c4countdown

Dinos Sfyris wrote:

Allan Harmer wrote:I will be watching with keen interest to see how you deal with the 'Wicked Witch'.

Quite timidly I can assure you

What? You mean you never answered her back like I did? You've let me down Dinos.

BUMP! Its tomorrow!

Dinos Sfyris wrote:BUMP! Its tomorrow!

No it's not! It's today! Most moist.

Matt Morrison wrote:

Dinos Sfyris wrote:BUMP! Its tomorrow!

No it's not! It's today! Most moist.

Me too - I even have the afternoon off!

Although I had it off anyway, before I realized he would be on.

Dinos Sfyris wrote:I never wrote a Countdown Experience but will have to do one for the Weakest Link while its still fresh in my brain, then post it when its aired.

Did you do it? Where will it appear? Really looking forward to this afternoon - don't let me down...

I've just put the TV on, good luck!

Harsh stuff there, mind you I thought you'd get the kudos question right. At least you got the surface tension one right! Yeah, and you were pretty witty, nice one.

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Commisserations Kostadinos, but well done for getting as far as 4th!

Also continued good luck with your bit on the side, Anne!

Derek Hazell wrote:Kostadinos

Awesome bit of Spanish Greek action there.

Yeah unlucky Dinos. Those gits sucked, you were far superior, which is always dangerous territory on that show.

FUCK!

I can't remember when I was last so angry about someone being voted off. You'd done really well with the questions apart from one slightly dodgy round; you stayed focused; and you didn't keep wasting time asking for questions to be repeated like several of your team mates did. It was such blatant tactical voting; those two girls were both as thick as pig shit, and Marlon was a dickhead. You could tell that Anne was annoyed by them too.

Anyway, you came across really well and walked away with your head held high. Brilliant stuff - look forward to seeing the write-up!

Phil Reynolds wrote:FUCK!

I can't remember when I was last so angry about someone being voted off. You'd done really well with the questions apart from one slightly dodgy round; you stayed focused; and you didn't keep wasting time asking for questions to be repeated like several of your team mates did. It was such blatant tactical voting; those two girls were both as thick as pig shit, and Marlon was a dickhead. You could tell that Anne was annoyed by them too.

Anyway, you came across really well and walked away with your head held high. Brilliant stuff - look forward to seeing the write-up!

I was going to make a post, but Phil's basically said everything I was going to.

Phil Reynolds wrote:FUCK!

I can't remember when I was last so angry about someone being voted off. You'd done really well with the questions apart from one slightly dodgy round; you stayed focused; and you didn't keep wasting time asking for questions to be repeated like several of your team mates did. It was such blatant tactical voting; those two girls were both as thick as pig shit, and Marlon was a dickhead. You could tell that Anne was annoyed by them too.

Anyway, you came across really well and walked away with your head held high. Brilliant stuff - look forward to seeing the write-up!

Indeed. A creditable performance, you would've taken any of them to the cleaners in the head-to-head.

Unlucky mate, that third-to-last round was a travesty and the two girls in the final were rampagingly shite. Moral victory better than no victory, or something.

Dinos, you were shafted!
Four times top player and then you get ambushed, hard luck mate, you were clearly the best player there.
I haven't seen the WL for a couple of years but I couldn't believe how pedestrian it has become, long pauses, repeat the question, what was that all about?
Good interaction with the wicked witch too.
Well done

Ian Fitzpatrick wrote:I haven't seen the WL for a couple of years but I couldn't believe how pedestrian it has become, long pauses, repeat the question, what was that all about?

That's not indicative of some long-term trend in the show - it was just today's mostly shite contestants.

Well played Dinos! It was really cool to see you on TV and I thought you were great. I thought it was likely you would be tactically voted off at some point as you were clearly the best player left. I thought you came across as a really nice guy and I like the fact your final comment wasn't something bitter like "I hope Molly gets voted off, the stupid bitch" like a lot of people do.

I find the show really boring though, Escape to the Country is much better. Go on that too.

Wow, are contestants usually so astonishingly retarded? I'm with all the above on the tactical voting stuff, they could've at least just admitted it (there's not really much shame in saying "well only one of us can win, so I thought we should get rid of him", but to try and claim you thought "we're all as bad as each other" was a joke). The three left after Dinos went were awful, and I don't remember ever seeing so many repeated questions in a show (admittedly I haven't watched it in ages, but in my book asking for a question to be repeated is worse than just saying 'pass').

There seemed to be a fair bit of inconsistent question difficulty going on too, but I imagine that's hard to avoid (and obviously subjective anyway - what springs to mind is the book question Dinos got in the same round as 'what's the square root of 121?' round, which probably just betrays my ignorance of literature, but eh).

Edit: Oh yeah, to those who watch more often than me - was the prize money for this show abnormally low (£1200ish, I think)?

