| ROWLING | Best-selling author who was a runner-up for Time's 2007 Person of the Year |
| STOWE | Best-selling author who was a neighbor of Twain in Hartford |
| PUTIN | Leader who was Time's 2007 Person of the Year |
| GORE | Time's runner-up for 2007 Person of the Year |
| JOE | First name of Mr Sugg, the YouTuber who was a runner-up on Strictly in 2018 (3) |
| TASHA | First name of Ms Ghouri, the Love Islander who was a runner-up on Strictly in 2024 (5) |
| OLLY | _ Murs, singer who was a runner-up on The X Factor in 2009 (4) |
| BOYLE | Susan _, Scottish singer who was a runner-up on Britain's Got Talent (5) |
| CLAYAIKEN | He was a runner-up on "American Idol" in 2003; in 2014 he won the Democratic primary for a U.S. House seat in North Carolina |
| SIMONCOWELL | Reality TV judge who was a runner on the set of "The Shining" |
| DAPHNEDUMAURIER | Full name of a highly acclaimed author who was a dame of literary shadows, mistress of suspense and a granddaughter of Trilby's creator (6,2,7) |
| KIMJOY | She was a runner-up, together with Ruby, to the Bakeoff winner Rahul (3-3) |
| ESTES | Best-selling author who wrote "Women Who Run With the Wolves" |
| EOINCOLFER | Best-selling author who wrote the eight books in the Artemis Fowl series: 2 wds. |
| ALCOTT | Best-selling author who served as a nurse in the Civil War |
| LUCABASH | He was a runner-up on both Love Island in 2022 and Celebrity MasterChef in 2023 (4,4) |
| KAKU | Michio ___ theoretical physicist and New York Times best-selling author who has hosted several TV specials |
| BETH | ____ Mead, English women's footballer who was runner-up for the 2022 Ballon d'Or (4) |
| MANNYMACHADO | San Diego Padres star who was runner-up for the 2022 NL MVP |
| WYNDHAMLEWIS | English painter and author who was a cofounder of the Vorticist movement in art (7,5) |
