National Spelling Bee on ABC

BY CHRISTIE OSBORN

Flabbergasted: a verb meaning to overwhelm with shock, surprise, or wonder. This was probably the most common reaction from viewers during the 82^nd Annual Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals that were held on May 28^th. Hundreds of students between the ages of nine and fifteen traveled to Washington, D.C. to compete in this year’s competition, and eleven of those students made it to the finals that were broadcast Thursday night at 8:00 p.m ET.  The ABC special, hosted by Tom Bergeron, showcased the students’ hard work and dedication, making this program the Best TV Show of the Week. The eleven contestants, ten of whom are thirteen years old and one age twelve, out-spelled roughly eleven million other students in order to make it to the finals. Four of the finalists were making their first appearance in the competition, while one was making her fourth appearance. Fourth time must be a charm, because Kavya Shivashankar from Olathe, Kansas never broke a sweat as she out-spelled the other ten contestants to win the championship with the word Laodicean. The rules of the finals are quite simple. A speller may ask questions about the word’s pronunciation, definition, or language of origin. They may also ask for it to be used in a sentence. When the finalist starts to spell a word they can start over but once a letter is spoken it cannot be changed. Viewers sat on the edge of their seats as they willed the finalists to say the right letters to spell words like jacqueminot and palatschinken.

Being able to know and correctly spell words like appoggiatura or succedaneum might seem pointless, but the purpose of the spelling bee is quite practical. The National Spelling Bee states, “Our purpose is to help students improve their spelling, increase their vocabularies, learn concepts, and develop correct English usage that will help them all their lives.” In a world full of slang words and lazy pronunciations, it’s refreshing and encouraging to see students putting the time and effort into understanding the English language. To borrow a quote from the 1964 movie My Fair Lady, “The majesty and grandeur of the English language [is] the greatest possession we have. The noblest thoughts that ever flowed through the hearts of men are contained in its extraordinary, imaginative, and musical mixtures of sounds.” These eleven finalists, plus the other 282 students who competed in Washington, D.C., are a great motivator for expanding our vocabularies and working on diction; and for both educating and entertaining audiences and encouraging children to learn, ABC’s broadcast of the National Spelling Bee deserves the title of Best TV Show of the Week.