Wordy Wednesday 47: Big Helter Skelter

WORDY WEDNESDAY #45
PENT WORDS 9 (answer)
It's been two weeks, so time to unveil the answer to this puzzle. If you still wish to solve it yourself, please go here for the normal version of the puzzle, or here for the easier version of the puzzle. Here's a list of people who solved it:
Adam Weaver **
Bo Green *
Bryce Herdt **
Edderiofer He **
Gavriel Hirsch *
Izak Bulten *
Jack Bross **
James McGowan **
John Bulten **
M. Sean Molley **
Mark Tilford **
Peter Abide **
Ryan Faley **
Sam Levitin **
Tim Harrod **
Walker Anderson *

WORDY WEDNESDAY #46
TABLETOP MATH
A shockingly low 5 people have solved last week's puzzle. As mentioned before, this puzzle is a contest; the first contest winner, chosen randomly from the first week's solvers, is: Adam Weaver! As promised, there will not be an easy version of the puzzle this week. However, note that I only promised not to post any hints after one week; I said nothing about two weeks. Yes, this puzzle contest will run for a third week! I didn't exactly plan on this, but I want to see more people solve this puzzle. Enter to win signed copies of the Winter 2015 and Spring 2015 issues of Will Shortz's Wordplay!

IZAK BULTEN HAS A BLOG NOW!
My blog's youngest reader would like to direct you towards his new blog, where he may also be the youngest word search constructor on the Internet. Maybe he should submit that record to RecordSetter. . . . :)

WORDY WEDNESDAY #47
BIG HELTER SKELTER
My tribute to Brendan Emmett Quigley's Helter Skelter puzzles in Will Shortz's Wordplay. Every answer starts at the indicated number, and then moves in the direction of the next number (but may or may not stop there). The direction of the last answer is to be determined by the solver. Rearrange the letters in the shaded spaces to get the final answer word.
[Editorial note: I recently learned that BEQ had a Marching Bands Kickstarter that I didn't notice because I don't follow his blog all that much. (I guess a super-difficult themeless crossword puzzle every week isn't my thing.) I'd consider backing a Helter Skelter Kickstarter, especially if the puzzles were bigger than 8x8 (or a single puzzle that's the world's largest Helter Skelter). I want to see what BEQ could do with longer entries! I mean, sure, there are lots of unches, but there are also lots of over-checked letters and interesting overlaps.]

1. Former Disney CEO Michael
2. ____ of passage
3. Language of Bangkok
4. Character who sings, “What's going on?”: hyph.
5. Spar on a ship
6. Sulu portrayer
7. Lends a hand
8. Drill ____
9. Exit
10. The Hills Have ____ (Wes Craven film)
11. “Nobody doesn't like” this dessert brand: 2 wds.
12. Islamic ruler
13. Give a new moniker to
14. Stat: abbr.
15. Billy Joel song which opens, “You have to learn to pace yourself”
16. Snake
17. Ripped
18. California ____ (claymation singers in 80's ads)
19. See clue 20
20. Word 19 and Roy, for example
21. The Road to Wigan Pier author George
22. Erroneous
23. Game played with a strum bar and fret buttons: 2 wds.
24. Three-line verse of Japanese origin
25. Sword of Japanese origin
26. Consumed
27. Notorious 50's quiz show: 2 wds.
28. Family surname in Beethoven
29. Hardships
30. Sullies
31. Quarterback ____
32. Happen consequently
33. Will Shortz, to Will Shortz's Wordplay
34. Set up, as a new computer program
35. Life and ____
36. First song sung in Beauty and the Beast
37. Fantastic score for Nicklaus
38. Real ____
39. El primer mes del año
40. Extend a magazine subscription
41. Dihydrogen monoxide, to a German
42. Impatient
43. ____ toast
44. ____ Wednesday (if you think the answer is WORDY, you overestimate the author's vanity)
45. There are none of these on a bald head
46. Jamaican music genre
47. Tab, for example
48. Tropical tuber
49. Breaking Bad substance

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