Rounds: Here.
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I
did not recall any of it I cannot rule out memory being a factor.
It's the important fourth night for Hugh Davidson, and Richard asks about technique. Specifically, he comments that Hugh's selections have led to some of the most spectacular number play that he thinks has been had on the show (I'm not sure about that, but it has certainly led to some challenging targets), and enquires what Hugh's strategy is. Hugh demurs, saying that 'strategy' is probably the wrong word for it, and that he has been pretty reckless. Also, he is likely to continue being so.
Tonight's challenger is Dave Gray, but not the one that I thought of when I heard the name. This Dave Gray is the head gardener at the historic Vaucluse House in Sydney, and has been for twenty-two years. He adds that he is actually the head gardener for the Historic Houses Trust (they changed their name to Sydney Living Museums in 2013), so he looks after a number of gardeners associated with historic properties throughout Sydney, and even one down in Nowra called Meroogal.
Dave agrees with Richard's next statement that the beautiful gardens are certainly an important part of the historic houses, because they reflect the period of which the house is set. For instance, at Vaucluse House they are trying to encapsulate the 19th century in the garden there.
Richard reminds us that one of Dave's colleagues from Vaucluse House was on the show a while back; that was Susan Bee, back in episode 132.
Dave took the early lead with a good word, but Hugh rallied in the second round to reduce the deficit to a single point. Hugh's usual choice of six small numbers stumped everyone, including Lily, who very unusually had nothing to say. The points were shared in the next round, then Dave chanced an invalid word in round five; that allowed Hugh to take the lead. Dave took it right back again with the numbers, and when he solved the final numbers round also he was safe going into the conundrum. Dave did very well to solve that conundrum quickly, and finished a comfortable winner, 51 to 26.
Showing posts with label Full Monty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Full Monty. Show all posts
Wednesday, 30 November 2016
Wednesday, 5 October 2016
Ep 192: Kylie Thompson, James Couti (October 4, 2016; originally aired April 26, 2011)
Rounds: Here.
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I did not recall any of it I cannot rule out memory being a factor.
It's the third night for Kylie Thompson, and we find out that she is very much into jewellery making and beading. She likes to get creative when she has some spare time, and make pieces for herself or friends and family. Kylie's mother is also very much into those two activities also, and they've often talked about how they'd love to open a bead cafe where they could have a coffee and teach people how to bead.
Tonight's challenger is James Couti, a paramedic student. That was a change of direction for James; he started out in architecture, since all through years 10, 11, 12 that was what he wanted to do. But then he got involved in lifesaving and decided that he wanted to move into emergency health; thus the paramedic study. James' eventual aim is to get into the air ambulance, but he says that is a long way off.
The game started off quietly enough, with fives and sixes in a couple of shared rounds. James struck first blood with the numbers, solving a target that flummoxed Kylie. Another shared round followed, then he extended his lead to sixteen points when Kylie erred in round five. Kylie pulled back some ground in the next numbers round, and went into the second break a tantalising eleven points behind.
After the break, James handled a fertile mix better to pull away once more, and then chose a difficult numbers mix. Kylie needed to solve it exactly in order to stay in contention, but the target was unreachable and that meant victory for James. Neither could solve the conundrum -- both buzzed in with invalid answers -- and James finished the winner by eleven points, 40 to 29.
I had an excellent game tonight; optimal, even. That included one round where I managed to find a better option than David, so I have finally gained that elusive solo victory -- only the second time that I have done so this series. Not only that, but there were two full monties on offer today so I also (I think) registered my personal high score. All in all, a very enjoyable game for me.
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I did not recall any of it I cannot rule out memory being a factor.
It's the third night for Kylie Thompson, and we find out that she is very much into jewellery making and beading. She likes to get creative when she has some spare time, and make pieces for herself or friends and family. Kylie's mother is also very much into those two activities also, and they've often talked about how they'd love to open a bead cafe where they could have a coffee and teach people how to bead.
Tonight's challenger is James Couti, a paramedic student. That was a change of direction for James; he started out in architecture, since all through years 10, 11, 12 that was what he wanted to do. But then he got involved in lifesaving and decided that he wanted to move into emergency health; thus the paramedic study. James' eventual aim is to get into the air ambulance, but he says that is a long way off.
The game started off quietly enough, with fives and sixes in a couple of shared rounds. James struck first blood with the numbers, solving a target that flummoxed Kylie. Another shared round followed, then he extended his lead to sixteen points when Kylie erred in round five. Kylie pulled back some ground in the next numbers round, and went into the second break a tantalising eleven points behind.
After the break, James handled a fertile mix better to pull away once more, and then chose a difficult numbers mix. Kylie needed to solve it exactly in order to stay in contention, but the target was unreachable and that meant victory for James. Neither could solve the conundrum -- both buzzed in with invalid answers -- and James finished the winner by eleven points, 40 to 29.
