The Bus

For the 13th straight year, ESPN will present live coverage of the annual Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals from Washington, DC., THURSDAY, JUNE 1, from 12:00 - 3:00 p.m., ET. The championship rounds of the event will be on ABC, 8:00 - 10:00 p.m., marking the first time the nation's most-popular and longest-running educational contest will be presented live, in primetime on a broadcast network. ABC's primetime broadcast and ESPN's daytime coverage will be available in high definition - another television first for the event.

"SportsCenter" anchor Chris McKendry will return for the fifth year as ESPN's Spelling Bee host, with former Bee finalist Paul A. Loeffler providing analysis. Loeffler, who represented the Merced (Calif.) Sun-Star in the 1990 National Spelling Bee finals in Washington, DC - making it up to the top 13 spellers -- will also join "Good Morning America's" Robin Roberts to call the championship rounds on ABC. ABC News correspondent Chris Connelly is also an on-air correspondent during the competition.

http://abc.go.com/specials/spellingbee.html

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Anyone else excited?

Goldberg74

Only if you can guarantee me that someone will pass out.

Charlie Goose

I might watch a piece of this. Of course, it's only to see the looks on their faces as their dreams are crushed for not being able to spell caberdurfuckitoujsqqqqerase.

I watched a repeat of an earlier tournament and it went much quicker, have they imposed a time limit?

Matt

Don't need to see any more spelling bees on TV after seeing this one last year:

Moderator: The word is "Business."

Daniel: "Business", b-r-d-t-f-k-l-m-g-h-r-k-w-t-f-n-y-l-k-p-q-w-q-r-t-d-f-p-l-m-k-q-k-w-
q-q-q-q-q-q-q-q-q-q-q-q-s-t-f-j-r-q-m-t-s-d-t-q-m-p-r-f-t-d-p-d-p-m-h-r-k-t-b-t-f, "business."

(Apologies for the crap quality.)

Derrich

This is in HD but not the Indy 500....


D

Red Dog

Yeah - I noticed that too.

saoirse

Sweet. I will be watching or recording this for sure.

After seeing the documentary Spellbound, I love checking out this. It's surprisingly funny. Anyone ever see the girl who'd sniff her fingers and turn away after saying each letter? I think Family Guy did a little spoof on that one.

If you like Spellbound, I would also recommend Word Wars (about Scrabble players).

DRG

I saw part of the early rounds today at lunch and there was a kid who would say two letters, turn to his right and sort of clear his throat, turn back and say two more letters, etc. Very odd. Another girl was frantically trying to spell the word out on her right arm (no actually ink or writing tool of any kind, of course)for about thirty seconds.

Red Dog

These kids really know how to stall.

B.A.

Bullshit - this isn't Germany's National Spelling Bee! This is America - and the kid from St. Louis was robbed, I tell ya!

Red Dog

Hukilau was far easier than that word the last male contestant had. I say foul.

aktick

Everything's some stupid foreign word. Boo!

B.A.

And that little bitch is from Canada. I don't see the prefix "Inter-" before National in the competition's name.

Red Dog

Yeah - it would be like the Edmonton Oilers winning the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup.

Red Dog

It's all downhill from here for that nerd.

B.A.

Do the preface the competition w/ the question - How many foreign languages do you speak?

B.A.

She is going to flip out the minute she moves away from home and goes to college, that's if her parents let her leave Asbury Park.

SPiRAL

I thought some girl named, A-K-E-E-L-A-H won it ?

bboisvert

Reading my mind. What the hell?

I didn't watch the whole thing, but I caught quite a bit flipping around. Pretty intense.

Derrich

Japanese? They gotta spell Japanese words? Last time I checked, we won the war. This is BS.

D

saoirse

I had my DVR record it and it was down to the last two, then it stopped. Damnit.

Lokimok

ESPN reran it the other night & I think they're playing it again Thursday afternoon.


Weltschmerz is my current favorite word.

saoirse

thanks. I'll try catch the last 10 minutes.