Countdown recap for Thursday 1 July 2021.
"I'm the new face of Countdown... well, bits of it are new." Anne, like yesterday, is wearing something from the Teletubby collection. Rachel is showing off her finest maternity wear.
C1: Champion Steve Francom (4 wins, 322 points.) "An exciting accountant", getting into "the showbiz spirit" by wearing a pink shirt, but one day late to match with Anne.
C2: Challenger Daniel Crews. From Surrey, an account manager. Wearing a denim jacket, which, somehow, Anne likes...!
DC: Susie Dent and Rory Bremner.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: N G M U E A R C L
R02: N T G I I A S P G
R03: 100, 75, 1, 10, 7, 1. Target: 153.
TTT: SOMEGOON - "Some goon let this loose near all my snakes."
R04: D W L I E U R D N
R05: E A W S O C P I R
R06: 50, 5, 8, 7, 10, 6. Target: 459.
R07: N D T E E U B F L
R08: D M P O A E R S T
R09: 50, 75, 25, 9, 6, 1. Target: 849.
TTT: IANFRAUD - "Ian was a fraudster, but had no fears about being caught."
R10: D M S U A E T R E
R11: C I B Y A R N I U
R12: S L S L O O A E K
R13: R H M A E I T S R
R14: 25, 9, 7, 2, 6, 2. Target: 993.
R15: W O N K I G U N N (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Round 1: N G M U E A R C L
Steve: CLANGER (7)
Daniel: CLANGER (7)
DC: NUMERAL (7) UNCLEAR (7) NUCLEAR (7)
OT: GRANULE (7) MANGLER (7) RECLANG (7) UNREGAL (7)
Score: 7–7 (max 7, jos 7)
Darren-o-meter: 0/1 (0%)
Both contestants start us off with a 7, one of many available.
Round 2: N T G I I A S P G
Steve: PIANIST (7)
Daniel: STAGING (7)
DC: GASPING (7) PASTING (7)
OT: AGISTING (8)
Score: 14–14 (max 15, jos 14)
Darren-o-meter: 1/2 (50%)
More 7s all round, but this time the computer has the last laugh.
Round 3: 100, 75, 1, 10, 7, 1. Target: 153.
Steve: 153. (1 + 1) × 75 + 10 − 7 (10)
Daniel: 151.
Score: 24–14 (max 25, jos 24)
This isn't straightforward and Daniel sees one of the dead ends, giving Steve a 10-point lead.
Teatime teaser: SOMEGOON -> MONGOOSE
Round 4: D W L I E U R D N
Steve: downier (phantom O)
Daniel: dwindler (risky)
DC: UNWIRED (7)
OT: UNRIDDLE (8)
Score: 24–14 (max 33, jos 31)
Darren-o-meter: 2/3 (67%)
Nul points here, as Daniel's 8 is not valid and Steve's 7 has a phantom O. It's one seven for DC, and one 8 for the computer.
Round 5: E A W S O C P I R
Steve: SPACIER (7)
Daniel: COPIERS (7)
DC: COWPEAS (7)
OT: COWRIES (7) PEACOWS (7) PERSICO (7) PICAROS (7) POWISCE (7) PROSAIC (7) SCORIAE (7) SCRAPIE (7) SOAPIER (7)
Score: 31–21 (max 40, jos 38)
Darren-o-meter: 2/4 (50%)
Another flat round of 7s. Still only that one numbers game separating the two boys.
Rachel describes Daniel as "Javier Bardem mixed with Kevin Keegan".
Round 6: 50, 5, 8, 7, 10, 6. Target: 459.
Steve: 457.
Daniel: 458. (10 − (7 − 6)) × 50 + 8 (7)
RR: 459. (50 − 5) × 10 + 8 + 7 − 6 (10)
Score: 31–28 (max 50, jos 48)
Daniel reduces the deficit with a good 1 away solve, but it's up to Rachel to find the missing one.
Rory does his Donald Trump impression, then segues into the 18th-century surgeon John Taylor.