I had an excellent game tonight; optimal, even. That included one round where I managed to find a better option than David, so I have finally gained that elusive solo victory -- only the second time that I have done so this series. Not only that, but there were two full monties on offer today so I also (I think) registered my personal high score. All in all, a very enjoyable game for me.
Saturday, 1 October 2016
Ep 187: Tony Loui, Mark Povey (September 27, 2016; originally aired April 19, 2011)
Rounds: Here.
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I did not recall any of it I cannot rule out memory being a factor.
It's Tony Loui's fifth night, and Richard wheels out the question about strategy. Tony manages to give more of an answer than most contestants do, which is a nice change. With the letters, he tries to make the longest he can from the first five or six letters so that he has a four- or five-letter word, then builds from that. For the numbers, he tries to make it simple by using the biggest number first and get the closest that he can, and then adjust. That's certainly an approach that I advocate, and it works quite often.
Tonight's challenger is Mark Povey, a storeman who served in the Royal Australian Navy for twenty-one years. Richard asks about highlights of Mark's career in the navy; Mark does not get very specific, but does mention that he was on the ground for six months doing services with the United Nations in Mogadishu. Aside from that, just a lot of time spent away from home, and that is when his fondness for crosswords, particularly David's cryptics, blossomed. He has yet to finish one, but hopes to do so one day.
Things started out poorly for Tony, as he duplicated a letter in the first letters round. Mark capitalised on that swing by finding a good word in the second round, building a 13 point lead after just two rounds. But Tony rallied in the numbers, scoring points to narrow the gap to six. A shared round followed in the letters, then Tony levelled the scores in round five. The second numbers round was too difficult for both contestants, so they were tied going into the second break.
It looked like we were heading for a nailbiter of a finish, but Tony blew the game wide open by finding a full monty in the last letters game. Mark was still in with a chance, but the numbers were not cooperative for him and instead Tony extended his lead. The conundrum also turned out to be too hard for the contestants, so it was round seven that decided it all. Tony won by 49 points to 21, a winning margin that does not reflect most of the game.
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I did not recall any of it I cannot rule out memory being a factor.
It's Tony Loui's fifth night, and Richard wheels out the question about strategy. Tony manages to give more of an answer than most contestants do, which is a nice change. With the letters, he tries to make the longest he can from the first five or six letters so that he has a four- or five-letter word, then builds from that. For the numbers, he tries to make it simple by using the biggest number first and get the closest that he can, and then adjust. That's certainly an approach that I advocate, and it works quite often.
Tonight's challenger is Mark Povey, a storeman who served in the Royal Australian Navy for twenty-one years. Richard asks about highlights of Mark's career in the navy; Mark does not get very specific, but does mention that he was on the ground for six months doing services with the United Nations in Mogadishu. Aside from that, just a lot of time spent away from home, and that is when his fondness for crosswords, particularly David's cryptics, blossomed. He has yet to finish one, but hopes to do so one day.
Things started out poorly for Tony, as he duplicated a letter in the first letters round. Mark capitalised on that swing by finding a good word in the second round, building a 13 point lead after just two rounds. But Tony rallied in the numbers, scoring points to narrow the gap to six. A shared round followed in the letters, then Tony levelled the scores in round five. The second numbers round was too difficult for both contestants, so they were tied going into the second break.
It looked like we were heading for a nailbiter of a finish, but Tony blew the game wide open by finding a full monty in the last letters game. Mark was still in with a chance, but the numbers were not cooperative for him and instead Tony extended his lead. The conundrum also turned out to be too hard for the contestants, so it was round seven that decided it all. Tony won by 49 points to 21, a winning margin that does not reflect most of the game.
Tuesday, 27 September 2016
Ep 184: Tony Loui, Alison Crowe (September 22, 2016; originally aired April 14, 2011)
Rounds: Here.
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I did not recall any of it I cannot rule out memory being a factor.
Tony Loui gets his turn in the champion's seat tonight, and we find out that he took a year off from being a doctor and instead worked as a flight attendant (travelling overseas); he adds that he loves travelling. Richard asks how Tony found the experience, and Tony agrees with Richard's remark that it was a huge change. Coping with the effects of flying can be difficult, and it was hard work, but he found it to be thoroughly enjoyable.
Tonight's challenger is Alison Crowe, a physical education student and competitive rower. In fact, Alison has twice represented Australia in rowing -- she has been in two under-23 teams. That involved racing overseas, in Germany and the Czech Republic (some details can be found here). She lists that as probably one of the greatest things she has done so far.
It was a dominant performance from Tony tonight: He started off by finding a full monty, and followed up with an eight-letter word to sprint out to a huge early lead. He continued to score well with the letters, and the numbers offered little scope for Alison to regain the lost ground. Tony was a certain victor going into the second break. He rounded off an excellent game by solving the conundrum quickly, posting a final winning score of 83 to 33.
