A FORMER contestant has revealed exactly what it's like to appear on one of Channel 4's most famous quiz shows.
Countdown has long been one of the UK's most beloved shows, and competing is not for the faint hearted.
Running since 1982, it's seen thousands of contestants grace our screens over the years, each with varying success.
One former contestant named Jen Steadman has been one of the strongest to even appear on Countdown, and is an octochamp.
An octochamp is a contestant who has won all eight of their heat games.
Appearing on series 69 back in 2013, Jen now holds a record for being the best female contestant in the show's history.
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Speaking exclusively to Metro.co.uk, she detailed her time on the popular daytime show.
Jen revealed that unlike many other game shows, who typically film one or two episodes per day, Countdown is very quick.
She said: "There are two filming blocks in a day: these are usually morning and afternoon, although there are occasionally afternoon and evening sessions.
"That typically allows for five episodes to be recorded in a day."
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She continued: "For my octorun, I filmed three episodes in an afternoon on the first day, and then five episodes on the second day, all back-to-back".
Jen also revealed that certain rude words don't make it on the show, and don't 'count' – even if they are technically a word.
She told the publication: "The Scrabble and Countdown dictionaries are totally different, which is really annoying.
"It means lots of words aren’t valid in one but are valid in another."
As for the words? Jen explained that while "b***job" is valid in Scrabble, it isn't in Countdown
However, "h***job" is indeed valid in Countdown, but not in Scrabble.
Countdown airs weekdays from 2.15pm on Channel 4.
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