Spoilers for Friday 13th December 2024 (Series 90, QF2)
Moderator: James Robinson
Spoilers for Friday 13th December 2024 (Series 90, QF2)
An all-female quarter-final: No. 2 Fiona Wood and No. 7 Helen McGivern vie for a place in Thursday’s semi-final.
Series 78 Runner-up
Re: Spoilers for Friday 13th December 2024 (Series 90, QF2)
Good recovery from Fiona after the first numbers game. Commiserations to Helen but well done especially on a tally of 5 nine-letter words in nine shows. One more week of shows and Countdown’s off until 6th January. I think Chris Kirby will take the series but Fiona has an outside-but-real chance.
Series 78 Runner-up
Re: Spoilers for Friday 13th December 2024 (Series 90, QF2)
Had a break myself over this weekend to prevent myself for burning out due to work-related stuff, and that's why this review is coming a bit late too. This was the match everyone was anticipating, and I bet there has never been a QF2 worth waiting for since Toby McDonald faced off Philip Aston way back in June 2018! Also, I believe this is the first time since June 2019 that two female Quarter-Finalists faced off each other, not since Maggie Barlow against Fiona Titcombe. Hopefully, as per what Rachel and Colin implied, we don't have to wait another 5.5 years for this to happen again!
Letters: Excellent start with both contestants getting GESTATING in R1 and with both of them having children of their own, maybe that'll encourage more women to have them too
After the first break, Fiona comes back with LOUCHEST in R4 and perhaps achieves OPTIMA in R7. Helen on the other hand, tries her best to keep up but takes a stumble with risable in R8 
Fiona then pulls away in the last third, and with the show in her FAVOUR in R13, it was certainly over for Helen by then.
Numbers: 4 Large it is to start off from Fiona in R3 as she probably sensed this match was going to be tight, and to hell with the target CECIL gave, but wait, she misses it and Helen gets it!
Damn, that must be humiliating and embarrassing for her especially with a low number 
However, afterwards in R6 and R9 with 1 Large, both contestants don't fumble with such easy targets (unworthy for a Finals match 
). Helen wants one final big ending in R14 with 3 Large...oh this is bullcrap. CECIL, please work next week with harder targets or else this is going to boring for Rachel and us at home...
Conundrum: Well, this Winter, the FUEL TREND is going to go up for sure, but let's see who can unscramble this next conundrum. I was quite lucky to get it because I thought the first two letters were "UN" and everything else fell into place from there. Helen buzzes in at the end and unfortunately gave a known falseagram (credit to Philip Aston for pointing this out in the Daily Chat), tenderful Unlucky, but to be fair, conundrums are never going to be this easy in the Finals.
I predicted this match was going to be close, but with Fiona's prior experience on the show, she would come out on top with a margin of 20 points. The margin was slightly larger at 24 points, and it was clear to me that the ODP Cull did not impact her performance here. I had high hopes for this match and it did not disappoint. Great work to Helen even though she may not have come out victorious here, and she can go home with her head high, having spotted so many nine-letter words within her stint to pull up her score as much as she could. She has given us so many great moments with her coined nickname "The Giverness" with her declarations, and as she returns to work, we wish her family well as she raises up her newborn child and of course, keep the people of Greater Manchester safe this season!
We're starting off the final week of shows this year soon, and I hope Fiona will be able to forgive herself for what happened in R3 before she faces off with whoever wins the next match. Will it be "Fast Conundrum Solver and Underdog in the last few matches of his" Rob Barkess or "Having Half the experience of Fiona on Countdown as well as the first Octochamp after the ODP Cull" Terence Newnham that will take the other seat on Thursday? Christmas is coming soon, so let's see how the studio will be decorated too!
Progress:
QF1 (12 December 2024): Chris Kirby (#1) vs Neil Holland (#9) (96 - 68)
QF2 (13 December 2024): Fiona Wood (#2) vs Helen McGivern (#7) (107 - 83)
QF3 (16 December 2024): Rob Barkess (#3) vs Terence Newnham (#6)
QF4 (17 December 2024): David Roe (#4) vs Alex Call (#5)
SF1 (18 December 2024): Chris Kirby (QF1 Winner) vs (QF4 Winner)
SF2 (19 December 2024): Fiona Wood (QF2 Winner) vs (QF3 Winner)
GF (20 December 2024): (SF1 Winner) vs (SF2 Winner)
Letters: Excellent start with both contestants getting GESTATING in R1 and with both of them having children of their own, maybe that'll encourage more women to have them too
After the first break, Fiona comes back with LOUCHEST in R4 and perhaps achieves OPTIMA in R7. Helen on the other hand, tries her best to keep up but takes a stumble with risable in R8 Fiona then pulls away in the last third, and with the show in her FAVOUR in R13, it was certainly over for Helen by then.Numbers: 4 Large it is to start off from Fiona in R3 as she probably sensed this match was going to be tight, and to hell with the target CECIL gave, but wait, she misses it and Helen gets it!
Damn, that must be humiliating and embarrassing for her especially with a low number However, afterwards in R6 and R9 with 1 Large, both contestants don't fumble with such easy targets (unworthy for a Finals match ). Helen wants one final big ending in R14 with 3 Large...oh this is bullcrap. CECIL, please work next week with harder targets or else this is going to boring for Rachel and us at home...Conundrum: Well, this Winter, the FUEL TREND is going to go up for sure, but let's see who can unscramble this next conundrum. I was quite lucky to get it because I thought the first two letters were "UN" and everything else fell into place from there. Helen buzzes in at the end and unfortunately gave a known falseagram (credit to Philip Aston for pointing this out in the Daily Chat), tenderful
Unlucky, but to be fair, conundrums are never going to be this easy in the Finals. I predicted this match was going to be close, but with Fiona's prior experience on the show, she would come out on top with a margin of 20 points. The margin was slightly larger at 24 points, and it was clear to me that the ODP Cull did not impact her performance here. I had high hopes for this match and it did not disappoint. Great work to Helen even though she may not have come out victorious here, and she can go home with her head high, having spotted so many nine-letter words within her stint to pull up her score as much as she could. She has given us so many great moments with her coined nickname "The Giverness" with her declarations, and as she returns to work, we wish her family well as she raises up her newborn child and of course, keep the people of Greater Manchester safe this season!
We're starting off the final week of shows this year soon, and I hope Fiona will be able to forgive herself for what happened in R3 before she faces off with whoever wins the next match. Will it be "Fast Conundrum Solver and Underdog in the last few matches of his" Rob Barkess or "Having Half the experience of Fiona on Countdown as well as the first Octochamp after the ODP Cull" Terence Newnham that will take the other seat on Thursday? Christmas is coming soon, so let's see how the studio will be decorated too!
Progress:
QF1 (12 December 2024): Chris Kirby (#1) vs Neil Holland (#9) (96 - 68)
QF2 (13 December 2024): Fiona Wood (#2) vs Helen McGivern (#7) (107 - 83)
QF3 (16 December 2024): Rob Barkess (#3) vs Terence Newnham (#6)
QF4 (17 December 2024): David Roe (#4) vs Alex Call (#5)
SF1 (18 December 2024): Chris Kirby (QF1 Winner) vs (QF4 Winner)
SF2 (19 December 2024): Fiona Wood (QF2 Winner) vs (QF3 Winner)
GF (20 December 2024): (SF1 Winner) vs (SF2 Winner)