It's been an action-packed but mixed last week for Countdown femmes - my last recap's champ Tracey Mills triumphantly retires for finals as both an octochamp and #1 seed, some female ex-player starred in a forthcoming episode of Catsdown, and in sadder news Tricia Pay, the third highest scoring lady octochamp, died after battling cancer. As a tribute I'm going to make this recap one with lots of female GIFs and even a temporary female replacement for Darren Bent, the crux of my recaps (in case you've not read one before: a unique maximum in a round is called a 'darren', so I post a picture of Darren Bent every time one is available). Today darrens will be celebrated by images of Daria, star of an eponymous late 90s animated MTV show. And if you don't like that?
To counteract all the wimmin to come in my recap, today's episode is a very masculine affair, with two male contestants and Graeme Le Saux - a mainstay of the Chelsea team of my childhood - in Dictionary Corner. (He's not quite Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink but I'm fond of him nonetheless.)
C1: Champion Shaun Gill (1 win, 71 points.) From Apley Bridge, near Wigan. Won yesterday despite a crucial which he was praying his opponent didn't get.
C2: Challenger Vikram Kalsi. A marketing manager from Woking whose work has taken him all over the world. He's lived in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Singapore and Gibraltar, but the most daring thing he's ever done: answer back to his mother. Nearly as daring as watching a PG without Parental Guidance. #mccolmisms
DC: Susie Dent and Graeme Le Saux.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: S T R O P E O A R
R02: L M T U E A L T B
R03: 25, 75, 9, 3, 8, 1. Target: 449.
TTT: TESTCARD - "No addition or division, it simply takes away"
R04: L H C I Y O N S E
R05: N R S I E P A N P
R06: 100, 4, 3, 9, 8, 9. Target: 133.
R07: T J P S I A I E X
R08: L N I U T M L O D
R09: 75, 25, 4, 6, 3, 1. Target: 809.
TTT: BOBYELLS - "Bob yells at the hotel staff to bring his luggage"
R10: S E N D O A R E F
R11: Q R D W I E A N G
R12: G T O D N A U R E
R13: F Z T A R O E C M
R14: 100, 3, 7, 8, 7, 2. Target: 121.
R15: G R I N D S O N E (conundrum)
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Round 1: S T R O P E O A R
Shaun: PARROTS (7)
Vikram: REPOST (6)
DC: TROOPERS (8) OPERATORS (18)
Score: 7–0 (max 18)
Daria-nic 9 to kick off the game in style! Neither contestant spots it, but Shaun takes an early lead.
Round 2: L M T U E A L T B
Shaun: BULLET (6)
Vikram: tableau
DC: MUTATE (6) MULLET (6) MUTABLE (7)
OT: BULLATE (7)
Score: 13–0 (max 25)
It's a great spot from Vikram... or it would be if the letters were in the selection.
BULLATE is a botanical adjective meaning "Covered with rounded swellings like blisters."
Round 3: 25, 75, 9, 3, 8, 1. Target: 449.
Shaun: 450. (3 - 1) x 9 x 25 (7)
Vikram: -
RR: 449. (9 - 3) x 75 - 1 (10)
Score: 20–0 (max 35)
Hmmm. Shaun is comfortably in the lead while Vikram is yet to get off the mark.
Teatime teaser: TESTCARD -> DETRACTS
Round 4: L H C I Y O N S E
Shaun: CLONES (6)
Vikram: SLICE (5)
DC: LICHENS (7)
OT: HELICONS (8) HYOSCINE (8)
Score: 26–0 (max 43)
Helicon: "A large spiral bass tuba played encircling the player’s head and resting on the shoulder."
Hyoscine: "A poisonous plant alkaloid used as an anti-emetic in motion sickness and as a preoperative medication for examination of the eye."
Well duh.
Round 5: N R S I E P A N P
Shaun: SNIPER (6)
Vikram: PRAISE (6)
DC: PANNIERS (8) SNAPPIER (8)
Score: 32–6 (max 51)
DC try to claim that PANNIERS is an anagram of SNAPPIER. Erm...
Round 6: 100, 4, 3, 9, 8, 9. Target: 133.
Shaun: 133. (8 x 4) + 100 - (9 - 8) (10)
Vikram: 133. (9 x 4) - 3 + 100 (10)
Score: 42–16 (max 61)
Easy.
Round 7: T J P S I A I E X
Shaun: EXPATS (6)
Vikram: PASTIE (6)
DC: TAXIES (6)
OT: PIETAS (6) PITIES (6) PIXIES (6)
Score: 48–22 (max 67)
Vikram's weird spelling of pasty turns out to be valid.
Round 8: L N I U T M L O D
Shaun: MILD (4)
Vikram: MINT (4)
DC: MOULD (5) MULLION (7)
Score: 52–26 (max 74)
Second Daria[n] of the game.
Round 9: 75, 25, 4, 6, 3, 1. Target: 809.
Shaun: 803. (4 + 6 + 1) x 75 - 25 + 3 (5)
Vikram: 800.
RR: 808. (7)
OT: 808. (75 + 25 + 1) × 4 × 6/3 (7)
Score: 57–26 (max 81)
2 larges are statistically more solvable than 1 larges. But this one is tricky and made me do this for ages:
After giving up on 808 it turns out 1 away is the best possible answer. Shaun extends his lead further as he gets 6 away.
Teatime teaser: BOBYELLS -> BELLBOYS
This teaser inspires my mother to yell as, chastised for talking over the clue while I'm trying to write it down, she storms off in a huff and nearly breaks the glass in the door. #PrayForMamaMandates
Round 10: S E N D O A R E F
Shaun: REASONED (8)
Vikram: ordains
DC: DEAFENS (7) ENDORSE (7) REASONED (8)
Score: 65–26 (max 89)
Vikram sees more phantom letters, while DC appear to hear a phantom declaration from Shaun as they too declare REASONED as if they haven't heard him already say it. Hmm, interesting...
Round 11: Q R D W I E A N G
Shaun: REGAIN (6)
Vikram: DRAWING (7)
DC: REDWING (7) WEARING (7)
OT: GRADINE (7) GRAINED (7) READING (7) WARDING (7) WINDAGE (7)
Score: 65–33 (max 96)
Vikram pulls back 7 points now, but surely it's all over now.
Round 12: G T O D N A U R E
Shaun: DONATE (6)
Vikram: GARDEN (6)
DC: OUTRAGED (8) OUTRANGED (18)
Score: 71–39 (max 114)
Second Darianic 9 of the game.
Round 13: F Z T A R O E C M
Shaun: TRACE (5)
Vikram: CRAFT (5)
DC: FORMATE (7)
Score: 76–44 (max 121)
Yet another Daria[n].
Round 14: 100, 3, 7, 8, 7, 2. Target: 121.
Shaun: 121. (7 x 3) + 100 (10)
Vikram: 121. (7 x 3) + 100 (10)
Score: 86–54 (max 131)
Not too tricky and both players add 10 to their totals.
Round 15: G R I N D S O N E
No one buzzes. The answer was ENDORSING.
Final Score: 86–54 (max 141)
But ENDORSE was in an earlier round... oh well.
Fair to say this game wasn't an all-time classic. Can Shaun keep going? In such an Apterite-packed series, who knows.
Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=72