES -> ESCULENT
Round 11: E A E O S N X D L
C1: LOANED (6)
C2: SEALED (6)
DC: saloned saxon
OT: LOANEES (7)
Score: 67–59 (max 85)
Hmmmm, DC seem to be losing their brain a bit with 2 illegal words, and not picking up on the carrot dangled by Heather for the darrenic 7.
Round 12: S D C G A I E T N
C1: STAINED (7)
C2: SEDATING (8)
DC: CASTING (7) CEASING (7) STEADING (8)
OT: DISTANCE (8)
Score: 67–67 (max 93)
OH MY GOD!!! Or am I really that surprised after what we've seen over the past week
But, either which way, we have an exciting finish on our hands once more it seems. Round 13: M A D I P E L I T
C1: PLAITED (7)
C2: IMPALED (7)
DC: LIMITED (7) PALMED (6)
OT: DELIMIT (7) IMPLEAD (7) IMPLIED (7) LIMEPIT (7)
Score: 74–74 (max 100)
Seven 7's to finish with in the letters rounds today. This is indeed leading to a Countdown photo finish, although I have a feeling that 4 large numbers will be rearing their head shortly.....................
To IMPLEAD is to sue in court in response to an earlier pleading.
Round 14: 75, 25, 100, 50, 5, 10. Target: 658.
C1: 660. ((100 + 25) x 5) + 75 - 50 + 10 (7)
C2: 660. (75 - 5 - (100 / 25)) x 10 (7)
OT: 657. (75 x 10) - 100 + 5 + (50 / 25) (7)
Score: 81–81 (max 107)
And indeed I'm right, and interestingly, and impossible one comes out, so both are left to give a method each that is 2 away from the answer, while Rachel decides to try and find the answer. Unfortunately for her though, she'll be there for quite a while.....................
And so, we now head into the conundrum on a tie, so we could have a tiebreak for only the 2nd time since Nick took charge of the show at the start of the year, and that one was in his 3rd week in charge
As I like to say while watching Huddersfield Town in desperate situations, IT'S DO OR DIE TIME!!!!!
Round 15: B L U E I N D I A
After getting it pretty quickly, I was more interested in looking how both contestants were working out how to solve the conundrum, and by 10 seconds in, both were writing down the letters furiously.
And with 10 seconds to go, I had a feeling that both players were going to miss it, so a 2nd one would be needed................., BUT THEN
C1 buzzes on 23.25 seconds to say INAUDIBLE which is correct.
Final Score: 91–81 (max 117)
Heather, quiet and composed as always buzzes in, not completely confident, but confident enough to go for it to seal her place in the final.........., and with it, SHE GETS HER REWARD!!!!!!!!!!
The reaction on her face, as well as her almost inability to speak straight away shows how shocked she is to have won the show.
She is without doubt one of the gentlest, kindest and most lovable people we've ever had on the show, and to see someone like her in the final is just an absolute joy, and will make the final an absolutely unmissable match.
Let's hope she recovers to give Paul a run for his money in the final tomorrow.
A big commiserations to David too, who put up a brilliant fight as well, and to lose like that must be hard to take, but he took it well on screen and has definitely won himself praise for his handling of defeat too.
This semi-final, like the one before it, deserves its place as one of the greatest semi-finals of all time, not just for showcasing 2 brilliant talents in Heather and David, but for providing with a thrilling, entertaining matchup, which went back and forth, back and forth, and almost needed a tiebreak conundrum to keep them apart.
So, Thomas will be with you tomorrow for the centrepiece of the series, and indeed this year, the Series 67 Grand Final, which for the first time since Series 60, will be a 1 v 3 match. The No.1 Seed, Paul James will take on the No.3 Seed, Heather Styles in a winner takes all match to crown the next champion of Countdown.
Will Paul become the first No.1 Seed since Jack Hurst two years ago to win the final, or will Heather become the first female champion since Kate Ogilvie back in 1998
There's only one way to find out: Tune in at 2:40pm on Channel 4, 3:40pm on Channel 4+1, 4:45pm on 4seven and for the following 30 days on 4OD.
I'll be back on January 9, when the 30th Birthday Championships will be in full swing, and I'll be recapping the 3rd qualifying match between the Series 63 Champion, Jack Hurst, and the Series 65 No.1 Seed, Mark Deeks. (I get all the good games, don't I
)So, till then, have a brilliant and Happy Christmas and New Year everybody, and I'll see you in 3 weeks time. Bye bye.
Statistics Corner
Heather:
Total score - 91
Raw score - 111
Total % of max - 78
Raw % of max - 95
Total average score per round - 6.1
Raw average score per round - 7.4
Number of maxes - 10
David:
Total score - 81
Raw score - 94
Total % of max - 69
Raw % of max - 80
Total average score per round - 5.4
Raw average score per round - 6.3
Number of maxes - 9
Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=67