I was having an even better game than Tony, as it turns out, but then the SBS website became uncooperative, refusing to advance past the end of round five. I had to give up on it and come back a day or so later; that interruption, I believe, was responsible for my poor performance in round six as I came back to it cold (as it were). A shame, as I felt in really good form at the time.
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I did not recall any of it I cannot rule out memory being a factor.
Tony Loui gets his turn in the champion's seat tonight, and we find out that he took a year off from being a doctor and instead worked as a flight attendant (travelling overseas); he adds that he loves travelling. Richard asks how Tony found the experience, and Tony agrees with Richard's remark that it was a huge change. Coping with the effects of flying can be difficult, and it was hard work, but he found it to be thoroughly enjoyable.
Tonight's challenger is Alison Crowe, a physical education student and competitive rower. In fact, Alison has twice represented Australia in rowing -- she has been in two under-23 teams. That involved racing overseas, in Germany and the Czech Republic (some details can be found here). She lists that as probably one of the greatest things she has done so far.
It was a dominant performance from Tony tonight: He started off by finding a full monty, and followed up with an eight-letter word to sprint out to a huge early lead. He continued to score well with the letters, and the numbers offered little scope for Alison to regain the lost ground. Tony was a certain victor going into the second break. He rounded off an excellent game by solving the conundrum quickly, posting a final winning score of 83 to 33.
I was having an even better game than Tony, as it turns out, but then the SBS website became uncooperative, refusing to advance past the end of round five. I had to give up on it and come back a day or so later; that interruption, I believe, was responsible for my poor performance in round six as I came back to it cold (as it were). A shame, as I felt in really good form at the time.
Wednesday, 21 September 2016
Ep 182: Tom Fooks, Helen Hewitt (September 20, 2016; originally aired April 12, 2011)
Rounds: Here.
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I did not recall any of it I cannot rule out memory being a factor.
Tom Fooks is back in the champion's seat tonight, but this time he has a win under his belt. We find out that Tom rides a motorbike -- he loves the feeling of being on it -- and his favourite place to ride is down the Great Ocean Road.
Tonight's challenger is Helen Hewitt, a primary school teacher and netball umpire. Helen has been an umpire for some time: She started off playing netball, then after she got older and had a few injuries she still wanted to be involved so she switched to umpiring. Helen supervises over at Netball Victoria.
Helen fell victim to a phantom letter in the first round, allowing Tom to take an early lead. A couple of shared rounds followed; then a good find from Helen put her ahead by a single point. The fifth round was also shared, but then Helen faltered in the second numbers round, missing a relatively easy solution and catapulting Tom back into the lead. He found an excellent word in round seven to push further ahead, but then he blanked on the last numbers round. That gave Helen a chance, but she was unable to capitalise on the opportunity; she entered the conundrum behind by eleven points. Tom solved it quickly in any case, finishing the winner with 55 points to 34.
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I did not recall any of it I cannot rule out memory being a factor.
Tom Fooks is back in the champion's seat tonight, but this time he has a win under his belt. We find out that Tom rides a motorbike -- he loves the feeling of being on it -- and his favourite place to ride is down the Great Ocean Road.
Tonight's challenger is Helen Hewitt, a primary school teacher and netball umpire. Helen has been an umpire for some time: She started off playing netball, then after she got older and had a few injuries she still wanted to be involved so she switched to umpiring. Helen supervises over at Netball Victoria.
Helen fell victim to a phantom letter in the first round, allowing Tom to take an early lead. A couple of shared rounds followed; then a good find from Helen put her ahead by a single point. The fifth round was also shared, but then Helen faltered in the second numbers round, missing a relatively easy solution and catapulting Tom back into the lead. He found an excellent word in round seven to push further ahead, but then he blanked on the last numbers round. That gave Helen a chance, but she was unable to capitalise on the opportunity; she entered the conundrum behind by eleven points. Tom solved it quickly in any case, finishing the winner with 55 points to 34.
Tuesday, 20 September 2016
Ep 181: Tom Fooks, Phillip Gao (September 19, 2016; originally aired April 11, 2011)
Rounds: Here.
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I did not recall any of it I cannot rule out memory being a factor.
We have two new contestants tonight, after Victor Tung's successful retirement in the previous episode. That's somewhat good for me, given that I'm kind of starting anew after a gap. First up, taking the champion's seat is Tom Fooks, a law student. Richard notes that Tom is still at the study stage of the process, but asks what areas of law interest Tom the most. Tom responds that he first got into studying law through working as a judge's associate last year, in the area of industrial relations, and that is something that he is really keen to get back into. He takes the rosy view that it is helping employers and employees work together for the best possible outcomes.