Michael Wallace wrote:There seemed to be a fair bit of inconsistent question difficulty going on too, but I imagine that's hard to avoid (and obviously subjective anyway - what springs to mind is the book question Dinos got in the same round as 'what's the square root of 121?' round, which probably just betrays my ignorance of literature, but eh).

Yes, that one was among today's tougher questions - I only knew it was Ian McEwan because I'd read On Chesil Beach on holiday last month and remembered the other titles from the blurb at the front. As you say, it's all subjective - questions about sports personalities are usually opaque to me.

was the prize money for this show abnormally low (£1200ish, I think)?

£1220, yeah. It's towards the lower end of the scale; typically the final prize money tends to be in the £2000-£2500 region, but I've seen winners go away with less than £800 and more than £4000.

I think I've mentioned before the rather ingenious banking strategy proposed by this study, which found that a simple rule of thumb (essentially, contestants bank each accumulated £200 in rounds 1-4, and after every correctly answered question in rounds 5-8) is statistically likely to yield a higher prize total in the majority of games than that actually achieved. If applied today, and all other things being equal, this strategy would have achieved an increase in total prize money of £460.

Just got in from karate where our sensei pretended to be John Robinson. Thanks for all the kind comments. I've had about 20 texts all along the same lines saying "You woz robbed!" and "ZOMG those girls were fick!" All sympathy gratefully received but at the end of the day it isn't solely a general knowledge quiz where the most studious are rewarded with a hefty sum. Its all about tactics. Cheese Factory Girl and Dumb midwife knew this, went in with a plan and subsequently came out on top. Nevertheless I had a great time filming and all the memories flooded back to me when I watched it back. I was totally fixated when viewing and when I got up my legs had locked, which also happened on the day as getting through the 1st round is a terrifying ordeal, especially when you get a soap question wrong others might consider easy. I was just glad that I came across well and my banter with Anne was not too humiliating! (we had chemistry lol )

Phil Reynolds wrote:

Dinos Sfyris wrote:I never wrote a Countdown Experience but will have to do one for the Weakest Link while its still fresh in my brain, then post it when its aired.

Did you do it? Where will it appear?

Haven't written it yet. Hopefully will whip something up this weekend having relived it, and while people are still interested. Think I may rewatch it on iplayer to include all the juicy stats like you did, Phil, with a full breakdown of the players in the green room and voting strategems etc.

Hope you all enjoyed the show as much as I did

Dinos

Countdown episodes appeared in: 4
Position attained on the weakest link: 4th
Questions answered incorrectly: 4
Occasions on which I was the strongest link: 4

Hmmm maybe I should apply for some game shows where 4 is the optimum outcome!

Dinos Sfyris wrote:Hmmm maybe I should apply for some game shows where 4 is the optimum outcome!

You need a televisual version of Connect 4. Oh god, Jason'll probably be along in a minute to tell us there already is one in America. Apologies in advance.

And just to echo what everyone else has said, you wuz robbed mate. I can't remember a more larcenous outcome since sexy hypnotist Amy Godel was on and that was ages ago (although to be fair, I don't catch it all that often).

Just watched this now - you were easily the best player there and a victim of some cruel 'tactical' voting, even if whathisface in the 'grandma' top came up with every possible excuse besides this. I don't normally watch the show but was pretty frustrated when they voted you off and then didn't have the gaul to be honest about why they were doing it!

Well played and unlucky

Jay

Dinos Sfyris wrote:Think I may rewatch it on iplayer to include all the juicy stats like you did, Phil

Please do! I'll feel slightly less of a saddo if at least one other person in netland has done this. I'll be interested to hear how, if at all, things have changed on the show in the five and a half years since I was on.

I did think you were the best, Dinos. As you say, 'tactical' voting isn't against the rules, it's part of the game.

I agree with all of the above Dino, bad luck mate.

Dinos Sfyris wrote:
Countdown episodes appeared in: 4
Position attained on the weakest link: 4th
Questions answered incorrectly: 4
Occasions on which I was the strongest link: 4

Hmmm maybe I should apply for some game shows where 4 is the optimum outcome!

Make sure it's a game show then and not the drama 'Skins'

Daydreamt dialogue:

Drew Carey: "Dinos, you had the watches, the dining room set and the trip to Spain. You bid $13,999. Actual retail price -- $14003. YOU'RE OFF BY $4! YOU'RE A DOUBLE SHOWCASE WINNER! Nice job, Dinos! Dinos has won $38,666 worth of prizes today!"

I think you must have banked nearly all their money too Dinos. They should call a Stewards' Enquiry on this one.

At least you join a jost of top quizzers who have been voted off tactically. I think Daphne and CJ from the Eggheads suffered similar fates as you, so no disgrace at all. As everyone else has rightly said, you were the strongest link by a country mile.

