Olav Bjortomt University Challenge quater-finalist and 15-1 finalist. Dazzlingly fast all-rounder. Likes a challenge.
GAME 9
Clive Spate
You name it, he's won it: Countdown, 15-to-1, The Weakest Link. A true maths and numbers supremo. One to watch.
24
0:00:000:47:06
33
Just click the stars (******) to reveal the answer to the questions
R01
- General Knowledge
Much anticipated clash this. Young vs Old. Young Olav vs Older Clive Spate. The favourite to win thanks to his domination of most other TV quiz shows.
Their faces share the same expression: serious, scrunched with concentration. No wonder. This is the clash of their lives.
It begins as it will continue - nothing in it. Neither contestant gets a question wrong the whole round - even when humdingers like these come sailing out of the dark:
What type of animal is a Suffolk punk? *****
Which city hosted the summer Olympics of both 1900 and 1924? ****
Kentish cobs are a variety of which nut? ***** ***
As the end approaches, they take their eyes off each other and just stare at the clock, as the milliseconds between them click down.
In a major psychological victory, Olav claims the round after a blistering 30 questions. Just 3.48 seconds however for him to take to the final. Clive looks unhappy. Olav is surprised.
R02 - Numbers
Blinding. Clive Spate is terrifying at numbers. He doesn't even pause. There's no time between the question and his answer. Even on questions like these:
How long is 2 hrs 9 minutes + 1 hour 59 mins? * *** * ***
What is 12% of 1400? ***
What is three quarters of 68? **
Olav is seriously on the ropes, blindsided by the introduction of the soon to be dreaded 'equation question'. Example: 'What does y equal in this equation: 27-2y=9? *. He looses over twenty seconds pondering. Clive snatches the lead and wins the round with a dominating 31.89 advantage.
R03 - Keyword
The new round, where questions are based around a single word. This week it's "brown". Is Olav beginning to unravel? A string of fluffs seems to suggest so. Clive meanwhile holds steady to clinch the round with 12:57 on the clock.
Some questions for you to try:
What nickname was given to landscape gardener Lancelot Brown? ********
What type of creature is a brown recluse? ******
Which London underground line is represented by the colour brown? *******
R04 - Contemporary Knowledge
Will this favour the younger man? He needs to claw something back. At first it seems that he can. Clive is struggling a little, passing on questions like: 'Who played Gandalf in the 2002 movie 'The Two Towers'? The answer of course: *** *** ***** .
Olav storms ahead. But when he gets questions like 'Which former cabinet minister is the MP for Birmingham Ladywood', pressure forces him to switch himself out of trouble.
A tense clash. Olav is the winner. But his 14.28 advantage barely dents Clive's lead.
R05
- Words & Letters
Having won Countdown and innumerable Scrabble championships a bazillion times, Clive Spate is not a person you want to be facing in a hi-pressured, spot-lit, computer-powered TV ultra quiz.
But for three quarters of the round they are neck and neck, neither giving ground.
Which star sign is hidden in this phrase: IS YOUR WAGE MINIMUM? *****
In Scrabble, how many 'E' tiles are available? **
In English, which is the only country to begin with the letter Q? *****
But then tragically, Olav gets into a fight with this question: Which playwright is an anagram of OCEAN WORLD? **** *****
It kicks off a downward spiral. He can't recover and Clive switches him out of the game to end his misery. Another 20 seconds for Clive. It's looking real bad for his opponent.
R06 - Contemporary Knowledge
Olav starts with 47:76. Clive 1:34:70 - an incredible advantage at this quizzing level.
Olav fights valiantly to the bitter end. Trying to switch strategically to paralyse Clive for just a few seconds. Shouting his answers out before The Questionner has finished. Taking his top off and jumping up and down. We made that one up.
In the end, however, it's not enough. Olav bows out, blistered and shell-shocked by the battle.
Clive looks pleased. 47 seconds on his clock. A place in the Semis. The Grand Prize now in reach. Who's to stop him?
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