Difference between revisions of "Daniel Face"

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'''Daniel Face''' was a [[contestant]] in [[Series 93]]. He was a senior reporter specialising in digital news from Wokingham, Berkshire, and is also an [[Apterous|Apterite]]. He notably earned a 1st Class Honours degree in English from {{w|University College London}} in 2022.  
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{{octostats|Quarter-finalist|4|854|5}}
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[[File:Daniel Face.png|thumb|200px|right|Daniel Face in Series 93.]]
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'''Daniel Face''' was an [[octochamp]] and quarter-finalist in [[Series 93]]. He was a senior reporter specialising in digital news from Wokingham, Berkshire and is also an [[Apterous|Apterite]].  
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====Heat games====
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Daniel unseated Sean Haughey on his debut, winning by 35 points and then followed this with seven further victories which included five [[centuries]] among them. Of particular note that while he fell behind in the opening round of his fifth game, he clawed his way back by winning seven of the rounds after that to escape a crucial [[conundrum]]. He found excellent form in his sixth game by maxing eleven rounds, and spotted his first [[nine-letter word]] of {{word|DETONATES}} during his [[Episode 8688|seventh game]].
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He wrapped up with a personal best of 123 in his eighth victory; despite being only nine points ahead after Round 6, he maxed the remaining nine rounds of which one of them was his second nine-letter word of {{word|IRRIGATED}}. This made him the second octochamp in the first sixteen episodes of Series 93, and he was also the first non-[[returning contestants|returning contestant]] since [[Rob Barkess]] in August 2024 to average '''over''' 100 points across eight heat games.
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===Finals===
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Just under five months later and as part of a very strong [[series]], he returned as the fourth seed to play Ian Kinsella for a very evenly matched affair. Daniel broke first when he cracked the first [[numbers round]] although Kinsella was closer in the next one and later, both of them pulled out an excellent nine-letter-word spot of {{word|ESTUARINE}}. The critical moment came just after [[Origins of Words]] where Daniel took an unfortunate punt on {{word|{{x}} optioners}}, while Kinsella had {{word|TROOPIES}} to take a five-point lead. This was preserved until the crucial conundrum of {{word|DAVESCENE}} which neither of them unscrambled to {{word|EVANESCED}}. Despite scoring a sixth century and maxing ten rounds, Daniel was therefore knocked out of Series 93 with a grand total of 956 points from his nine appearances.
  
 
==Episodes==
 
==Episodes==
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{{ep | 8684 | 19/01/2026 | P |Daniel Face|114 – 40|[[Maggie O'Brien]]|[[Jo Good]]|Susie Dent|139}}
 
{{ep | 8684 | 19/01/2026 | P |Daniel Face|114 – 40|[[Maggie O'Brien]]|[[Jo Good]]|Susie Dent|139}}
 
{{ep | 8685 | 20/01/2026 | P |Daniel Face|95 – 56|[[Jamie Gray]]|Jo Good|Susie Dent|120}}
 
{{ep | 8685 | 20/01/2026 | P |Daniel Face|95 – 56|[[Jamie Gray]]|Jo Good|Susie Dent|120}}
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{{ep | 8686 | 21/01/2026 | P |Daniel Face|90 – 63|[[Stuart Tarrant]]|Jo Good|Susie Dent|132}}
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{{ep | 8687 | 22/01/2026 | P |Daniel Face|118 – 48|[[Chris Scragg]]|Jo Good|Susie Dent|124}}
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{{ep | 8688 | 23/01/2026 | P |Daniel Face|111 – 76|[[Steve Barry (Series 93)|Steve Barry]]|Jo Good|Susie Dent|143}}
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{{ep | 8689 | 26/01/2026 | P |Daniel Face|123 – 49|[[Shane Sivagnanam]]|[[Tom Read Wilson]]|Susie Dent|141}}
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{{ep | 8795 | 23/06/2026 | QF |Daniel Face|102 – 107|[[Ian Kinsella]]|[[Oti Mabuse]]|Susie Dent|132}}
 
{{episode table end}}
 
{{episode table end}}
  
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[[Category:Contestants in Series 93]]
 
[[Category:Contestants in Series 93]]
 
[[Category:Teapot owners]]
 
[[Category:Teapot owners]]
[[Category:Unbeaten contestants]]
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[[Category:Octochamps of the 15 round era]]
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[[Category:Finalists]]

Latest revision as of 18:13, 23 June 2026

Daniel Face
octochamp statistics
Final position Quarter-finalist
Seeding 4
Points total 854
Conundrums solved 5
Daniel Face in Series 93.

Daniel Face was an octochamp and quarter-finalist in Series 93. He was a senior reporter specialising in digital news from Wokingham, Berkshire and is also an Apterite.

Heat games

Daniel unseated Sean Haughey on his debut, winning by 35 points and then followed this with seven further victories which included five centuries among them. Of particular note that while he fell behind in the opening round of his fifth game, he clawed his way back by winning seven of the rounds after that to escape a crucial conundrum. He found excellent form in his sixth game by maxing eleven rounds, and spotted his first nine-letter word of DETONATES during his seventh game.

He wrapped up with a personal best of 123 in his eighth victory; despite being only nine points ahead after Round 6, he maxed the remaining nine rounds of which one of them was his second nine-letter word of IRRIGATED. This made him the second octochamp in the first sixteen episodes of Series 93, and he was also the first non-returning contestant since Rob Barkess in August 2024 to average over 100 points across eight heat games.

Finals

Just under five months later and as part of a very strong series, he returned as the fourth seed to play Ian Kinsella for a very evenly matched affair. Daniel broke first when he cracked the first numbers round although Kinsella was closer in the next one and later, both of them pulled out an excellent nine-letter-word spot of ESTUARINE. The critical moment came just after Origins of Words where Daniel took an unfortunate punt on ☓ optioners, while Kinsella had TROOPIES to take a five-point lead. This was preserved until the crucial conundrum of DAVESCENE which neither of them unscrambled to EVANESCED. Despite scoring a sixth century and maxing ten rounds, Daniel was therefore knocked out of Series 93 with a grand total of 956 points from his nine appearances.

Episodes

# Date Type Contestant 1 Score Contestant 2 Presenters Guest Lex Max
8682 15/01/2026 P Sean Haughey 58 – 93 Daniel Face Colin Murray Rachel Riley Mark Durden-Smith Susie Dent 120
8683 16/01/2026 P Daniel Face 110 – 62 David Jackson Colin Murray Rachel Riley Mark Durden-Smith Susie Dent 130
8684 19/01/2026 P Daniel Face 114 – 40 Maggie O'Brien Colin Murray Rachel Riley Jo Good Susie Dent 139
8685 20/01/2026 P Daniel Face 95 – 56 Jamie Gray Colin Murray Rachel Riley Jo Good Susie Dent 120
8686 21/01/2026 P Daniel Face 90 – 63 Stuart Tarrant Colin Murray Rachel Riley Jo Good Susie Dent 132
8687 22/01/2026 P Daniel Face 118 – 48 Chris Scragg Colin Murray Rachel Riley Jo Good Susie Dent 124
8688 23/01/2026 P Daniel Face 111 – 76 Steve Barry Colin Murray Rachel Riley Jo Good Susie Dent 143
8689 26/01/2026 P Daniel Face 123 – 49 Shane Sivagnanam Colin Murray Rachel Riley Tom Read Wilson Susie Dent 141
8795 23/06/2026 QF Daniel Face 102 – 107 Ian Kinsella Colin Murray Rachel Riley Oti Mabuse Susie Dent 132