National Spelling Bee

[Triumph36]

damn i already missed the opening rounds - why'd this event have to get so big it's played in prime time now? it used to be on only in the afternoon.

[gusmahler]

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http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=2888424

Samir Patel is out already. Guess I don't have to watch it now.

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He misspelled "clevis." What a retard.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samir_Patel

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has placed 2nd, 3rd, 13th, and 27th in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

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He finished worse this year. His VORS (Value over Replacement Speller) is plummeting. He's clearly past his prime.

[TheGrasshopper]

I watched a spelling bee on ESPN and found it strangely compelling.

[ImsaKidd]

I remember being in the regional spelling bee with like 5 kids left, however many years ago.

I was so nervous, but the other 4 kids were so stuck up and I wanted to make it entertaining, so I was kinda goofing around, which made my nerves go away. Getting the entire audience to laugh at you is a good way to loosen up.

[dlk9s]

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I watched a spelling bee on ESPN and found it strangely compelling.

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Yes, that's the point of this discussion.

[Aloysius]

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damn i already missed the opening rounds - why'd this event have to get so big it's played in prime time now? it used to be on only in the afternoon.

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2006 Scripps National Spelling Bee thread, 1st primetime airing, riveting stuff!

Tim - thanks for the heads-up.

-Al

[elus2]

This is the most awesome thing I've ever seen (in the last week).

The New Zealander girl is getting lots of controversy.

[RacersEdge]

This was funny:

For the third time in two days, the Kiwi accent of the representative from New Zealand threw the judges for a loop. After listening to a replay, officials still weren't sure if 13-year-old Kate Weir of Christchurch had tried to spell "jardiniere" (an ornamental plant stand) with a "g" or a "j." They finally asked her to give another word starting with the letter. When she said "giraffe," the bell sounded and she was out.

I had a roomate from NZ and their accent can make certain words unrecognizable. (Not sure how she missed it - "jardin" is pretty much French for garden isn't it?

[g-bebe]

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This was funny:

For the third time in two days, the Kiwi accent of the representative from New Zealand threw the judges for a loop. After listening to a replay, officials still weren't sure if 13-year-old Kate Weir of Christchurch had tried to spell "jardiniere" (an ornamental plant stand) with a "g" or a "j." They finally asked her to give another word starting with the letter. When she said "giraffe," the bell sounded and she was out.

I had a roomate from NZ and their accent can make certain words unrecognizable. (Not sure how she missed it - "jardin" is pretty much French for garden isn't it?

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Seems like the same principle as Samir botching "boudin".

[.Alex.]

Is it just me, or did that girl who was profiled keep saying the f word under her breath when she realized she didn't know the word?

I am shocked at how much easier the words twenty years ago were apparently. Kamikaze, croissant, luge? I guess the parents must have ramped up the pressure.

I hate the way ABC is going Olympics-style with all of the in-depth coverage of the individual competitors. The footage is so fake and staged, which takes away from the innocence of the show. And stop interviewing them right after they get knocked out, especially by Stuart Scott! Speaking of fake, those pre-designed exchnages with Mike & Mike are much worse that their usual banter on the radio show. It's similar to Kornheiser's transition.