Tracey came across as a nasty ignorant piece of work and was a retard to boot. Molly was just a retard, which she freely admitted in her closing speech.

Well done mate.

I've actually added both Molly Davies and Tracey Fleming on facebook (giving the surnames here in case you feel like hounding them). I dread to think how they reacted if they saw the stream of personal attacks on them by people on my profile page

I'd have asked Molly out.

Well done. As others have said, you put in a great performance, and were most definitely robbed.
I was proud of you.

Chris Corby wrote:Make sure it's a game show then and not the drama 'Skins'

Would jew believe, it's taken me all night to get that joke!

Derek Hazell wrote:

Chris Corby wrote:Make sure it's a game show then and not the drama 'Skins'

Would jew believe, it's taken me all night to get that joke!

This must be yet another reincarnation of Richard Brittain! Come forward and tell The Truth!

Phil Reynolds wrote: those two girls were both as thick as pig shit!

I'll add my IAWTP to the others, and this is exactly the phrase I screamed at my TV set when I watched it this morning.

I reckon Dinos suffered because he appeared to be the only intelligent player there, and so was eliminated.
Usually there's at least 2 or 3 halfway decent brains there, so it's not so obvious.
Commiserations, Dinos, but unfortunately that's how WL works. You took it well.

Kai Laddiman wrote:This must be yet another reincarnation of Richard Brittain! Come forward and tell The Truth!

From the smallest gandiseeg, wise Kais grow.





But actually no, I've never met Richard Brittain, although I did briefly work with his former rival Andrew Blades.

Julie T wrote:

Phil Reynolds wrote:those two girls were both as thick as pig shit!

You've attributed an exclamation mark to me that I didn't use. I think this is called Gross Larseny.

Phil Reynolds wrote:

Julie T wrote:

Phil Reynolds wrote:those two girls were both as thick as pig shit!

You've attributed an exclamation mark to me that I didn't use. I think this is called Gross Larseny.

Hmmm, you did.

Just watched it on iPlayer - very unlucky dinos.
I always thought your name was pronounced 'd-eye-nos' (not in an offensive way.)

You should have won.

Phil Reynolds wrote:

Julie T wrote:

Phil Reynolds wrote:those two girls were both as thick as pig shit!

You've attributed an exclamation mark to me that I didn't use. I think this is called Gross Larseny.

Sorry, Phil!!!!!

I picked out the line, deleting the rest of your post in the quote, but left in the end exclamation mark by mistake:

Phil Reynolds wrote: Brilliant stuff - look forward to seeing the write-up!

Eoin Monaghan wrote:I always thought your name was pronounced 'd-eye-nos' (not in an offensive way.)

Slander!

Phil Reynolds wrote:

Julie T wrote:

Phil Reynolds wrote:those two girls were both as thick as pig shit!

You've attributed an exclamation mark to me that I didn't use. I think this is called Gross Larseny.

Nice distinction, Phil:

those two girls were both as thick as pig shit

is a bald statement of undeniable fact. Much more telling than

those two girls were both as thick as pig shit!

which is a mere expression of annoyance.

Pig shit is actually on the runny side, but I wouldn't want to initiate a discussion of competitve thickness. Two short planks have always served me very well.

Didn't one of the people in their closing speech call him 'Dino'?

Michael Wallace wrote:Didn't one of the people in their closing speech call him 'Dino'?

Yeh, it sounded like 'Deano'.

Ian Dent wrote:I'd have asked Molly out.

I'd have asked her out for a fight.

I got so annoyed with Tracey asking for questions to be repeated and I can't believe her and Molly stayed on. Molly was fit though.

Your walk-off speech was cheesy as hell, mentioning "chemistry" and "bond". You geek.

Edit: Just watched the final. "Question: .....who developed calculus? Answer: Calculus." Brilliant. Also in one round when Dinos was still in, the camera cut to Dinos when they were writing the weakest link on their board and Dinos clearly picks up the pen from the tray, doesn't take the lid off and then pretends to write with the lid still on! The camera shows the lid is still on the pen! I'm surprised they didn't use a different shot or ask Dinos to take the bloody lid off to pretend to write!

Kai Laddiman wrote:

Michael Wallace wrote:Didn't one of the people in their closing speech call him 'Dino'?

Yeh, it sounded like 'Deano'.

That was Ian IIRC. I thought he said Dino as in the Flintstone's Dino

Kirk Bevins wrote: Edit: Just watched the final. "Question: .....who developed calculus? Answer: Calculus."

Hahaha, that was great. I think she actually said something like "Calculios", so she couldn't even repeat the word from the question correctly.

Charlie Reams wrote:

Kirk Bevins wrote: Edit: Just watched the final. "Question: .....who developed calculus? Answer: Calculus."

