Did you watch the National Spelling Bee?

Jennifer Doyle · Post by **Jennifer Doyle** » Thu Jun 01, 2006 11:21 pm

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,197787,00.html

WASHINGTON — A 13-year-old New Jersey girl making her fifth straight appearance at the Scripps National Spelling Bee rattled off "ursprache" to claim the title of America's best speller on prime-time television Thursday night.

Katharine Close, an eighth-grader at the H.W. Mountz School in Spring Lake, N.J., is the first girl since 1999 to win the national spelling title. She stepped back from the microphone and put her hands to her mouth upon being declared the winner.

"I'm just in shock," Katharine said. Asked what she'll remember most, she said: "Probably just hearing 'ursprache,' which is a parent language." She recognized the word as soon as she heard it.

The winner goes home with more than $42,000 in cash and prizes.

Runner-up was Finola Mei Hwa Hackett, a 14-year-old Canadian, a confident speller during two days of competition who stumbled on "weltschmerz."

Third-place went to Saryn Hooks, a 14-year-old from West Alexander Middle School in Taylorsville, N.C., who was disqualified earlier in the evening, then returned to competition after the judges corrected their mistake. Saryn fumbled on "icteritious," which means of a jaundiced color.

Driven by the popularity of recent movies, books and a Broadway musical on the seemingly improbable theme of spelling hard words, the bee featured prime-time television coverage for the first time in its 79-year history. ABC broadcast the final from 8 p.m. until the winner was crowned just after 10 p.m. EDT.

Spellers took to the stage minutes before the broadcast, huddling and chanting "1-2-3, Spell" before taking their seats. Their parents sat on stage, too, across the aisle.

The broadcast had the flavor and style of a sports program, opening with a montage of the competitors and including a short profile of the first speller before he got his word. Each word or grimace by spellers triggered a blast of camera shutters, and the live TV camera followed the losers into the arms of comforting parents.

Even gamblers got into the act, putting money down on questions including whether the final word would have an "e" in it and whether the winner would wear glasses. Simon Noble, CEO of PinnacleSports.com, said his offshore Internet sports betting company had received about $70,000 in wagers on seven propositions about the bee as of noon Thursday.

The pace of competition, held in the basement ballroom of a Washington hotel, was slowed by the need to accommodate commercial breaks in the TV coverage provided by ABC, as well as earlier by ESPN.

"We're out for another two-minute commercial break," or "We're out for about a minute and a half," bee director Paige Kimble announced frequently, connected by headset to the network directors.

The competition paused for ABC to air commercials pitching credit cards, fast food, cell phones, digital cameras, clothing stores, breath fresheners, allergy medication, storm doors, kids movies, spray-on sunscreen, electric shavers for men and pastel-colored razors for women.

The competition began Wednesday with 274 fourth- through eighth-graders.

The spellers sat below hot lights on the red-and-blue, made-for-TV stage. On Thursday, all wore matching white, short-sleeve polo shirts with the bee logo on the left chest.

Spellers made it to the finals by winning contests in the 50 states, as well as in American Samoa, the Bahamas, Canada, Europe, Guam, Jamaica, New Zealand, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

ESPN has broadcast the second day of the bee since 1994. This year, in a nod to the popularity of "reality TV," the championship rounds were moved to ABC for a live, prime-time event before a larger viewing audience. The Walt Disney Co. owns both networks.

All the attention follows a series of bee-centered developments in the popular culture.

"Akeelah and the Bee," a movie about a Los Angeles girl who overcomes adversity to win the national spelling bee, opened nationwide in late April.

That followed last year's "Bee Season," about a man focused on his daughter's quest to become a spelling bee champ. It was based on the best-selling novel by Myla Goldberg.

Also last year, the Broadway musical, "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," won two Tony awards. And the 2002 documentary "Spellbound" followed eight teenagers during their quest to win the 1999 National Spelling Bee.

The Louisville Courier-Journal started the bee in 1925. The E.W. Scripps Co., a media conglomerate, assumed sponsorship in 1941.

It's really awesome that it got prime time spot. But then, there aren't any new TV shows going on right now . . .

COWBOY OF TEXAS · Post by **COWBOY OF TEXAS** » Thu Jun 01, 2006 11:27 pm

I was rooting for Saryn something or other, then she misspelled some word. Then it was left up to the Canadian and the New Jerseyian. I was rooting for a New Jerseyian, something I rarely do, but better than the alternative.

-Cowboy

Tyrell · Post by **Tyrell** » Thu Jun 01, 2006 11:30 pm

I dont liek goong to speeling b's

Bennett · Post by **Bennett** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 11:33 am

Yeah, I actually watched it. Good stuff.

I was rooting for the girl who ended up 3rd and the Canadian who ended up 2nd. Still, that's pretty sweet stuff.

Lots of the words that were originated from French were easy cause they're just the mispronunciation of the french word (Quebec, here)...But most of them were tough

The BC

EUCC · Post by **EUCC** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 1:31 pm

I haven't seen one for quite awhile. the smart kids are fun to watch though.

Gabriel Dragsack · Post by **Gabriel Dragsack** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 2:20 pm

In response to the title of this thread, can you spell the word N-O?

What's the world coming to when we watch people spell words?