Taking the challenger's seat is Phillip Gao, an accounting and finance student who is also a part-time auditor. Richard informs us that Phillip does voluntary work with youth, and Phillip expands on that -- he is a volunteer with Wesley Mission Victoria, in their Kids Under Kanvas program. (I sigh at the gratuitous misspelling in the program's name.) That involves going on weekend outings with disabled children, to such places as Luna Park, the AFL sailing, and such. Phillip finds it a really rewarding program.
Tom took the early lead by finding a seven-pointer in the first round, and was never headed thereafter. Phillip really struggled on the words, never managing to find longer than five, and the only round where he managed to outpoint Tom was the second numbers round (where again he scored five points). Tom's better handling of the letters gave him a comfortable margin, and he was safe going into the conundrum. Neither contestant could solve it, so the game finished with Tom the victor, 46 to 27.
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I did not recall any of it I cannot rule out memory being a factor.
We have two new contestants tonight, after Victor Tung's successful retirement in the previous episode. That's somewhat good for me, given that I'm kind of starting anew after a gap. First up, taking the champion's seat is Tom Fooks, a law student. Richard notes that Tom is still at the study stage of the process, but asks what areas of law interest Tom the most. Tom responds that he first got into studying law through working as a judge's associate last year, in the area of industrial relations, and that is something that he is really keen to get back into. He takes the rosy view that it is helping employers and employees work together for the best possible outcomes.
Taking the challenger's seat is Phillip Gao, an accounting and finance student who is also a part-time auditor. Richard informs us that Phillip does voluntary work with youth, and Phillip expands on that -- he is a volunteer with Wesley Mission Victoria, in their Kids Under Kanvas program. (I sigh at the gratuitous misspelling in the program's name.) That involves going on weekend outings with disabled children, to such places as Luna Park, the AFL sailing, and such. Phillip finds it a really rewarding program.
Tom took the early lead by finding a seven-pointer in the first round, and was never headed thereafter. Phillip really struggled on the words, never managing to find longer than five, and the only round where he managed to outpoint Tom was the second numbers round (where again he scored five points). Tom's better handling of the letters gave him a comfortable margin, and he was safe going into the conundrum. Neither contestant could solve it, so the game finished with Tom the victor, 46 to 27.
Ep 172: Tamara McMahon, Alex Ford (September 6, 2016; originally aired March 29, 2011)
Rounds: Here.
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I did not recall any of it I cannot rule out memory being a factor.
Just the summary for now, as I'm still very behind.
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I did not recall any of it I cannot rule out memory being a factor.
Just the summary for now, as I'm still very behind.
Ep 171: Tamara McMahon, Cathy Henry (September 5, 2016; originally aired March 28, 2011)
Rounds: Here.
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I did not recall any of it I cannot rule out memory being a factor.
Just the summary for now, as I'm still very behind.
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I did not recall any of it I cannot rule out memory being a factor.
Just the summary for now, as I'm still very behind.
Monday, 19 September 2016
Ep 170: Tamara McMahon, Richard King (September 2, 2016; originally aired March 25, 2011)
Rounds: Here.
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I did not recall any of it I cannot rule out memory being a factor.
Just the summary for now, as I'm still very behind.
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I did not recall any of it I cannot rule out memory being a factor.
Just the summary for now, as I'm still very behind.
Ep 168: Tamara McMahon, Peter Kougi (August 31, 2016; originally aired March 23, 2011)
Rounds: Here.
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I did not recall any of it I cannot rule out memory being a factor.
Just the summary for now, as I'm still very behind.
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I did not recall any of it I cannot rule out memory being a factor.
Just the summary for now, as I'm still very behind.
Ep 167: Mel Cox, Tamara McMahon (August 30, 2016; originally aired March 22, 2011)
Rounds: Here.
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I did not recall any of it I cannot rule out memory being a factor.
Just the summary for now, as I'm still very behind.
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I did not recall any of it I cannot rule out memory being a factor.
Just the summary for now, as I'm still very behind.
Ep 166: Mel Cox, Had Thomas (August 29, 2016; originally aired March 21, 2011)
Rounds: Here.
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I did not recall any of it I cannot rule out memory being a factor.
Just the summary for now, as I'm still very behind.
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I did not recall any of it I cannot rule out memory being a factor.
Just the summary for now, as I'm still very behind.
Sunday, 4 September 2016
Ep 162: Rohan Long, Graham Smith (August 23, 2016; originally aired March 15, 2011)
Rounds: Here.
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I did not recall any of it I cannot rule out memory being a factor.
Just the summary for now, as I'm still very behind.
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I did not recall any of it I cannot rule out memory being a factor.
Just the summary for now, as I'm still very behind.
Sunday, 7 August 2016
Ep 149: Michael Bakker, Margaret Frangos (August 4, 2016; originally aired February 24, 2011)
Rounds: Here.
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I did not recall any of it I cannot rule out memory being a factor.
