Episode Cats157

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Episode Cats157, billed as 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown Series 25, Episode 5, was a special episode broadcast on 9 February 2024, as part of 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown Series 25.

The team captains were Roisin Conaty and Jon Richardson, their teammates were Joe Wilkinson and Asim Chaudhry respectively, while Jimmy Carr reprised his role as the presenter.

The match saw Jon Richardson, with the assistance of Asim Chaudhry, winning by 72 – 23 in a 7-rounder and they won a Countdown stylophone.

Rachel Riley was, as ever, the arithmetician. The Dictionary Corner guest was Lucy Pearman, and the lexicographer was Susie Dent.

Interesting and notable moments from the episode are listed below:

1) In Round 1, Jimmy gave a health and safety announcement that the Countdown troll had escaped and it subsequently walked onto the studio.

2) In Round 2, Joe and Jon tried taking it in turns to give the solution. Joe did not actually get the same solution as Jon, but was awarded seven points anyway.

3) During Round 3, "Jimmy" was cracking "Jon's" back in the centre of the studio, but at the end of the round, Jimmy and Jon walked onto the studio to recreate the position of the uncredited stunt performers. Also in this round, Asim claimed he saw AREOLAR before it was mentioned, so was given the points.

4) In Round 4, Jon was not asked to show he had the same method as Joe.

5) Round 5 was dubbed a "lightning round". Only Roisin 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 (Joe was also wearing a pad even though he did not play this round). 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 everyone. Thus, the maximum was worth 16 points in this case.

6) In Round 6, Jimmy performed some magic spells in which he turned Rachel into a lamp, a tree, and the troll from Round 1 (which was wearing her dress), before changing her back to normal.

7) At the end of the conundrum, Jimmy gave a clue "who spins things into gold?", which was technically cheating, but Asim got it and was given the points.

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

Rounds

Rnd	Selection	Joe & Roisin	Score	Jon & Asim	Others	Max.
1	AESWDPSUO	swape ☓ SOUPED	6 – 6	PAUSED dead ☓	PSEUDOS, SPOUSED*	7
2	50 75 5 5 6 1 → 528	527 530 75 × (6 + 1) + 50 ÷ 5 ÷ 5 **	13 – 13	527 — 75 × (6 + 1) + 50 ÷ 5 ÷ 5		14
TTT	WILLYFLU	I got it deliberately.			WILFULLY
Rnd	Selection	Roisin Conaty	Score	Asim Chaudhry	Others	Max.
3	AOREAHLER	HEALER	13 – 20	lahore ☓ / AREOLAR	AREOLAE, EARHOLE*	21
Rnd	Selection	Joe Wilkinson	Score	Jon Richardson	Others	Max.
4	100 4 4 3 1 10 → 191	191 10 × (4 × 4 + 3) + 1	23 – 30	191 10 × (4 × 4 + 3) + 1 **		31
TTT	TUNALIPS	You may now kiss the bride.			NUPTIALS
Rnd	Selection	Roisin Conaty	Score	Jon Richardson	Others	Max.
5	SNOUEGDIP	opening ☓	23 – 44	DOUSING	DEPOSING, POUNDIES*, UNPOISED*	47
TTT	TRYLUBES	It's windy down there.			BLUSTERY
Rnd	Selection	Joe & Roisin	Score	Jon & Asim	Others	Max.
6	HTCLCEAOO	CLOTH cloot ☓	23 – 62	CHOCOLATE CLOT		65
7	CALMSHITE	christmas ☓ rumpelstiltskin ☓ (26.5, 29.5 seconds)	23 – 72	ALCHEMIST (29.5 seconds)		75