Countdown recap for Monday 6 January 2020.
C1: Champion Luke Johnson-Davies (7 wins, 898 points.) An Apterite and student at Durham University, but is originally from Cambridge.
C2: Challenger Carole Bramwell. A part-time sales assistant from Buxton, Derbyshire. She loves travelling, especially San Francisco.
DC: Susie Dent and "Plastic Elvis" (a "replacement" for Tim Vine).
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: S L N G A O I U R
R02: P G N O E I B S A
R03: 25, 4, 5, 8, 5, 7. Target: 509.
TTT: RIGIDCAST - "It's nothing to do with seafood, but it is a chewy muscle."
R04: O E I X N T L S O
R05: C G D N A U E I D
R06: 50, 4, 1, 3, 8, 10. Target: 872.
R07: S F L R O A U E T
R08: S K M W O I A S M
R09: 25, 10, 8, 2, 9, 5. Target: 274.
TTT: PALSPEERS - "She was inconvenienced on the lavatory reading her online bills."
R10: R C S E O I T U R
R11: C M T Y A I E H A
R12: S B D M I O U N E
R13: P R T V I A O E D
R14: 75, 100, 3, 2, 4, 8. Target: 228.
R15: G O N G W I R E R (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: S L N G A O I U R
Luke: SINGULAR (8)
Carole: SOARING (7)
DC: AROUSING (8)
OT: ORIGNALS (8) RINGOALS (8)
Score: 8–0 (max 8)
Round 2: P G N O E I B S A
Luke: BEGONIAS (8)
Carole: AGONISE (7)
DC: SONG PIGEONS (7)
Score: 16–0 (max 16)
Round 3: 25, 4, 5, 8, 5, 7. Target: 509.
Luke: 509. ((8 + 5 + 7) x 25) + 5 + 4 (10)
Carole: 508.
Score: 26–0 (max 26)
Teatime teaser: RIGIDCAST -> DIGASTRIC
Round 4: O E I X N T L S O
Luke: LOONIEST (8)
Carole: LOONIES (7)
DC: LOTIONS (7) TONSIL (6)
OT: OILSTONE (8)
Score: 34–0 (max 34)
Round 5: C G D N A U E I D
Luke: GUIDANCE (8)
Carole: CEDING (6)
DC: ADDUCING (8) CANDIED (7) UNDEAD (6)
OT: DEDUCING (8)
Score: 42–0 (max 42)
Round 6: 50, 4, 1, 3, 8, 10. Target: 872.
Luke: 874. Mistake in working.
Carole: -
RR: 872. ((50 x 3) - (4 x 10) - 1) x 8 (10)
Score: 42–0 (max 52)
"Plastic" talks about words in music, and ends with a "ram-a-lam-a-ding-dong".
Round 7: S F L R O A U E T
Luke: ROSULATE (8)
Carole: FLOATERS (8)
DC: REFLOATS (8)
OT: OESTRUAL (8)
Score: 50–8 (max 60)
Round 8: S K M W O I A S M
Luke: MIMOSAS (7)
Carole: MASKS (5)
DC: MIAOWS (6)
OT: IMMASKS (7)
Score: 57–8 (max 67)
Round 9: 25, 10, 8, 2, 9, 5. Target: 274.
Luke: 274. ((25 + 2) x 10) + 9 - 5 (10)
Carole: 274. ((25 + 2) x 10) + 9 - 5 (10)
Score: 67–18 (max 77)
Teatime teaser: PALSPEERS -> PAPERLESS
Round 10: R C S E O I T U R
Luke: COURTIERS (18)
Carole: TROUSER (7)
DC: RECRUITS (8)
OT: OUTCRIERS (18)
Score: 85–18 (max 95)
Round 11: C M T Y A I E H A
Luke: HAMATE (6)
Carole: MATCH (5)
DC: HAEMATIC (8)
Score: 91–18 (max 103)
Susie's Origins Of Words talks about the origins of "doolally".
Round 12: S B D M I O U N E
Luke: OMNIBUS (7)
Carole: MOUSED (6)
DC: MISBOUND (8) NIMBUSED (8)
Score: 98–18 (max 111)
Round 13: P R T V I A O E D
Luke: ADOPTIVE (8)
Carole: OVERPAID (8)
DC: PARTED (6) PRIVATED (8)
OT: DEVIATOR (8) POIVRADE (8)
Score: 106–26 (max 119)
Round 14: 75, 100, 3, 2, 4, 8. Target: 228.
Luke: 228. ((100 + 8) x 2) + (4 x 3) (10)
Carole: 228. (100 x 2) + (8 x 3) + 4 (10)
Score: 116–36 (max 129)
Round 15: G O N G W I R E R
Luke buzzes on 1.75 seconds to say REGROWING which is correct.
Final Score: 126–36 (max 139)
Well, that's not a bad run at all by Luke Johnson-Davies. He has been so imperious throughout his run, and he becomes the first octochamp of the new decade, and he scores the 2nd highest octototal of all-time with a total of 1,024 points!!!
It'll take a superhuman performance for someone to get close to or even anywhere near that total, but who knows, maybe there's another Luke to come in this series....
Statistics Corner
Luke:
Total score - 126
Raw score - 126
Total % of max - 91
Raw % of max - 91
Total average score per round - 8.4
Raw average score per round - 8.4
Number of maxes - 12
Carole:
Total score - 36
Raw score - 93
Total % of max - 26
Raw % of max - 67
Total average score per round - 2.4
Raw average score per round - 6.2
Number of maxes - 4
Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=82