It's Michael Bakker's turn in the champion's seat, and Richard asks him about his business plans for the future. Michael says that there is a big competition run every year by the Pharmacy Guild (the governing body of pharmacy) to develop a business plan, and he and his friends have entered that. (I think this is the National Student Business Plan competition.) He believes that they have come up with some unique ideas that they hope will revolutionise rural pharmacy and services.
Tonight's challenger is Margaret Frangos, a head teacher who supports secondary students with online learning. Richard enquires about the main focus of her educational efforts; Margaret responds that for many years she was involved in mulicultural education, and in particular with secondary-aged, newly-arrived migrant and refugee students. Those students came and learnt English with her (and her colleagues) before they went into high school.
Margaret got the early lead thanks to an invalid word from Michael in round one, but he levelled the scores in round two. Two tied rounds followed, then Margaret found a longer word in round five to go ahead once more. Michael was unable to make progress on the second numbers round, and that gave Margaret a potentially-winning advantage. The next letters round was also shared, so the last numbers round was do-or-die for Michael. Unfortunately for him it was a little easy, and both contestants solved it. Neither could find the conundrum, and Margaret became the new champion with a 48 to 34 victory.
Disclaimer: I watched this episode when it first aired, and although I did not recall any of it I cannot rule out memory being a factor.
It's Michael Bakker's turn in the champion's seat, and Richard asks him about his business plans for the future. Michael says that there is a big competition run every year by the Pharmacy Guild (the governing body of pharmacy) to develop a business plan, and he and his friends have entered that. (I think this is the National Student Business Plan competition.) He believes that they have come up with some unique ideas that they hope will revolutionise rural pharmacy and services.
Tonight's challenger is Margaret Frangos, a head teacher who supports secondary students with online learning. Richard enquires about the main focus of her educational efforts; Margaret responds that for many years she was involved in mulicultural education, and in particular with secondary-aged, newly-arrived migrant and refugee students. Those students came and learnt English with her (and her colleagues) before they went into high school.
Margaret got the early lead thanks to an invalid word from Michael in round one, but he levelled the scores in round two. Two tied rounds followed, then Margaret found a longer word in round five to go ahead once more. Michael was unable to make progress on the second numbers round, and that gave Margaret a potentially-winning advantage. The next letters round was also shared, so the last numbers round was do-or-die for Michael. Unfortunately for him it was a little easy, and both contestants solved it. Neither could find the conundrum, and Margaret became the new champion with a 48 to 34 victory.
Monday, 1 August 2016
Ep 144: Kannan Sethuraman, Mali Konda (July 28, 2016; originally aired February 17, 2011)
Rounds: Here.
It's the third night for Kannan Sethuraman, and Richard turns the topic to Kannan's academic journey. Kannan relates that he finished his MBA in India, then went to Wharton for his PhD; that is part of the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia. After finishing his PhD in operations management, Kannan worked in Michigan for around six years, returned briefly to India, then joined the Melbourne Business School in 2001.
Tonight's challenger is Mali Konda, a senior analyst in the banking sector. Richard slightly obliquely says that Mali has skills in working with blind people, and leads her to describe how that came about. Mali was waiting for the bus one day, and a blind student asked her what she was studying. After she answered (we never find out what it was), he asked if she would be able to help him read his books. Mali was willing, and after a while all the blind students ended up joining in, and her whole family got involved in helping the blind. Mali has since learned braille.
The contestants started out with a tied first round, then Kannan took a modest lead in round two. The first numbers round was too hard for both of them, but thereafter it was all Kannan. He picked up twenty points in the middle third of the game, and Mali needed to find a full monty in the last letters round to have a chance. She could not, and that was game to Kannan. He moved further ahead in the last numbers round; neither contestant could solve the conundrum, so Kannan got his third win, 45 to 13.
It's the third night for Kannan Sethuraman, and Richard turns the topic to Kannan's academic journey. Kannan relates that he finished his MBA in India, then went to Wharton for his PhD; that is part of the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia. After finishing his PhD in operations management, Kannan worked in Michigan for around six years, returned briefly to India, then joined the Melbourne Business School in 2001.
Tonight's challenger is Mali Konda, a senior analyst in the banking sector. Richard slightly obliquely says that Mali has skills in working with blind people, and leads her to describe how that came about. Mali was waiting for the bus one day, and a blind student asked her what she was studying. After she answered (we never find out what it was), he asked if she would be able to help him read his books. Mali was willing, and after a while all the blind students ended up joining in, and her whole family got involved in helping the blind. Mali has since learned braille.
The contestants started out with a tied first round, then Kannan took a modest lead in round two. The first numbers round was too hard for both of them, but thereafter it was all Kannan. He picked up twenty points in the middle third of the game, and Mali needed to find a full monty in the last letters round to have a chance. She could not, and that was game to Kannan. He moved further ahead in the last numbers round; neither contestant could solve the conundrum, so Kannan got his third win, 45 to 13.
