Countdown is usually hosted with the utmost professionalism, but sometimes contestants can’t resist going for a rude word if it offers a chance to score some extra points!
On Wednesday’s episode, we spotted Countdown presenter Rachel Riley just about managing to hold it together when a contestant spelled “crapped” on the board!
The second contestant must have known he'd cause a stir in the studio. When asked how many letters long his word is, he hedged his bets with “seven, I hope”. Sheepishly, he asks: “Can you have crapped?”
Ever the professional, lexicographer Susie Dent ignored the rude definition of the word and explained his word could mean “to crap out in a game of craps”. As she demonstrates, a person has “crapped out” when they making a losing throw in the dice game, craps.
Despite everyone’s professionalism, Rachel nearly cracked! When the cameras cut back to her, you could clearly spot her stifling a laugh at the rude meaning everyone was really thinking of!
Celebrity guest Rufus Hound had already done his best to not draw attention to the cheeky word, offering two six-letter alternatives: priced, and ripped. Both Countdown host Nick Hewer and Susie also tried to move the show on by offering a selection of other seven-letter options that the contestant could have gone for instead!
Other rude words on Countdown
"Crapped" is far from the worst word that has been spelled out by competitors, nor is it the naughtiest word to have appeared on the board by accident when contestants picked their letters!
The random collection of vowels and consonants has served up a great selection of rude words over the years. For example, a contestant in 2015 accidentally picked letters that spelled out “slut” on the board, prompting a very awkward look from Rachel and plenty of laughter in the studio!
There’s been plenty of other rude words appear on the board, too! Other contestants have managed to find words like “perverts” and “shafted”, and guest Janet Street Porter even found the seven-letter word “bumhole” when she appeared in Dictionary Corner alongside Susie!
Countdown airs weekdays at 2:10pm on C4. For more shows to enjoy, check out our TV Guide!
