Mastermind Final

Well, the Grand Final of Mastermind 2012 has just ended and congratulations go to the new champion Gary Grant! Tonight's contenders were -

Gary Grant
Andy Tucker
Maya Davis
David Love
Nick Reed
Mark Wyatt

I had a feeling we could be in for a very close final tonight and Mark Wyatt was the one to kick things off with Turner as his subject. A very solid 15 set a good benchmark for the final. Maya Davis struggled with the wide subject of Alchemy and her score of 6 ruled her out of contention. David Love took Tom Lehrer and scored a good 14 and when Nick Reed, who I saw as a potential outsider for the crown came home with 12 for the Diggers, it looked like a close final was indeed on the cards. Gary Grant however romped in with a stunning 19 on Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises to put himself firmly in control. Andy Tucker was fancied by many to take the title and needed something close to Gary's score to be a contender. Andy managed 14 on the history of Azerbaijan.

This left Gary with a 4 point lead after the first round, a lot to ask given the calibre of quizzing on show. It already looked as if we had a winner in waiting.

Scores after Specialist Round


Gary Grant - 19
Mark Wyatt - 15
Andy Tucker - 14
David Love - 14
Nick Reed - 12
Maya Davis - 6

So for the final time in the series it was time for the long walks to seats for the final General Knowledge rounds.

To be fair Maya Davis probably knew as she approached the chair that her chances of being crowned Mastermind this year were over. She has proven her skills in getting to the final but perhaps the wide subject choice let her down on this occasion but her general knowledge certainly didn't claiming 14 points on a very hard set to reach a total of 20.

Nick Reed I had down in my preview as a potential outsider for the crown, however his SS round had not been as consistent as the previous rounds and he was left with an uphill struggle. Nick seemed to struggle early on and did not really recover. Again it was a very hard set of questions and probably combined with the pressure of the final and the nervy start probably played a factor in the score of 8. Still a good score on the set given but that also brought his total to 20. A fantastic achievement on getting to the final and certainly if Nick takes part in future series he could go all the way.

David Love was next and posted  cracking score of 14 on what I thought was the hardest set of the night. This gave him a total of 28 and a real target for all to beat. Only Gary Grants extraordinary 19 put what would have been a commanding total into some doubt. Still David Love has been superb throughout the series and if he should return he will certainly be a contender.

Andy Tucker was much fancied before hand and settled straight into his round firing off speedy answers and getting into a groove. The difficult set proved manageable as he raced to a score of 16, taking the lead with a score of 30, a great total. Again it was only due to the 19 score by Gary that this total looked to be a few points short of being a real target. Still, Andy Tucker is a fantastic quizzer and has proven it throughout the series.

Mark Wyatt had a chance to post a target of his own but after a good 15 in the first round managed only four points on the General Knowledge. It didnt appear to be an unusually difficult set nor did Mark Wyatt seem too phased about the occasion, it perhaps was just one of those occasions when they questions don't fall right.

Gary Grant strode to the seat next, knowing a score of 12 would take the victory. It always seemed likely and bar a huge meltdown Gary was odds on favourite. The flying start to the round meant the result was never in doubt. Gary raced to 16 for the round, the joint highest of the night, and bringing his total up to 35. A score that is always likely to take a Mastermind Final whatever the year and a fantastic performance. A thoroughly deserving champion of what has been another hugely enjoyable series.