Ep 143: Kannan Sethuraman, Cameron Ling (July 27, 2016; originally aired February 16, 2011)
Rounds: Here.
Kannan Sethuraman gets his turn in the champion's seat, and the topic turns again to his son -- Richard asks whether Kannan compared his results with Anand after the previous game. Kannan says that he did, and they both did well.
Tonight's challenger is Cameron Ling, a budding novelist who teaches English as a second language. Cameron teaches in a school for new migrant children, so it is kids that have just arrived in Australia; the school tries to get them ready for mainstream schooling here.
Kanna found a good word in round one to take the early lead, then the next four rounds were shared. Round six proved to be significant, with Cameron's invalid answer giving points to Kannan again, and the final numbers round also went Kannan's way. That gave him a winning lead going into the conundrum; neither could solve it, so Kannan won 53 to 32.
Kannan Sethuraman gets his turn in the champion's seat, and the topic turns again to his son -- Richard asks whether Kannan compared his results with Anand after the previous game. Kannan says that he did, and they both did well.
Tonight's challenger is Cameron Ling, a budding novelist who teaches English as a second language. Cameron teaches in a school for new migrant children, so it is kids that have just arrived in Australia; the school tries to get them ready for mainstream schooling here.
Kanna found a good word in round one to take the early lead, then the next four rounds were shared. Round six proved to be significant, with Cameron's invalid answer giving points to Kannan again, and the final numbers round also went Kannan's way. That gave him a winning lead going into the conundrum; neither could solve it, so Kannan won 53 to 32.
Wednesday, 27 July 2016
Ep 139: Samuel Hastings, Colwyn Buckland (July 12, 2016; originally aired February 10, 2011)
Rounds: Here.
Samuel Hastings is back for his third night. The pre-game chat is essentially just that Samuel has a lot of hobbies, and a lot of unfinished projects as a result.
Tonight's challenger is Colwyn Buckland, who works for a national stationery supply company, and also has a love of the stage. That turns out to be as an actor -- Colwyn and a group of his friends are in an independent theatre company called the Theatre of Rats. Richard asks about the origins of that unusual name; Colwyn indicates that it is an inside joke from school, but also an acknowledgement that most of them don't have money, so are working from the ground up. They have had one performance at the Brisbane Festival, a group-devised piece called Papyrophobia in Yellow.
There was very little to choose between the contestants tonight -- they had equal-scoring answers in seven of the eight main rounds. The crucial break came in round six, when Samuel navigated the numbers better than Colwyn did, allowing him to take a seven point lead into the conundrum. Colwyn buzzed in first, but did not have the answer, and that was game to Samuel, 58 to 51.
Samuel Hastings is back for his third night. The pre-game chat is essentially just that Samuel has a lot of hobbies, and a lot of unfinished projects as a result.
Tonight's challenger is Colwyn Buckland, who works for a national stationery supply company, and also has a love of the stage. That turns out to be as an actor -- Colwyn and a group of his friends are in an independent theatre company called the Theatre of Rats. Richard asks about the origins of that unusual name; Colwyn indicates that it is an inside joke from school, but also an acknowledgement that most of them don't have money, so are working from the ground up. They have had one performance at the Brisbane Festival, a group-devised piece called Papyrophobia in Yellow.
There was very little to choose between the contestants tonight -- they had equal-scoring answers in seven of the eight main rounds. The crucial break came in round six, when Samuel navigated the numbers better than Colwyn did, allowing him to take a seven point lead into the conundrum. Colwyn buzzed in first, but did not have the answer, and that was game to Samuel, 58 to 51.
Monday, 25 July 2016
Ep 135: Felix Johnson, Nicky Henderson (June 28, 2016; originally aired February 4, 2011)
Rounds: Here.
Felix Johnson gets his turn in the champion's seat, after last night's close win over Anna Gunn. Richard returns to the topic of Felix's acting ambitions, and asks whether he has a preference for stage or film acting. Felix responds that he only really has experience with stage acting so far, but he aspires to do all types of acting.
Tonight's challenger is Nicky Henderson, who works for a travel company, and has explored (and worked in) South-East Asia. Richard enquires about the attraction of that region for her, and Nicky explains that it is a combination of the blend of cultures and the food, but also the variety -- all the regions are quite different from each other.
Both contestants found the same answer in the first round, then Felix found a nice word in the second to take the early lead. Nicky struck back in the next two rounds to overtake him, then Felix bounced back in round five to retake the lead by a slender margin. The next numbers round was too difficult for both contestants, and they matched each other in the last letters round. The final numbers round again proved beyond them, due to an arithmetic slip on Nicky's part, so Felix carried that round five lead all the way into the conundrum. Neither ended up able to solve it, so Felix just got home by three points in a low-scoring contest, 27 to 24.
This was not one of my best games, by a long shot. I failed to solve any of the numbers rounds within time, nor even get within one. I also missed a very findable full monty, which is always disappointing. Fortunately for me the contestants also struggled, so I was OK on that front, but I finished way behind David and Lily.
