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Episode Cats141

From Countdown

Episode Cats141, billed as 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown Series 22, Episode 5, was a special episode broadcast on 4 February 2022, as part of 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown Series 22.

The Team Captains were Sarah Millican and Jon Richardson, their teammates were Nish Kumar and Maisie Adam respectively, while Jimmy Carr reprised his role as the host.

The match saw Jon Richardson, with the assistance of Maisie Adam, winning by 41 – 25 in a 7-rounder and they won Countdown dog poop bags.

Rachel Riley was, as ever, the arithmetician. The Dictionary Corner guest was David O'Doherty, and the lexicographer was Susie Dent.

Interesting and notable moments from the episode are listed below:

1) During the Introduction, Sarah's prop was a helmet of dreams with many gadgets such as a calculator (although she did not attempt to cheat using that), a mirror, a banana and water. Also, Jon would claim to be a member of "The Magic Square" (a parody of The Magic Circle) and asked both Jimmy and Sarah to think of a card in a suit, to which he revealed a drawn version of them on his hand and the side of his stomach respectively.

2) As part of Maisie's prop, she introduced the three original lifelines from Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (albeit that she called the show "Would Anyone Here Like to Win a Seven Figure Sum" possibly due to copyright reasons).

In Round 1, she used the 100-100 lifeline (originally 50-50) which would double the selection in that round. This meant that a whopping 18 letters went on the board (every time a letter was called, another letter of the same type was drawn and placed in the bottom row of the board). In Round 3, she used the "Call a Companion" (originally "Phone a Friend") lifeline and phoned her grandmother. An extra 30 seconds was given to her which was shown to viewers in the form of the Countdown clock face (ultimately, she ran out of time as she was still jotting down the selection). Finally, in Round 6, she used the "Ask Somebody Who's Watching You Play Who is Also in the Room" (originally "Ask the Audience") lifeline where she called Raoul, one of the show's models to come up with a word. However, he only managed to spell his name using a whiteboard and marker.

3) During the 30 seconds in Round 1, Jimmy was seen eating edible versions of his cue cards, the Countdown teapot and the ODE3 dictionary. Later, Jon "munched" down pieces of paper in that round and in Round 4 as he claimed everything on the show was edible.

4) In Round 3, Nish picked the first five letters while Rachel chose the other four letters at random after he requested for better letters. Also, the clock music was replaced with Night Fever by the Bee Gees with Susie and Jimmy dancing in the centre of the studio which ended with the former doing a split. Simultaneously, the lights in the studio were programmed to a disco setting featuring many colours and flashing effects.

5) In Round 5, it was dubbed a Lightning Round. Only Nish and Jon took part where both would be jolted with an electric shock at random times by Jimmy via a pad attached on their spine (later, it was revealed Susie too had a pad attached to her as well). Points were doubled and the clock music was replaced with a spooky version of it coupled with sparks shooting out in front of the celebrities at various intervals, notably scaring Maisie. Thus, the maximum was worth 14 points in this case.

6) In Round 6, the final letter was selected by Rachel and the clock music was replaced with a rendition played on clown horns by Jimmy.

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

Rounds

Rnd Selection Nish & Sarah Score Jon & Maisie Others Max.
1 OYESRGONR
ALABLFETC
RELENTS
YEARNS
0 – 8 CARTOONS
REFLECTS
FERROCYANATES* 13
2 25 50 3 10 2 1 → 834 825
825
(10 − 2) × (3 − 1) × 50 + 25
(10 − 2) × (3 − 1) × 50 + 25 *
5 – 8 835 ☓
828 ☓

Best: 834 = (50 × 25 + 1) × 2 ÷ 3

23
TTT BOOBLEAK I'm available. BOOKABLE
3 JVIOLONFE JIVE/LIVE
jeflon ☓/violon ☓
5 – 13 five ☓5
FELON
VIOLONE 30
4 100 25 75 50 4 3 → 797 797
800
50 ÷ 25 × 4 × 100 − 3
15 – 23 797
800
50 ÷ 25 × 4 × 100 − 3


40
TTT CRAPHERE Don't tell me what to do. PREACHER
Rnd Selection Nish Kumar Score Jon Richardson Others Max.
5 TUMCIRAMS CRUST 25 – 23 STAR ATRIUMS*, MARUTIS*, MATSURI, MUSCARI*, RAMMIST* 54
TTT CUTSPERM Lovely with some melted butter. CRUMPETS
Rnd Selection Nish & Sarah Score Jon & Maisie Others Max.
6 ZREIDNEST dentist ☓/detest ☓
IDENTS/RESEND/NESTED
25 – 31 NERDIEST
DESIRE
INSERTED, RESIDENT, SINTERED*, TRENDIES, ZINESTER* 62
7 BASHEDNUT 25 – 41 SUNBATHED
(24 seconds)
72