Round 7: N D T E E U B F L
Steve: BLUNTED (7)
Daniel: BLUNTED (7)
DC: NEEDFUL (7) UNBELTED (8)
Score: 38–35 (max 58, jos 56)
Darren-o-meter: 3/5 (60%)
"It's another of those UNs".
Round 8: D M P O A E R S T
Steve: trampsed (risky)
Daniel: SPORTED (7)
DC: POSTER (6) ADOPTS (6) ADOPTERS (8) READOPTS (8)
OT: PASTORED (8) PROTEADS (8) PTEROMAS (8)
Score: 38–42 (max 66, jos 64)
Darren-o-meter: 3/6 (50%)
Steve's risky 8 is not valid, which gives Daniel the lead for the first time today. Surprised he gambled, actually. Eights from DC.
Round 9: 50, 75, 25, 9, 6, 1. Target: 849.
Steve: 849. (not written down) (75 + 25) × 9 − 50 − 1 (10)
Daniel: 850.
Score: 48–42 (max 76, jos 74)
Steve regains the lead with this excellent 3 large spot.
Teatime teaser: IANFRAUD -> UNAFRAID
Round 10: D M S U A E T R E
Steve: MATURED (7)
Daniel: STREAMED (8)
DC: MEASURED (8)
OT: DEMUREST (8) MASTERED (8) MUSTERED (8) REMASTED (8)
Score: 48–50 (max 84, jos 82)
Darren-o-meter: 3/7 (43%)
Punch and counter-punch as Steve regains the lead with STREAMED, one of six eights available.
Round 11: C I B Y A R N I U
Steve: BINARY (6)
Daniel: BRAINY (6)
DC: BIRYANI (7)
OT: RUBIACIN (8)
Score: 54–56 (max 92, jos 89)
Darren-o-meter: 4/8 (50%)
The rice-based curry is Dictionary Corner's offering, which both contestants weren't a million miles away from. It's not my favourite curry, I must confess, but I'm not sure LAMBTIKKAMASALA is in the dictionary. One eight defeats the studio: RUBIACIN is a chemical term.
Susie continues the UN- theme and talks about "positive" words now out of the dictionary and now only exist in the negative: "gruntled", "kempt", "couth", "ept", "flappable", "peccable", "bridled", "crepit", "persona grata", and lastly, "gormful".
Round 12: S L S L O O A E K
Steve: SLAKES (6) (not written down)
Daniel: SLAKES (6)
DC: LOOSE (5)
OT: ALOOSE (6) ALOSES (6) LOOSES (6) LOSELS (6) OKOLES (6) SKELLS (6) SLOKAS (6) SOLOES (6)
Score: 60–62 (max 98, jos 95)
Darren-o-meter: 4/9 (44%)
Rory sees LOOSE but not LOOSES.
Round 13: R H M A E I T S R
Steve: HERMITS (7)
Daniel: MARRIES (7)
DC: HARRIES (7) TARRIES (7) MARRIES (7)
OT: MARRITES (8) MARSHIER (8) MARTHIES (8) TRASHIER (8)
Score: 67–69 (max 106, jos 102)
Darren-o-meter: 4/10 (40%)
Sevens from the studio, but the eights go unnoticed.
Now then, what does Daniel do here? He goes 1 large...
Round 14: 25, 9, 7, 2, 6, 2. Target: 993.
Steve: 993. (6 × 7 − 2) × 25 − 9 + 2 (10)
Daniel: -
Score: 77–69 (max 116, jos 112)
A good, although potentially irrelevant, spot from Steve, as the conundrum is (obviously) still crucial...
Round 15: W O N K I G U N N
Daniel buzzes on 7 seconds to say UNKNOWING which is correct.
Final Score: 77–79 (max 126, jos 122)
But Daniel steals the champion's chair away from Steve! Our four-time winner is no more and the Robinson era will not begin with an octochamp like Hewer's did. It's yet another UN- word today, and Daniel gets a coveted Countdown teapot and therefore becomes the first recipient of one in the Robinson era.
Join us again for Countdown. Goodbye.
Further summaries are at:
http://cdb.apterous.org/series.php?series=84