Felix Johnson gets his turn in the champion's seat, after last night's close win over Anna Gunn. Richard returns to the topic of Felix's acting ambitions, and asks whether he has a preference for stage or film acting. Felix responds that he only really has experience with stage acting so far, but he aspires to do all types of acting.
Tonight's challenger is Nicky Henderson, who works for a travel company, and has explored (and worked in) South-East Asia. Richard enquires about the attraction of that region for her, and Nicky explains that it is a combination of the blend of cultures and the food, but also the variety -- all the regions are quite different from each other.
Both contestants found the same answer in the first round, then Felix found a nice word in the second to take the early lead. Nicky struck back in the next two rounds to overtake him, then Felix bounced back in round five to retake the lead by a slender margin. The next numbers round was too difficult for both contestants, and they matched each other in the last letters round. The final numbers round again proved beyond them, due to an arithmetic slip on Nicky's part, so Felix carried that round five lead all the way into the conundrum. Neither ended up able to solve it, so Felix just got home by three points in a low-scoring contest, 27 to 24.
This was not one of my best games, by a long shot. I failed to solve any of the numbers rounds within time, nor even get within one. I also missed a very findable full monty, which is always disappointing. Fortunately for me the contestants also struggled, so I was OK on that front, but I finished way behind David and Lily.
Tuesday, 5 July 2016
Ep 134: Anna Gunn, Felix Johnson (June 27, 2016; originally aired February 3, 2011)
Rounds: Here.
We have two new contestants tonight, after Barry Harridge successfully retired. Taking up the champion's position is Anna Gunn, a union organiser who is also studying a Bachelor of Law part-time. Richard asks what kind of challenges are involved in part-time study of the law; Anna responds that, despite her job title of "organiser", she is rather unorganised in her personal life, and you need organisation if you are studying by correspondence. And right at the end, when exams are on, she'll be up for a week straight trying to cram everything in that she hasn't been doing during the semester. I think it's safe to say that a good many students behave similarly.
Occupying the challenger's seat is Felix Johnson, a Media and Communications student who hopes to become an actor eventually. Richard notes that Felix has a start on that goal, since he is involved in student dramatics. Felix agrees, adding that he has been at university for three years now, and done three years worth of theatre as well; he has been heavily involved with the Melbourne University Shakespeare Company. Most recently, he was director of a performance of Much Ado About Nothing, which they did as a 1920's garden party.
(It looks like Felix has continued to work on that goal; he's done mostly theatre work since then, but has a few WAAPA short films in his portfolio, and recently had a minor part in the Foxtel drama Secret City. More details are here, for those interested.)
Later in the game, after the second break, Richard says that chatting during the break has revealed something that Anna and Felix have in common: They are both lifetime vegetarians. Anna grew up on a farm, but her parents were both vegetarian. They gave her and her brother a choice about what to eat, and Anna could not see herself eating any of the animals that she shared her space with, so she's always been vegetarian. Felix did eat steak recently for a journalism article for the university, but says that he would not be likely to do it again.
It was a close game throughout, tonight. The contestants started out with equal answers, then Felix got a small lead in the second round. The first numbers of the night saw both contestants equally far away from the target, a little strangely, then Felix stretched his lead to eleven points. Anna pegged him back over the next two rounds and took the lead from him, only for Felix to snatch it back on the last letters round. The final numbers round was too hard for the contestants, as was the conundrum, so Felix rode that slender lead to victory, 31 to 27.
I had a bit of a failure in the last (very tough) numbers round, but other than that only dropped a couple of points against David and Lily. A mostly good game for me.
We have two new contestants tonight, after Barry Harridge successfully retired. Taking up the champion's position is Anna Gunn, a union organiser who is also studying a Bachelor of Law part-time. Richard asks what kind of challenges are involved in part-time study of the law; Anna responds that, despite her job title of "organiser", she is rather unorganised in her personal life, and you need organisation if you are studying by correspondence. And right at the end, when exams are on, she'll be up for a week straight trying to cram everything in that she hasn't been doing during the semester. I think it's safe to say that a good many students behave similarly.
Occupying the challenger's seat is Felix Johnson, a Media and Communications student who hopes to become an actor eventually. Richard notes that Felix has a start on that goal, since he is involved in student dramatics. Felix agrees, adding that he has been at university for three years now, and done three years worth of theatre as well; he has been heavily involved with the Melbourne University Shakespeare Company. Most recently, he was director of a performance of Much Ado About Nothing, which they did as a 1920's garden party.
(It looks like Felix has continued to work on that goal; he's done mostly theatre work since then, but has a few WAAPA short films in his portfolio, and recently had a minor part in the Foxtel drama Secret City. More details are here, for those interested.)
