Welcome to Day 34 of the Wellbeing 9-a-Day blog! Over the past few days, we have looked at Your Journey, the Hero’s Journey structure, and my current Hero’s Journey of becoming a gameshow legend. In today’s blog, I am going to look back on my attempt to claim a Countdown teapot.
The Difficult Second Gameshow Appearance
Fresh from my breath-taking victory on Pointless, I set my sights on other gameshows to appear on and saw that Countdown were looking for contestants. As a writer with a decent grasp of maths, I decided that I would give it a go, even though it had been years since I had watched an episode.
I completed my application to appear on the show and was delighted to be asked to attend an audition within a few weeks of submission. Playing along with as many episodes of Countdown as I could find, I went into my audition with limited confidence. Despite my best efforts, I was unable to get a high enough score to get a place on the show.
Thankfully, my score was close enough for me to get a second audition, which I was delighted to pass.
With my filming date looming, I practiced my letters and numbers rounds every day, hoping that I would avoid making a fool of myself. When the day finally came, I packed my gameshow shirt and made my way to the studio.
After going through make up, I stepped on set in my green shirt and prepared to continue my winning streak. There I was, with Nick Hewer on one side, Rachel Riley, Susie Dent and June Sarpong on the other, and the Countdown clock behind me.
But then everything turned upside down when I was halfway through my first letters round and I realised that I couldn’t think of a single word!
It Was the Beaniest of Times, It Was Hammiest of Times
Thankfully, I saw a word in the last few seconds and even managed to take the lead. Unfortunately, it was the only time I would be ahead all day.
After a mixed performance, summed up perfectly by two 8 letter words (beaniest and hammiest – one of which was a word, and one of which wasn’t), I succumbed to a humbling defeat to an 18-year-old wunderkind.
With my tail between my legs, I got the train back to Newcastle and lamented the missed opportunities that might have given me a second gameshow victory in my green shirt. I processed the defeat over the coming months, finally able to find some peace when I watched my performance on Channel 4.
Though I had lost, my quest to appear on the four primary UK channels while wearing the same green shirt was now halfway complete. I only needed to appear on BBC2 and ITV to complete my self-appointed mission of becoming a gameshow legend.
Little did I know then that the call from ITV was just around the corner.
Call to Action!
What goals do you have for the future? Think of ways you can work towards your goals by building daily habits. If I had started practicing for Countdown earlier, I might have been able to win a round that I actually lost, which would have been enough for me to win. By building your habits now, your future self may very well reap the rewards.
This blog was written as part of a 90-day blog writing fundraiser for Live Well with Cancer, a volunteer-led charity serving North Tyneside and the surrounding areas. If you enjoyed this blog, please show your appreciation by donating to my JustGiving page. Every penny raised from donations or sales of the journal will help deliver workshops, events and support groups that empower better health and wellbeing for those affected by cancer, including family, friends, carers, and healthcare workers.
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