Next season, the national watch paint dry contest!

jasodia · Post by **jasodia** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 2:49 pm

Gabriel Dragsack wrote:In response to the title of this thread, can you spell the word N-O?

What's the world coming to when we watch people spell words?

Next season, the national watch paint dry contest!

My view exactly! I know some Canadian friends who watched it and were disappointed that the runner up didn't win, but other than that I had no contact with it whatsoever!

Jennifer Doyle · Post by **Jennifer Doyle** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 4:19 pm

Gabriel Dragsack wrote:In response to the title of this thread, can you spell the word N-O?

What's the world coming to when we watch people spell words?

Next season, the national watch paint dry contest!

I'd like to see you try! But you can apply the paint-drying theory to golf as far as I'm concerned.

And wood working.

And a lot of the TV shows on. It's personal preference. Like it says in the article, a few books and a movie have been written/made about spelling bees and they make them look cool.

AIOfan11 · Post by **AIOfan11** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 4:34 pm

COWBOY OF TEXAS wrote:I was rooting for Saryn something or other, then she misspelled some word. Then it was left up to the Canadian and the New Jerseyian. I was rooting for a New Jerseyian, something I rarely do, but better than the alternative.

-Cowboy

I was rooting for Saryn, too. $\:D/$ Then, I was rooting for the Canadian. She didn't win.

But, I was very happy for the New Jerseyian, who did! $\:D/$ I bet she is still in shock that she won, today.

I would be.

Arwen · Post by **Arwen** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 5:02 pm

I wasn't going to watch it, but I did toward the end. It was pretty cool.

Post by **Catspaw** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 8:51 pm

AIOFan11 wrote:
COWBOY OF TEXAS wrote:I was rooting for Saryn something or other, then she misspelled some word. Then it was left up to the Canadian and the New Jerseyian. I was rooting for a New Jerseyian, something I rarely do, but better than the alternative.

-Cowboy
I was rooting for Saryn, too. $\:D/$ Then, I was rooting for the Canadian. She didn't win. But, I was very happy for the New Jerseyian, who did! $\:D/$ I bet she is still in shock that she won, today. I would be.

Aww, thanks for the support of Canadians, AIOFan11!

*glares at COT*

I didn't watch it, though I think it would have been fun! Some of those words sound really, really hard.

Applesauce · Post by **Applesauce** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 9:37 pm

Nope, I didn't watch it.......the TV was just on and I happened to walk in and sit down on the couch every time the commercial break was over.

Actually, much to my surprise, I quite enjoyed it. I got a bit annoyed by that one kid who bragged that he could spell that 45-letter word, so then found it a bit amusing when he misspelled a word right after saying that. I was rooting for the person who came in 3rd. After the judges corrected their mistake and let her back in the competition, I thought it would be cool if she ended up winning the whole thing. The person who won was my second choice.

totustuus · Post by **totustuus** » Sat Jun 03, 2006 12:46 pm

I was rooting for all the girls that came in first, second, and third. My sister didn't seem to think a Canadian should win the National spelling bee, but I didn't see a problem with it. Apparently though, that same girl won the Canadian National spelling bee twice. What wasn't fair was that she kept getting all the French words! I think she could have also spelled that German word, but you could tell they were both getting nervous. I thought it would have been cool if they both had won.

I thought the the spelling bee was pretty interesting to watch. I didn't like, however, the really annoying music that was playing.

ajamj · Post by **ajamj** » Sat Jun 03, 2006 4:34 pm

I was amazed that she (second place) said "v" when she had been told it was a German word. She was pretty nervous. Did it seem to anyone else that the winner kinda smiled when given her last two words? I said to everyone "She knows that! She smiled!"

Thursday Next · Post by **Thursday Next** » Sun Jun 04, 2006 12:08 am

I watched the little bit of it as I had to work. I had wanted to participate in the spelling bee, but I know now I wouldn't have had the discipline to do it. One of my sisters friends was in the National Spelling Bee and after she got kicked out reporters were asking her how she was feeling and she was like "fine...can I go get my cookie now. I'm kind of hungry."

Post by **Catspaw** » Sun Jun 04, 2006 9:50 pm

That's a good attitude to have!

I had no idea that you got a cookie for participating! *ponders deep thoughts*

Laura Ingalls · Post by **Laura Ingalls** » Mon Jun 05, 2006 1:17 pm

ajamj wrote:I was amazed that she (second place) said "v" when she had been told it was a German word. She was pretty nervous.

My dad said the same thing - she should've at least guessed it started with W being a German word.

ajamj wrote:Did it seem to anyone else that the winner kinda smiled when given her last two words? I said to everyone "She knows that! She smiled!"

Ha! I thought so too! She was pretty serious the whole time, so when the tiniest of smiles came over her face at those words, I knew she knew them.

I kinda wanted Saryn to win, but I was pleased that Kerry won instead of Finola. $\:D/$

Normally, I wouldn't have gotten to see it, since we don't have a TV. But we were at my aunt's house that night, and it was on while I was making my brother's groom's cake in the kitchen. $\:D/$

Hope · Post by **Hope** » Mon Jun 05, 2006 2:30 pm

i didnt actually. i saw one person and then i switched the channel. i know that my friend did. how was it?