CLOSE, BUT NO CIGAR
By Chris Stallard.
Rather than rating the teams that managed to conquer the Dungeon, this article looks at the teams that made it to level three but, for whatever reason, failed to push on to victory. It has often been stated by some fans that certain teams were very unlucky not to win, and therefore this article focuses on them. This includes teams who perished in level three, as well as teams that were “timed out” by the end of the series whilst on the final level. As I will be focusing on teams that made it to level three, I will rank the teams by an overall rating, which is split into four marks-out-of-ten categories:
Appeal - How much did the team grow on the watchers?
Excitement - Were there many memorable moments in the quest?
Intelligence - The old chestnut; did the team condemn themselves by their own actions?
Luck - A low rating helps here. How lucky were the team to progress, and how unlucky were they not to win?
So, with all that being as clear as the “opposite” riddles that led to the downfall of Vicky & co in series 4, here are the teams in reverse order:
12. Richard, Jonathan, Paul & Edward, from West Yorkshire. (Series 1)
The sixth and final team of the first series was the first team ever to reach the final level. Their quest started slowly as, like most teams in series 1, they took a fair while to do the simple tasks in level one, such as the bridge room and the room with the floor icons. They also struggled in the clue room, needing Treguard’s help to get a perfect score. This slowness was commonplace in series 1 and it would be unfair to hold it against the team, as they had little idea of what to expect. This perhaps wasn’t the most technically perfect quest (Danny & co seemed a better prospect to win before making a poor error when they encountered Folly) yet I found their enthusiastic, bickering style enjoyable to watch, especially the Battle of Insults, and Jonathan losing his cool in the Hall of Spears! However, in level three they were doomed early on when they left the horn in the clue room, meaning that they could not pass the Wall of Jericho.
Appeal - Despite their shortcomings, I found them entertaining to watch. 7
Excitement - Taken in context, you could see the team get more excited as they progressed deeper into the unknown, and it was the same for the watchers. 7
Intelligence - Despite growing in confidence and taking time to examine all choices, to take a dagger from the clue table is unforgivable! 4
Luck - A touchy subject, as their quest was clearly edited to fit in with the end of the season, with level two cut very short. The team’s victory was supposed to complete the series, but they threw it away by taking that dagger. 6
Overall - Seemed to be set up to win at the end of the series, but they lost it with a basic error. 6
11. Daniel, Benjamin, Gideon & Justin, from London. (Series 8)
Another team that divides opinion amongst fans. To be fair, whilst all of the team were excitable, it was Gideon who dominated the rest of the team with an eager personality and a VERY LOUD VOICE! Level one saw fairly easy progress (no idiotic errors like the team before them) but showed just how jumpy Gideon was as he shouted at the screen on numerous occasions. Level two again saw some panic as they dealt with Snapper-Jack and then lost it totally as the miremen approached them in the clue room! They then had to ride through the Sewers of Goth with Daniel disguised as Lord Fear, before convincing Maldame to open the door to level three. They then traded a SIGHT potion for a SHADE spell and made it to the Golden Galleon, but soon died in the Corridor of Blades.
Appeal - Regardless of whether you like their style or not, you cannot deny that they were entertaining to watch… or is it annoying? 7.5
Excitement - They created much of their own excitement, particularly with Gideon going to pieces at the drop of a hat. 8
Intelligence - Had they considered their options more carefully and not panicked as much, who knows? 5
Luck - No extra luck, but they never seemed likely to win, as they were just so excitable! 6
Overall - A fair attempt that was entertaining to watch, but they never seemed likely to win as they lost it on numerous occasions and shouted at the screen, confusing Daniel on more than one occasion. 6.5
10. Alistair, Harry, Martin & James, from Woodbridge. (Series 4)
Another slow-starting team who improved with time. Alistair started by almost falling to his death at the Spindizzy! However, the team showed intelligence as they dealt well with the intimidating prospect of Malice (showing considered judgment) and answered Oakley with ease. However, they seemed to go to pieces with the assassin, ending up with everybody shouting their two-penneth! They also showed good confidence dealing with Gundrada after releasing her and taking the gold, although everybody started shouting once again. They also dealt with Merlin with ease as they used logic to choose Mercury’s shoe, and so the RUN spell, at the expense of the other items. This was used to escape Ariadne (although this led to them all shouting again) at the end of level two. Level three saw them deal with the unusual Transporter Pad, again taking their time to consider their options. However, they were doomed soon after retrieving the green gem they had agreed to give to Malice, as they panicked again. This time it was at the worst possible moment, and they perished shouting in the Corridor of Blades, which must have been a particularly unnerving sight for the first team ever to encounter it.
Appeal - Their organised style was nevertheless appealing and enjoyable to watch. 7
Excitement - Some exciting moments, mainly when the team lost their cool! 7
Intelligence - They took time to consider their options, but were often worried and panicked rather easily. 6
Luck - No extra luck, but their downfall was of their own making as they panicked once too often. 5.5
Overall - A fairly strong team, but they grew nervous as they progressed. The Corridor of Blades is no place for the unsteady! 7
9. Sarah, Keighley, Helen & William, from Northampton. (Series 5)
A very strong team from the fifth series, when only two teams reached level three, the other being champions Ben & co. The team showed from an early stage that they were unwilling to rush into a silly mistake by taking their time to consider their actions in all encounters. They gained a password from Julius Scaramonger but quickly realised that it must be false, as they could not make the word out. They then received another – correct, this time - password from Gwendoline. When they reached the blocker, they again considered their actions before deciding that Gwendoline was far more trustworthy than Julius, and used her password. Level two again saw considered action as they bargained with Sly Hands to gain a key, and used Pixel to get rid of Skarkill with some ease! They also dealt with causeways fairly comfortably and rarely looked troubled or rushed. However, this calmness soon became a slowness to act, as they took far too long to decide whether to give Elita the ruby. (They take one minute and forty seconds from saying “we have a ruby” to giving the ruby up!) This came despite numerous warnings from Pickle. They were finished off in the next room - the Corridor of Blades again. What a letdown!
Appeal - Whilst they were not overly charismatic, I enjoyed the quest, and as they progressed they looked like they had a chance. 7.5
Excitement - The first team to reach level three in this series, and one of only two teams to do so. However, their reluctance to take risks cost them dearly. 6
Intelligence - They always considered their options fully - in the end, too fully! 8
Luck - No extra luck, but their downfall was entirely down to them, as they took an age to decide what to do with the ruby! 4
Overall - A good team, as few even got close to level three in this series, let alone into it. However, they were too conservative when it really mattered. 7
Here the countdown pauses once again, readers, but be sure to come back next time for details of the next four would-be champions.