Monday 3rd November 2014 (series 71, prelim 78)

[Andy McGurn]

Countdown recap for Monday 3 November 2014.

C1: Champion George Ford (7 wins, 731 points)Now on seven wins, Nick notes that he is wearing a suit for his octochamp game, George states that it would be nice if he did make octochamp.


C2: Challenger Tom Pettinger. A recent graduate of Hull university who studied British Politics and is about to undertake a masters in “civilisation, terrorism and dissent”. He also once dragged the Japanese ambassador around the palace of Westminster


DC: Susie Dent and John Inverdale.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.

R01: K P N I U I J D M
R02: W E P U T M C T I
R03: 5, 8, 100, 75, 25, 50. Target: 481.
TTT: FABCHALK - "offer 50% support to the Rugby player perhaps"
R04: V E O D S N F N E
R05: R G H A I A O B E
R06: 1, 2, 1, 9, 3, 2. Target: 105.
R07: R T P N O I E U Q
R08: N W C A E S R N A
R09: 4, 6, 75, 25, 100, 50. Target: 459.
TTT: LOSEGIRL - "lose the girls?, not when you're a fun guy surely"
R10: B G T S L E U E R
R11: T G R M I E O E R
R12: A T R S H F O A E
R13: P L V D I E A E S
R14: 6, 9, 4, 5, 2, 9. Target: 653.
R15: C R E P E P U D S (conundrum)


And now a brief interlude before our main feature:

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Enjoy the show.

Round 1: K P N I U I J D M

George: MIND (4)
Tom: PINK (4)
DC: JUMP PUNK MINK
OT: DINKUM (6) INDIUM (6)
Score: 4–4 (max 6)

No one in the studio can get above four, but two sixes were available.


Round 2: W E P U T M C T I

George: PUMICE (6)
Tom: IMPUTE (6)
OT: TECTUM (6) UPTIME (6)
Score: 10–10 (max 12)

This time six is the max and both contestants get it.



Round 3: 5, 8, 100, 75, 25, 50. Target: 481.

George: 481. ((50-(75/25)*8+100+5 (10)
Tom: 482.
Score: 20–10 (max 22)

George’s route to the target was not the only possible solution, but Tom doesn’t get there are falls into a ten point deficit.



Teatime teaser: FABCHALK -> HALFBACK

Round 4: V E O D S N F N E

George: DOVES (5)
Tom: defense
OT: DONNEES (7)
Score: 25–10 (max 29)

Tom takes an unnecessary risk with an Americanism that isn’t in the selection anyway. He must be quite nervous despite his confident exterior.



Round 5: R G H A I A O B E

George: boghair
Tom: BRAG (4)
DC: AIRBAG (6) GHERAO (6)
OT: AGORAE (6) BORAGE (6) HEGIRA (6) HOAGIE (6)
Score: 25–14 (max 35)

Tom scores with a four for the second time in the game, this must be quite a rare occurrence.



Round 6: 1, 2, 1, 9, 3, 2. Target: 105.

George: 105. ((9*2*2)-1)*3 (10)
Tom: 105. (((2*3*9)-1)*2)-1 (10)
Score: 35–24 (max 45)

Tom was probably hoping for something harder here…



DC Guest – John talks about Phobias again and tests Susie on her knowledge of the meanings of various “-phobia” words.



Round 7: R T P N O I E U Q

George: ERUPTION (8)
Tom: ERUPTION (8)
DC: POINTER (7) PROTEIN (7) ROUTINE (7)
OT: REQUINTO (8)
Score: 43–32 (max 53)

Maybe both contestants knew POINTER+U



Round 8: N W C A E S R N A

George: SCANNER (7)
Tom: SCANNER (7)
OT: CANNERS (7)
Score: 50–39 (max 60)

SCANNER just leapt out of that selection and unsurprisingly both contestants get it.



Round 9: 4, 6, 75, 25, 100, 50. Target: 459.

George: 459. 4*100+50+6+(75/25) (10)
Tom: 460.
Score: 60–39 (max 70)

Just as Tom declared his one away he sees the simple solution and curses himself. This is his second careless error of the game and he is now 21 points behind.



Teatime teaser: LOSEGIRL -> GIROLLES

Round 10: B G T S L E U E R

George: guester
Tom: BLUSTER (7)
DC: BUTLERS (7) BUGLERS (7)
OT: BELTERS (7) BURGEES (7) BURGLES (7) GESTURE (7) REGLETS (7) SUBTLER (7) TREBLES (7)
Score: 60–46 (max 77)

A flat round sees the challenger make up a bit of ground.


Round 11: T G R M I E O E R

George: GERMIER (7)
Tom: REMOTER (7)
DC: TRIREME (7)
Score: 67–53 (max 84)

Susie needs to check both contestants words, but both are valid and the gap remains at 14.


OoW – Susie explains a few words that have changed meaning over the years that have come to describe one’s sweetheart.



Round 12: A T R S H F O A E

George: FATHERS (7)
Tom: FATHERS (7)
OT: EARSHOT (7) HOAREST (7)
Score: 74–60 (max 91)

Both of them have FATHERS, George’s is an architect as we discovered several shows ago.



Round 13: P L V D I E A E S

George: PLEASED (7)
Tom: PLEASED (7)
DC: ELAPSED (7)
OT: AEDILES (7) LEVADES (7) PALSIED (7) PEAVIES (7) PLEIADS (7) SPIELED (7)
Score: 81–67 (max 98)

In a round where a number of obscure sevens were available the contestants are PLEASED to get a straightforward one.


Round 14: 6, 9, 4, 5, 2, 9. Target: 653.

George: 653. (9*9)*(6+2)+5 (10)
Tom: 653. (9*9)*(6+2)+5 (10)
Score: 91–77 (max 108)

For the second time Tom tries to make up ground with a six small selection, as it is it’s a low difficulty six small and this ends his challenge.

His bad mistakes in rounds 3 and 6 appear to have cost him. He would have been one point ahead going into the conundrum had he not done made those errors.


Round 15: C R E P E P U D S

George buzzes on 2 seconds to say SCUPPERED which is correct.
Final Score: 101–77 (max 118)


But as it turns out its George who gets the conundrum. Tom will still regret the two bad mistakes, but as it is George would have SCUPPERED his challenge anyway with the conundrum spot.

Two new contestants will debut tomorrow, Join James on Wednesday to see the winner of that game make his first title DEFENCE (not DEFENSE).



Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=71