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Episode Cats121

From Countdown

Episode Cats121, billed as 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown Series 19, Episode 2 was a special episode broadcast on 16 January 2020, as part of 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown Series 19.

Regulars Sean Lock and Jon Richardson were the contestants, along with Joe Wilkinson and Kiri Pritchard-McLean who were their teammates respectively, while Jimmy Carr reprised his role as the host.

The match saw Jon Richardson, with the assistance of Kiri Pritchard-McLean, winning by 27 – 18 in a 7-rounder and they won a Countdown glockenspiel.

Rachel Riley was, as ever, the arithmetician. The Dictionary Corner guest was The Brett Domino Trio, and the lexicographer was Susie Dent.

Interesting and notable moments from the episode are listed below:

1) During the Introduction, Jon pretended to be "Cardi G" to stand for Cardigan after mentioning he tried to take Cardi B's name and showed off his latest album "Get Bleach or Die Tryin'" with hilarious song titles inscribed on it. Later, Joe introduced a bionic arm which was nothing more than a replica having several potato waffles as ammunition as well as a pancake.

2) During the 30 seconds in Round 1, Jimmy fought with an uncredited wrestler to the right of the studio, only for him to be tackled on the mattress laid out and was pinned until after the round was over.

3) After Round 3, Jimmy presented all the contestants with a custom-made teddy bear that resembled their faces and what they wore each.

4) In between Round 4, Joe and Jimmy swapped their teddy bears by throwing it across the studio and both of them later proceeded to hammer it on the table until the 30 seconds were up.

5) In Round 5, it was dubbed a Relaxation Round, to which Jon initially mistook it as a Tension Round which was commonly played on the show in 2019. Four uncredited masseurs appeared on stage and massaged each of the contestants during the round, causing some of them (especially Joe and Jon) to be in noticeable pain at times. At the same time, the table lights turned pinkish-purple to match the Crucial Conundrum setting in the normal version of the show and the clock music was replaced with a soothing version with a male voice in the background telling the contestants what to do.

6) During the 30 seconds in Round 6, Jimmy pretended to be a construction worker who was preparing cement in a mixer which malfunctioned. After putting his head inside it to check what was wrong, the machine started again, causing "him" to be "rotated" within it and his hard hat to be "encased in concrete". Later on, Joe's declaration in this round, while invalid, was not mentioned by Dictionary Corner.

NOTE 1: In this version, both players' declarations were allowed, although points were only awarded for the best answer.

NOTE 2: In Round 5, Kiri's declaration of LATEN should have been allowed as it is in the ODO. However, this would have not affected the outcome of the show as Jon had a valid five-letter word.

NOTE 3: Jon Richardson's mother and sister were in the audience for this episode, to which their presence was revealed just before Round 4. Their appearance was sampled for the 21 April 2022 broadcast of Meet the Richardsons.

Rounds

Rnd Selection Joe & Sean Score Jon & Kiri Others Max.
1 UAGSTENRO sten ☓
GROANS
6 – 0 ungrates ☓
SAGE
OUTRANGES 18
2 50 7 4 5 3 8 → 927 900
920
(3 + 7 + 8) × 50 + 4 × 5
11 – 0 920 ☓

RR: 927 = (8 × 7 − 3 + 50) × (4 + 5)

28
TTT NICERODS I'll think about it. CONSIDER
Rnd Selection Joe Wilkinson Score Kiri Pritchard-McLean Others Max.
3 ISZEPASOH SIZES 11 – 6 SHAPES POZISHES* 36
Rnd Selection Sean Lock Score Jon Richardson Others Max.
4 75 7 6 9 8 3 → 987 989
(7 + 6) × 75 + 9 + 8 − 3
18 – 6 987 ☓

RR: 987 = (7 + 6) × 75 + 9 + 3

46
TTT RARESHIT Tackier than normal. TRASHIER
Rnd Selection Joe & Sean Score Jon & Kiri Others Max.
5 CULTALENI CULT
CULT
18 – 11 ALIEN
laten ☓ **
CLIENTAL* 54
TTT EARPLOPS This happened to my anus. PROLAPSE
6 SOYAPIMTR soyas ☓
SPRAY
18 – 17 PATIOS
STRAP
PARTYISM* 62
7 NIPSHAPES 18 – 27 HAPPINESS
(21.75 seconds)
72