Hahaha, that was great. I think she actually said something like "Calculios", so she couldn't even repeat the word from the question correctly.

Sounded like 'Calcula' to me.

(I'm not really sure I'm adding anything to this discussion)

Unlucky Dinos. I have nothing to add to what's already been said- you were clearly the best player there, so it was almost inevitable that you'd be voted off. I thought they might give you a little bit of hope by waiting one more round though.
Also, you might like this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venn_Diagram

Kirk Bevins wrote:Your walk-off speech was cheesy as hell, mentioning "chemistry" and "bond". You geek.

It sounded as if he was forced to say it, not his actual opinion.

Kai Laddiman wrote:

Kirk Bevins wrote:Your walk-off speech was cheesy as hell, mentioning "chemistry" and "bond". You geek.

It sounded as if he was forced to say it, not his actual opinion.

It sounded like he'd prepared it himself to me. I thought it was great.

Do you think you'll have better luck, Dinos?

Kirk Bevins wrote:Dinos clearly picks up the pen from the tray, doesn't take the lid off and then pretends to write with the lid still on!

Haha yeah I remember doing that now. I put my pen down as soon as I'd written down my vote, but then remembered what they'd said about pretending to write so I picked it back up but didn't bother with the lid.

Neil Zussman wrote:Also, you might like this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venn_Diagram

Cheers Neil. Although I'm kinda glad Anne cut me off 'cause under the spotlight I feel I would have sold short the beautiful intricacies of the Venn!

Michael Wallace wrote:

Kai Laddiman wrote:

Kirk Bevins wrote:Your walk-off speech was cheesy as hell, mentioning "chemistry" and "bond". You geek.

It sounded as if he was forced to say it, not his actual opinion.

It sounded like he'd prepared it himself to me. I thought it was great.

Absolutely rehearsed yes I used it in the audition too and it got a laugh, so I thought why not! Better than some bitter tirade about how nobody left deserved to win.

Would it have changed if some of the contestants were a lot nicer, Dinos?

If so, how?

Just watched the taped programme this afternoon.

Did you notice they kept on doing rear view shots of Molly? I can't believe she went 2 rounds without answering a question right and yet Dinos gets voted off.

Dinos - the stats show you were clearly the best player. This was surely a case of 3 people hatching a plan beforehand??

Who was the guy who was voted off after you? I think his name was Marlon. He looked shocked - clearly a case of the women having the final say at the end.

Well done Dinos - you were the moral victor.

So, Dinos, what did you really think?

Philip Jarvis wrote:Just watched the taped programme this afternoon.

Did you notice they kept on doing rear view shots of Molly? I can't believe she went 2 rounds without answering a question right and yet Dinos gets voted off.

Dinos - the stats show you were clearly the best player. This was surely a case of 3 people hatching a plan beforehand??

Who was the guy who was voted off after you? I think his name was Marlon. He looked shocked - clearly a case of the women having the final say at the end.

Well done Dinos - you were the moral victor.

The girls were the only plan-hatchers. Marlon was just too dim to see they'd voted the same way EVERY round and would get rid of him next. Caught the tube with him back to London st Pancras and he felt very hard done by. He seemed like a nice guy but he honestly thought he should have won

Jason Larsen wrote:Would it have changed if some of the contestants were a lot nicer, Dinos?

If so, how?

You can speculate on ifs and buts til the cows come home, Jason. eg If I'd voted Tracey instead of Phillip in the first round as I'd originally intended then Tracey would have been first off and who knows what would have happened. My number also nearly came up in round 4 when I got 2 tough questions wrong so I was lucky to stay then so luck swings both ways. In the end I had a great experience and all my family and friends were pleased with my performance and very supportive and I couldn't ask for much more than that! (Except maybe the prize money )

So, we'll never know, Dinos.

I'm glad you're happy!

Dinos Sfyris wrote: If I'd voted Tracey instead of Phillip in the first round as I'd originally intended then Tracey would have been first off and who knows what would have happened. My number also nearly came up in round 4 when I got 2 tough questions wrong so I was lucky to stay then so luck swings both ways. In the end I had a great experience and all my family and friends were pleased with my performance and very supportive and I couldn't ask for much more than that! (Except maybe the prize money )

You certainly had rotten luck, Dinos. I don't think I've ever known there to be so many utterly dumb candidates on WL - by the skin of their teeth one question each in the final round! - but they also had the best organised voting-you-off machine I've ever encountered.

So what's next?

People like that shouldn't even be considered to be contestants!

Jason Larsen wrote:People like that shouldn't even be considered to be contestants!

Oi. It's good to have a wide mix of abilities.

Finally got round to watching it... well only up to the end of round six.

Well done Dinos, you certainly outperformed all the other contestants, and stood up to Anne better then most I've ever seen. You were definitely unlucky to be voted off.