Later in the game, after the second break, Richard says that chatting during the break has revealed something that Anna and Felix have in common: They are both lifetime vegetarians. Anna grew up on a farm, but her parents were both vegetarian. They gave her and her brother a choice about what to eat, and Anna could not see herself eating any of the animals that she shared her space with, so she's always been vegetarian. Felix did eat steak recently for a journalism article for the university, but says that he would not be likely to do it again.
It was a close game throughout, tonight. The contestants started out with equal answers, then Felix got a small lead in the second round. The first numbers of the night saw both contestants equally far away from the target, a little strangely, then Felix stretched his lead to eleven points. Anna pegged him back over the next two rounds and took the lead from him, only for Felix to snatch it back on the last letters round. The final numbers round was too hard for the contestants, as was the conundrum, so Felix rode that slender lead to victory, 31 to 27.
I had a bit of a failure in the last (very tough) numbers round, but other than that only dropped a couple of points against David and Lily. A mostly good game for me.
Saturday, 2 July 2016
Ep 132: Barry Harridge, Susan Bee (June 23, 2016; originally aired February 1, 2011)
Rounds: Here.
Barry Harridge has made it to the fifth night, and should make the finals even if he loses here. Of course, he'd rather win. Richard opens by noting that Barry has been exceptionally good with the words, and mentions that Barry has built up a resource that helps him in this regard. Barry explains that he has put together a "consogram list", where words are organised by putting their consonants first. (From later context, those consonants are then sorted and words with identical consonants are grouped together.) He gives an example with C, N, R, T, where he would mumble to himself "curtain, nectar, citrine..." and so forth. As a result, he called this list "a thesaurus of mumbles". (Incidentally, this kind of thing is why I think it's best to pick vowels first against Scrabble players -- taking the consonants early just gives them more time to recall the appropriate parts of such lists.)
Tonight's challenger is Susan Bee, a freelance writer who also works as a museum guide. Susan works in a house museum; she describes the house as a sort of eccentric Victorian Gothic mansion, set in beautiful grounds with a pleasure garden, vegetable garden, and paddocks. She sort of trails off after "paddocks", implying there is more to the grounds (as one would expect), but presumably those were the standout features.
Barry gets his usual very fast start, with two excellent eight-letter words. He followed it up by finding a good solution to the first numbers round, and was 26 points ahead going into the first break. The remaining letters rounds went a bit each way, with Barry rather surprisingly missing a full monty that Scrabble players would be expected to find, and both contestants were unable to score points in the numbers (Barry due to errors of calculation, while Susan was not able to get within range). The conundrum was likewise elusive, so those first three rounds made all the difference: Barry won in a surprisingly low-scoring game, 39 to 13.
Barry's start was too good for me, and I was sixteen points behind at the halfway mark. Fortunately I was able to capitalise on the full monty opportunity, and pick up some useful points in the numbers rounds as well to be safe going into the conundrum. I was pleased to solve it (particularly after yesterday's invalid answer), and get home with the win in what started off looking like a serious loss possibility.
Barry Harridge has made it to the fifth night, and should make the finals even if he loses here. Of course, he'd rather win. Richard opens by noting that Barry has been exceptionally good with the words, and mentions that Barry has built up a resource that helps him in this regard. Barry explains that he has put together a "consogram list", where words are organised by putting their consonants first. (From later context, those consonants are then sorted and words with identical consonants are grouped together.) He gives an example with C, N, R, T, where he would mumble to himself "curtain, nectar, citrine..." and so forth. As a result, he called this list "a thesaurus of mumbles". (Incidentally, this kind of thing is why I think it's best to pick vowels first against Scrabble players -- taking the consonants early just gives them more time to recall the appropriate parts of such lists.)
Tonight's challenger is Susan Bee, a freelance writer who also works as a museum guide. Susan works in a house museum; she describes the house as a sort of eccentric Victorian Gothic mansion, set in beautiful grounds with a pleasure garden, vegetable garden, and paddocks. She sort of trails off after "paddocks", implying there is more to the grounds (as one would expect), but presumably those were the standout features.
Barry gets his usual very fast start, with two excellent eight-letter words. He followed it up by finding a good solution to the first numbers round, and was 26 points ahead going into the first break. The remaining letters rounds went a bit each way, with Barry rather surprisingly missing a full monty that Scrabble players would be expected to find, and both contestants were unable to score points in the numbers (Barry due to errors of calculation, while Susan was not able to get within range). The conundrum was likewise elusive, so those first three rounds made all the difference: Barry won in a surprisingly low-scoring game, 39 to 13.
Barry's start was too good for me, and I was sixteen points behind at the halfway mark. Fortunately I was able to capitalise on the full monty opportunity, and pick up some useful points in the numbers rounds as well to be safe going into the conundrum. I was pleased to solve it (particularly after yesterday's invalid answer), and get home with the win in what started off looking like a serious loss possibility.
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