Episode Cats107

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Episode Cats107, billed as 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown Series 17, Episode 2 was a special episode broadcast on 18 January 2019, as part of 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown Series 17.

Regulars Sean Lock and Jon Richardson were the contestants, along with Claudia Winkleman and Henning Wehn who were their teammates respectively, while Jimmy Carr reprised his role as the host.

The match saw Sean Lock, with the assistance of Claudia Winkleman, winning by 35 – 27 in a 7-rounder and they won a Countdown silent disco which was a built-in radio in a luggage complimentary with a pair of headphones.

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

Just before Round 5, both Sean and Jon took part in "Carrot in a Box" which simply involved picking the box out of two of them which contained a carrot. Sean could also open his box initially and try to bluff or convince Jon to swap the boxes. Ultimately, Jon decided not to swap and it was revealed he had the empty box all along. Thus, Sean won and five points were awarded to his team.

Interesting and notable moments from the episode are listed below:

1) During the Introduction, Claudia's mascot were two kittens, to which one of them licked the built-in screen where Jon's team was. He then proceeded to make a dark joke saying if he could kill it "many thousands of birds will live". Later on, Rachel "brought" her skiing gear which was actually a Viking horn and bears and after she wore them, Sean proceeded to respond "that's a challenging wank", causing the studio and her to laugh uncontrollably.

2) During the 30 seconds in Round 1, both Jimmy and Rachel rode electronic horses from the right side of the studio to a finish line close to where Susie was. Rachel won in part due to Jimmy being obstructed by the large circle in the centre of the studio, and as a reward she got a trophy. In the same round, although Claudia had MODERNS as well which was valid, as she did not declare that it is not stated below.

3) In Round 3, Rachel alternated between consonants and vowels on the letters board even though Henning asked for five consonants and four vowels, thus the order should have been TRTSWEIOE. Also, during the 30 seconds, Jimmy and Jon played "Twister" in the centre of the studio and ended with Jon collapsing onto Jimmy. Ironically, TWISTER was in the selection and was shown after the declarations were given.

4) In Round 4, Claudia asked Rachel for help as the latter was on Strictly Come Dancing before. As a result, Susie presented the solution on behalf of Rachel. It was later found out that while Rachel only gave the start, Claudia managed to finish off the rest by herself. Thus, even though this is considered cheating, points were still awarded to her team.

5) During the Bonus Round, a flashback to when both Sean and Jon last played this game on 8 Out of 10 Cats during the 2015 Christmas Special was shown, albeit in that case, Jon chose to swap and lost, causing him to walk off the set in dismay.

6) During the 30 seconds in Round 6, Jimmy "teleported" Fabio, the show's permanent male model to Egypt and then the North Pole before back to the studio in his "Magic Box".

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

Rounds

Rnd	Selection	Claudia & Sean	Score	Jon & Henning	Others	Max.
1	VONRMEODS	moovers ☓/MOONERS mooders ☓	7 – 7	VENDORS MORONS	MORENDOS*	8
2	2 5 4 7 3 6 → 576	— —	7 – 7	590 —	RR: 576 = (5 + 7) × 6 × 4 × 2	18
TTT	LESSLIMP	Susie won't be happy.			MISSPELL
Rnd	Selection	Sean Lock	Score	Henning Wehn	Others	Max.
3	TERITOSEW	WRITES	13 – 13	SITTER	ROWEITES*, SWOTTIER	26
Rnd	Selection	Claudia Winkleman	Score	Jon Richardson	Others	Max.
4	25 100 3 10 6 8 → 465	465 (8 − 3) × 100 − 10 − 25	23 – 13	455		36
TTT	GENTSEMI	Let's book a room.			MEETINGS
Rnd	Selection	Claudia & Sean	Score	Jon & Henning	Others	Max.
5	PALURECPR	cupper ☓ RAPPER	28 – 20	CLAPPER UP	CRAPPER, CRUPPER*	48
TTT	ITCHMESS	You're going to want some cream for that.			CHEMISTS
6	DNRGOIUWA	ADORING AGROUND	35 – 27	DRAWING GROUND	ROADING*, WARDING*, WOADING*, WORDING*	55
7	AUNTGROAN		35 – 27		ORANGUTAN	65