ESPN knew what it was doing when it decided to broadcast the Scripps National Spelling Bee on their air.
Put the smartest, most nervous and anxious 12-14 year olds in front of a camera and ask them to spell ridiculous words no one has ever heard of — and create television drama for the ages.
In this year’s competition, when the stretch run came and the Bee was head-to-head between two young Indian boys,Sriram Hathwar of Painted Post, New York, and Ansun Sujoe of Fort Worth, Texas, the bell rung for each, meaning they had both misspelled their final word.
In a rare twist, the two were deemed co-champions, as the competition is “against the dictionary” and not against one another. It was the first tie in 52 years.
But the show was stolen byJacob Williamson, who confidently proclaimed to know how to spell “kabaragoya” correctly. And then his world came crumbling down when he spelled it wrong. Check out the video. It’s just painfully funny.
Follow Metro Philadelphia sports editor Evan Macy on twitter @Evan_Macy
